IFA 2016: ZTE Launches the AXON 7 mini
by Ian Cutress on September 3, 2016 4:45 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- ZTE
- Snapdragon 617
- Axon 7 mini
- Axon
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Pretty soon, IFA feels like it is going to overtake Mobile World Congress for smartphone and mobile type launches. With all the announcements already out, ZTE has one as well - a companion device to their recently launched flagship. The AXON 7 gets the AXON 7 mini as a smaller sibling, with the idea being that a number of the features of the AXON 7 are migrated down into a 5.2-inch form factor.
ZTE wants the mini to be a flagship killer, with specifications and price. The core design uses a 5.2-inch Full HD AMOLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 SoC (4x ARM Cortex-A53 at 1.5 GHz, 4x A53 at 1.2 GHz, Adreno 405) and a Cat 6 modem with FDD + TDD support plus carrier aggregation (bands listed below). The smartphone uses USB Type-C, and supports Quick Charge to rake it's 2705mAh battery from 0% to 50% in a rated 30 minutes.
ZTE is keen to point out that the design for the mini was a collaboration with BMWs Designworks division, known for its designs (PC users may remember their involvement in Thermaltake's Level10 chassis or Asrock's M8 barebones). This is pointed out as part of the metal unibody finish and 2.5D curved glass design, which seems to be a strong selection in a number of releases at IFA this year.
Rather than go into extensive depth on cameras (16MP PDAF+8MP), ZTEs focus was on the audio, with a collaboration with Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM) to adjust the audio. This includes Dolby Atmos and what ZTE calls a '7.1 surround sound hi-fi experience'.
| ZTE Axon 7 Series | ||
| Axon 7 | Axon 7 mini | |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 2 x Kryo @ 2.15 GHz 2 x Kryo @ 1.60 GHz Adreno 530 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.5GHz 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.2GHz Adreno 405 |
| RAM | 4 GB | 3 GB |
| NAND | 64 GB | 32 GB |
| Display | 5.5-inch 2560x1440 AMOLED | 5.2-inch 1920x1080 AMOLED |
| Dimensions | 151.7 x 75 x 7.9mm 175g |
147.5 x 71 x 7.8mm 153g |
| Modem | Cat 6 300/50 |
Cat 6 300/50 |
| SIM Size | Dual Nano-SIM | Dual Nano-SIM |
| Front Camera | 20MP, f/1.8, PDAF, OIS | 16MP, f/1.6, PDAF |
| Rear Camera | 8MP, f/2.2 | 8MP, g/2.2 |
| Battery | 3250 mAh | 2705 mAh |
| Connectivity | LTE Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/20/25/26/29/30/41 (USA) 1/2/3/4/5/6/8/19/20/28/38/40/41 (A2107G) |
LTE Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/20 38/40/41 |
| USB | USB 3.0 Type-C |
USB 2.0 Type-C |
| Launch OS | Android 6.0.1 | Android 6.0 |
| Launch Price | ~€450 | €299 |
The mini is set for Russia, Germany, Spain, Poland, Japan, Australia, India, Saudi Arabia and USA, with a price of €299 (that's including tax). Outside the US, the release date is set for the 7th of September.
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vision33r - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
It's more like Axon 7 Lite. It's got weaker specs.shabby - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
min·i·a·ture(mini)adjective
1. (especially of a replica of something) of a much smaller size than normal; very small.
"children dressed as miniature adults"
synonyms: small-scale, mini; More
noun
1. a thing that is much smaller than normal, especially a small replica or model.
verbrare
1. represent on a smaller scale; reduce to miniature dimensions.
close - Monday, September 5, 2016 - link
This is the *name* of the phone. It's the "Axon 7 mini" not the mini-"Axon 7". Usually it goes to show it's smaller than the normal version. By how much isn't really the point.Otherwise "lite" phone models would be measured by their alcohol or sugar content.
lite
adjective
1. denoting a low-fat or low-sugar version of a manufactured food or drink product.
"lite beer"
nountrademark
1. light beer with relatively few calories.
yannigr2 - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
Ohhhhhhhh... a new Android smartphone....Who cares?..........
close - Monday, September 5, 2016 - link
Apparently you. Enough to even comment.Psyside - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
AHAHAh S617, gl....mortimerr - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
Is there any logistical reason why a smaller form factor always has weaker specs now? Can smaller devices not dissipate heat well enough? Why is it that every device with a smaller form factor also has significantly worse internal hardware? 617? What are people supposed to do with that who want a easy to hold device with good performance?close - Monday, September 5, 2016 - link
Probably also because many people associate size with performance and if you show them a small (by today's standards) screen they won't consider it a flagship and won't be willing to pay the price.Then again, this is a 300E ($300?) phone. If it's 75% flagship for 40% of the price I call it a win.
TheinsanegamerN - Tuesday, September 6, 2016 - link
It is certianly possible. The iphone SE proves that.Android OEMs are falling into the same trap as game devs. They are all chasing the same "mainstream" market that samsung is chasing, and ignoring that there are size-able niche markets in existence. Rather then adapt to the niche markets, they are instead choosing to go belly up by loosing money quarter after quarter.
close - Wednesday, September 7, 2016 - link
I didn't say it's not possible. But for it to be possible you need a different kind of consumers. Ones that are either very conscious about what they actually need or ones that will buy anything big or small if it has a specific logo.The iPhone SE isn't the most relevant example given the fact that Apple products historically have been bought regardless of their objective qualities and their customers were always willing to pay more than average. And I'm not talking just about phones, I'm looking at their whole product lineup, some of which offered nothing over the competition except the logo. So Apple is a special case that cannot be generalized.
Most consumers are definitely not in the first group and they buy whatever society tells them is great. Either spec-wise (5-6", octo-core but wouldn't say no to an icosa-core SoC, 4-6Gb RAM, aluminium unibody, 20+MP camera, etc.) or brand-wise (it has to be Apple or Samsung).