ZTE Axon 7 Snapdragon 820 Smartphone To Support Google Daydream VR

Google announced Daydream virtual reality platform at Google I/O 2016 a few days ago, and now ZTE has announced the first phone compatible with Daydream, namely Axon 7 powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4 to 6 GB RAM, and 64 to 128 GB flash. Their will be three versions of the phone: basic, standard and premium editions with the following key features and hardware specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 820  quad core ARMv8 processor with two “Gold” cores up to 2.15 GHz, two “Silver” cores up to 1.6 GHz, Adreno 530 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0, and Vulkan, and  Hexagon 680 DSP  @ up to 825 MHz System Memory and Storage 4GB RAM, 64GB flash, and micro SD slot up to 128GB OR 6GB RAM, 128GB flash, and micro SD slot up to 128GB Display – 5.5″ 2560 x 1440, WQHD AMOLED, 2.5D; Premium: […]

ZTE ZX296702 Dual Core Cortex A9 SoC Boots Android in 10 Seconds with TuxOnice

ZTE XZ296702 is a dual core Cortex A9 processor with a Mali-400 GPU that targets Android set-top boxes and media players, and while Charbax filmed a video with ZX296702-AD1 development board at Linaro Connect HK, initial patchsets were recently submitted to the Linux ARM Kernel mailing list for XZ296702 SoC and the development board. There aren’t any product page for ZX296702 processor, so instead let’s have a look at the board’s specifications: SoC – ZTE ZX296702 dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor with Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 512 MB RAM Storage – 4GB flash + micro SD card Video Output – HDMI + AV (RCA) Audio Output – HDMI + Stereo audio (2x RCA) Connectivity – Ethernet and Wi-Fi USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports Power Supply – 5V Considering the board is running Android 4.4, the specs are quite low end, however the developers claim to have […]

ZTE Blade S6 Smartphone Runs Android 5.0 Lollipop on Snapdragon 615 Processor

Android 5.0 (Lollipop) was released on last October, together with Motorola Nexus 6 phone running the latest version of the operating system. Since then some other global brands like Samsung, HTC, or Sony have ported Android 5.0 to some of their devices, but it’s currently pretty hard to find a Lollipop smartphone on Aliexpress made by low cost Chinese manufacturers. ZTE Blade S6 is one of the first “Chinese” smartphone boasting Android 5.0, so let’s have look. ZTE Blade S6 smartphone: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (MSM8939) Octa-core processor with 4x Cortex A53 @ 1.5 GHz, 4x Cortex A53 @ 1.0 GHz, Adreno 405 GPU, Hexagon V50 DSP, and a 4K HEVC capable video decoder. System Memory  2GB RAM Storage – 16 GB eMMC – No micro SD slot Display – 5.0” capacitive touch screen IPS display (16M colors). 1280×720 resolution Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi , Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, […]

ZTE FunBox Android Game Console Powered by Nvidia Tegra 4 Sells for $146

Since about a year, we’ve seen several Android based game console such as the Ouya or PlayJam GameStick coming to market. These are sold below $100, but feature some older hardware specs that may not run the latest games at optimal speed. Mad Catz game console, powered by an Nvidia Tegra 4, provides a much smoother gaming experience, but cost $199.99. If you’d like the performance of the Mad Catz but at a lower price point, ZTE Funbox also powered by Nvidia Tegra 4 quad core Cortex A15 processor is currently available on Aliexpress for $145.99 including shipping. ZTE FunBox specifications: SoC – Nvidia Tegra 4 quad core ARM Cortex A15 @ 1.8 GHz with 72-core GeForce ULP GPU (74.8 GFLOPS) System Memory – 2GB DDR3L Storage – 8GB eMMC 4.5 up to 120MB/s Audio / Video Output – HDMI up to 1080p60 or 4K30 Connectivity – Ethernet, dual band […]

Linaro Connect Asia 2014 Opening Keynote – Status and Future of ARMv8 Linux & Android [Video]

Linaro Connect Asia 2014 has just started in Macau today and will take place until Friday. You can follow the sessions live and/or their recordings via Linaro OnAir YouTube Channel. I’ve watched the opening keynote, and embedded the video at the bottom of this post. The keynote focuses on ARMv8 for Linux and Android on servers, mobile devices, digital home, and more, and involves two main speakers: George Grey, Linaro CEO , and Jon Masters, Chief ARM Architecture at Red Hat. The speaker beginning of the video provides some practical information and the schedule for Linaro Connect. The keynote itself really starts around 15:50 with George Grey who spends the first 10 minutes introducing the latest Linaro members: Qualcomm, Mediatek, ZTE, AllWinner and Comcast. He then talks about the new Mobile sub-committee (MOBSCOM) that will focus on big.LITTLE, Android optimization and Android on ARMv8, as well as the soon-to-be-announced Linaro […]

Firefox OS Smartphones, Tablets and Reference Designs at Mobile World Congress 2014

Beside the $25 smartphone, Mozilla has also announced a number of smartphones and tablets running Firefox OS during an event at Mobile World Congress 2014. The first devices such as ZTE Open featured a single core processor, the new models come with more powerful dual and quad core processors, mostly from Qualcomm, but also WonderMedia and AllWinner, together with better screen and features. Let’s have a look. ZTE Open C and Open II ZTE Open C smartphone features a 4″ display (800 x 480 resolution), powered by Qualcomm Snadragon 200 SoC @ 1.2 GHz, 512MB of RAM, a 2MP camera, as well as a 1,200mAh battery. Engadget has an hands-on video. ZTE Open II sports a 3.5″ (HVGA -> 480×320) display, with a dual core Snapdragon processor @ 1.2 GHz, 256 MB, 2GB flash, a 2MP camera, and a 1150 mh, according to CNet. It also supports 3G networks. Both […]

ZTE Open, the First Firefox OS Phone, is Available in Spain

Phones based on alternative mobile operating systems (Firefox OS, Sailfish OS, Tizen…) are due to be available this year. The first entrant appears to be Telefonica ZTE Open, an entry level phone running Firefox OS that will be available in Spain on July 2, 2013 (Tomorrow). Here are the specifications of the device: SoC – Qualcomm MSM7225A ARM Cortex A5 @ 800Mhz System Memory – 256 MB RAM Storage – 512 MB ROM + micro SD card slot (4GB SD card included) Display –  3.5″ HVGA TFT, One Point touch + Gesture Captive (Two point option) Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth 2.1 + GPS (with AGPS) Network – UMTS Sensors – Accelerometer, Ambient Light Camera – 3.2MP canera Battery – 1200mAH Dimensions – 114 × 62 × 12.5 mm This a low end device by today’s standard, but that’s exactly what Firefox OS is for. I’ve recently been […]

Mozilla Renames Boot 2 Gecko to Firefox OS and Partners with ZTE & TCL

Mozilla announced it would rename its Boot 2 Gecko (B2G) HTML5 mobile operating system to Firefox OS, and that ZTE and TCL (under the Alcatel brand) would manufacture the first devices running Firefox OS using Qualcomm Snapdragon Processors. The first devices should be available early 2013, at first in Brazil through Vivo, Telefónica’s commercial brand. The company also said that telecom operators such as Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica and Telenor are planning to sell Firefox OS based smartphones. The platform is said to be optimized for entry-level smartphones thanks to the removal of unnecessary middleware layers among other things. This should allow mobile operators to provide low-cost handsets with “richer experiences” for the developing markets. Firefox OS will be fully open source and the reference implementation of the required Web APIs is being submitted to W3C for standardization. Internally, the project still appears to be referred to […]