China’s ZTE to Sell Its Flagship Axon 7 Smartphone in U.S.

The premium handset features a 5.5-inch WQHD touch-screen display and a 20-megapixel main camera and will sell for under $500.

The Axon 7 handset features a 5.5-inch AMOLED Wide Quad HD (WQHD) touch-screen display with 2,560-by-1,440 resolution (538ppi), a Corning Gorilla Glass 4 display cover and a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 processor with an integrated Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU.

Two Axon 7 configurations will be available with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage or with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. Both models also include a microSD slot that holds memory cards up to 128GB for expanded storage.

The Axon 7 also includes a 20-megapixel rear-facing camera that uses a Samsung ISO-cell sensor, an F1.8 sapphire lens, Optical Image Stabilization, Electronic Image Stabilization, Phase Detection Auto Focus and dual LED flash. The camera features a Super Auto mode that includes Night Shot, Auto HDR and Automatic Scene Optimization capabilities, as well as additional manual, beauty selfie, refocus, slow motion, live photo, multi-exposure and long-exposure settings.

The phone runs on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system and is 5.97 inches long, 2.95 inches wide and 0.34 inches thick; its weight is 6.52 ounces. It will be available in Ion Gold and Quartz Gray colors. Also featured in the phone is a rear-mounted fingerprint reader for user authentication and security, dual AKM HiFi audio chipsets, Dolby Atmos surround sound and dual front-facing speakers for excellent audio quality.

The main camera captures video as well in 4K Ultra HD at 30 frames per second (fps), full HD 1080p at 30 fps or at 720p HD at 30 fps. It also captures video in slow motion mode in 720p at 240 fps or in 480p at 300 fps. A front-facing 8-megapixel camera is featured for selfies. The handset also includes a 3,140mAh, non-removable battery that has a quick-charging feature.

The ZTE Axon 7 is a dual SIM phone that will operate on GSM, CDMA and UMTS networks, including the major mobile carriers in the U.S. The phone will be compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S. to start, with Sprint and Verizon capabilities expected later in 2016. In addition to LTE connectivity, the handset includes 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, near-field communication (NFC) and mobile hotspot capabilities.

A compatible ZTE VR headset, which allows a user to place his or her Axon 7 handset in the headset to turn it into a virtual reality viewer, was also launched in China when the phone debuted there. No information was available about whether it will arrive in the U.S., but the possibility is intriguing.