Skip to main content

ZTE’s low-price, high-tech Axon smartphone is going on sale internationally

The ZTE Axon came to the U.S. at the end of July, and impressed with its strong feature list, unique features, and low unconnected price. Now, ZTE has done the right thing and announced an international version of the phone, known as the Axon Elite, and it has sensibly kept the same formula — with one or two interesting additions.

ZTE highlights the security aspects of the Axon Elite, because it can be biometrically secured in three different ways — using your voice, your fingerprint, or an eye scan. We’ve seen these on other ZTE phones before, but this is one of the first times all three are coming together on a single device.

Voice control and authentication was demonstrated well on the ZTE Star, and the eye scanner on the Grand S3 and more recently, the Blade S6 also works well. EyeVerify — the company behind the eye scanning tech inside ZTE’s phone — has said both fingerprint and eye scanning security complement each other perfectly.

The Axon Elite connects to a wide range of global GSM 4G LTE bands, and is being touted as the first in a series of Axon-branded flagship devices. In China, an Axon smartwatch has already been revealed, but sadly there’s no sign of an international release yet.

1.-ZTE-Axon-phone--international-version-back-angle
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Otherwise, the spec is the same as the U.S. model. It has a 5.5-inch, 1080p display hidden behind a piece of 2.5D glass. It’s a slice of Corning’s new antimicrobial Gorilla Glass too — which you’ll only find fitted to the Axon at the moment. The phone uses a Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB of RAM, plus there’s 32GB of storage space, a MicroSD card slot, and a big 3000mAh quick-charge battery.

Android 5.0 Lollipop has ZTE’s MiFavor UI over the top. There’s also a 13-megapixel/2-megapixel dual-camera setup on the rear — for taking pictures with a strong depth of field — a 2-megapixel selfie camera, and a high-performance audio system.

ZTE will launch the Axon Elite on Sept. 24 through eBay in the U.K., France, Spain, Italy and Germany, where it will cost 420 euros, or £300. Additionally, it’ll also be sold in Turkey, Mexico, Singapore, Russia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Editors' Recommendations

Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Apple is about to do the unthinkable to its iPads
A person holding the iPad Air 4.

Earlier today, Apple announced that new iPads are coming this May. In my eyes, this seems to be “The Chosen One” generation. We’re likely getting an OLED display, a better keyboard (hopefully), and a chip ready to chomp the AI dinner. This gadget shall finally fill the techno-digital void in my life. At last.

Or maybe I am just trying to blindly convince myself to splurge over a thousand dollars for a machine that is “still not a Mac” and “can never be a fully fleshed out workstation.” But hey, people are spending $3,500 on a headset that gives them a headache and $700 for an AI thingamajig that can’t quite figure out what it really wants to do.

Read more
The first HMD Android phones are here, and they’re super cheap
Rear shell of HMD Vibe smartphone.

Finnish company Human Mobile Devices is renewing its journey under the HMD branding, shedding aside the Nokia naming it used to use for all of its smartphones. The first handsets to bear the HMD branding are the HMD Pulse, HMD Pulse+, HMD Pulse Pro, and the HMD Vibe. All phones share similar aesthetics, with a few splashy colors thrown in for certain trims, and target the budget segment.

The HMD Vibe, for example, serves a 6.56-inch display with an HD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 680 silicon runs the show, alongside 4GB of RAM and 128GB storage. Notably, there’s a microSD card slot that supports storage expansion up to 512GB.

Read more
How to view Instagram without an account
An iPhone 15 Pro Max showing Instagram via a web browser.

Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms on the planet. Whether you want to share a family photo, what you had for lunch at your favorite cafe, or a silly video of your cat, Instagram is the place to do it.

Read more