Although China’s ZTE has held a presence in the United States for years, the brand is still relatively unknown to most American consumers. But with ascendant China continuing to build tech credibility on the world stage, the company believes that now is the time to emerge from obscurity in North America with a new push fronted by two new smartphones.
First unveiled at this year’s CES conference in January, ZTE’s Grand S and Nubia 5 Android-based smartphones offered an impressive look at what the company has planned for its U.S. competition. The Grand S particularly garnered attention for its ultra-thin form factor.
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However, even the most feature-rich new smartphone, boasting a super-slim footprint and the latest Android operating system, will still face a daunting challenge from the market’s existing smartphone leaders — Apple and Samsung. Recent figures compiled by comScore indicate that Apple has the smartphone lead in the U.S. at 40%, ahead of Samsung at 24%, HTC at 8%, Motorola with nearly 7% and LG at 6.8%.
Muscling into that tight race will be difficult, but ZTE does have some experience competing in a crowded market. A recent IDC report claims that ZTE is the No. 4 smartphone manufacturer in China with almost 9% of the market, putting it behind Samsung, the No. 1 vendor in the country, as well as Lenovo and Coolpad.
Unfortunately, ZTE won’t be releasing its new smartphones into the U.S. market until 2014, about a year after the handsets were first unveiled. Nevertheless, the company appears to be committed to penetrating the market. An example of that commitment comes in the form of a new partnership ZTE has formed with the NBA’s Houston Rockets.
During the Rockets’ first game of the season on Saturday, ZTE will be announced as the official smartphone brand of the team. Those familiar with the Rockets and its fan base are likely aware that the team already enjoys a close relationship with China and the local Chinese community in Houston, thanks in part to the pioneering efforts of former Rockets center Yao Ming.
That cultural connection makes the team a perfect fit for ZTE’s stateside ambitions, although it remains to be seen whether or not that will translate into a connection with mainstream U.S. consumers.
With a 4.7-inch display, Huawei's flagship feels small among the other phones on this list. Still, two years ago it would've been the biggest smartphone around, and it's definitely a handful.
Even ZTE's smaller phone (compared to the Grand Memo) is actually a very large device, with a 5-inch, 1080p screen. Remember when the 1080p resolution was reserved for 24-inch LCD monitors?
LG has gone all-in on the huge smartphone craze, launching a flagship phone with a 5.5 inch screen. Sure, it's light and thin, but the screen is still really, really big. Even its smaller brother, the Optimus G, with a 4.7-inch screen, is quite a big device.
HTC One rocks the same screen size as the Huawei Ascend P2 and the LG Optimus G -- 4.7-inches. It seems that size is the new standard for "regular" size phones, though we can still remember how big the HTC One X (which also has a 4.7-inch screen) felt when we first tried it out.
Yes, the Fonepad has been marketed as a tablet, but it can make phone calls. And when you consider that some smartphones on this list are nearing 6-inches, well, why not go for broke and get yourself a 7-inch tabletphone?
Even without its tablet counterpart, Asus' Padfone Infinity is a fairly large phone. With a 5-inch, 1080p screen, it can hold its own against other gargantuan phones on this list.
ZTE's Grand Memo rocks a 5.7-inch screen, which puts it deeply in the phablet territory. If you have small hands, you probably won't love this phone, but for those with bigger paws, the extra screen real estate might be worth it.
NEC's Medias W is a very unique beast: fold it, and you have a fairly standard 3.5-inch smartphone. Open it up, and it becomes a dual-screen smartphone with nearly tablet-like screen real estate, and the two screens work perfectly in unison.
Image: Flickr, Pierre Lecourt