At a press conference held in China today, ZTE unveiled a series of new devices as a part of its AXON branding: the Axon mini and the Axon Watch.
The Axon mini was, apparently, unveiled by ZTE back in July this year, but its launch somehow went unnoticed. The premium mid-range handset from the Chinese company is made from “aircraft-grade aluminum-titanium alloy” that gives it a very premium look and feel. Despite being branded a “mini”, the Axon mini comes with a 5.2-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display. Taking a book out of Apple’s new iPhones, the ZTE Axon mini also features a pressure sensitive display.
Under the hood of the mini, there is a Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, a microSD card slot, and a 2800mAh battery. There is also a 13MP snapper at the rear and an 8MP shooter in the front of the camera.
Other notable features present on the handset include three different biometric authentication options: fingerprint, voice control, and eye-scan. There is also a voice search function that can be activated in less than 1.2 seconds, and is capable of offering real-time voice translation in a bunch of languages.
ZTE also unveiled an NBA variant of the Axon mini that comes in a number of designs, and is pre-loaded with NBA services. The handset is available for purchase in China through ZTE’s own MyZTE store, JD.com, and other major online and offline retail outlets in the country in three colors: Ion Gold, Chromium Silver, and Rose Gold. The Axon mini will also be making its way to Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Russia, Japan, India, Australia, France, Germany, Turkey, Spain, and Italy in the coming months. Prices of the handset start from 2699 CNY in China.
ZTE also unveiled its first smartwatch today: the Axon Watch. The wearable features a 1.4-inch circular screen that is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass with a sapphire coating on top of it. It comes with 512MB RAM, 4GB of storage space, a 3,00mAh battery, and Bluetooth 4.1. The watch runs on Tencent OS and not on Android Wear, and features integration with QQ and WeChat.
The Axon Watch will go on sale in China from October 27.
