ZTE’s latest concept smartphone is code-named Iceberg and features two display notches, with the top and bottom of its screen featuring a cutout each. The two renders of the device that can be seen in the gallery below have recently been published by iF International Forum Design, with ZTE telling the organization that it would take between 13 and 24 months to commercialize the unconventional smartphone, provided it decides to go through with its release at all. The Chinese original equipment manufacturer likely still hasn’t greenlit the project but even if it does, the ZTE Iceberg won’t be officially launched before 2019, as per the same source.
The handset utilizes a glass sandwich design meant to resemble an ice fragment, with all of its four corners being fully transparent, thus giving the impression of a device encapsulated in a sheet of ice, whereas the “true” corners of the handset are curved in a rather aggressive manner. The top display notch of the ZTE Iceberg features a front-facing camera, earpiece, and a proximity sensor, whereas the bottom cutout has also been envisioned as accommodating a loudspeaker, with the phablet thus offering a frontal dual-stereo setup. Wireless charging support is meant to be part of the package as well, whereas the bottom notch isn’t just meant to allow for added audio functionality but has also been included for the purpose of ensuring a fully symmetrical look, something that existing notch-equipped handsets lack.
The Shenzhen, China-based OEM said the ZTE Iceberg would be targeted at consumers in Asia, Europe, and North America should it ever be commercialized but provided no other details on the product. Last year, ZTE unveiled what it claimed was the world’s first contemporary foldable smartphone in the form of the Axon M and also hinted that it’s aiming to become the first OEM to deliver a 5G-enabled handset which may be released before the end of 2018, with the company being likely to continue pursuing more industry firsts going forward.
