With CES 2013 practically behind us, it’s time to take a moment, relax and see what are the coolest technologies and devices that we have today and didn’t last week. There’ve been a lot of new awesome processors on display in Las Vegas, a bunch of crisp and sharp displays and more tablets than we’d have expected, but for the most part this year’s CES has been all about 1080p smartphones.
Sony, Huawei, ZTE, Alcatel and Lenovo have all had something to brag about in this newly created niche, but out of the bunch we’d probably single out ZTE if we had to. The company’s Grand S has grabbed our attention not only with groundbreaking specs, but also with a clean and elegant design and the unbeatable promise of budget friendliness.
But there’s more good news coming from China today, as Lixin Cheng, the head of ZTE’s North American business, has confirmed the Grand S is due for a US release. Of course, Cheng has failed to pinpoint an exact ETA or price point for the 5-incher, but, with China set to get it this month, we can definitely hope to see it in the States by the end of Q1.
Even better, there’s a solid possibility the ZTE Grand S will be offered subsidized by one or several American carriers. In fact, Cheng has underlined in an exclusive talk with Cnet that he’s counting on “carrier support” to help build a name for ZTE in the US, as well as on viral marketing and social media.
The Chinese official has also revealed that 2014 concept models shown by ZTE to U.S. carrier executives at CES have been welcomed with much excitement, so there’s a lot of promise surrounding the brand’s evolution outside the boundaries of China.
Naturally, we have no idea how did those concept models look, but the likeliness of an outrageous 6.3-inch Nubia Z7 coming in the next year or so has just gotten a major boost. Especially that, according to Cheng, ZTE only needs six to eight months to develop a phone from the design phase to launch, compared with 12 to 18 months at other companies.
Meanwhile, we have a very interesting update on the Chinese launch of the Grand S as well. According to sources close to GizChina, the 5-incher will cost 3,998 Yuan, or around $639.
That’s definitely not what one would call cheap, but it’s still considerably less than Galaxy Note 2’s off contract price, for instance. Also, we know that there are usually differences between Chinese and American price points, so there’s a good shot we’ll be seeing the Grand S hit the West for 550 bucks or so.
Would you consider getting one for that price? How about, say, for $150 with a two-year contract?
The post ZTE Grand S confirmed for US launch, priced at $640 in China appeared first on Android Authority.
