With CES playing host to the ZTE Grand S, the Chinese manufacturer’s 2013 competitor to the likes of the HTC One, Sony Xperia Z and Samsung Galaxy S3/S4, it’s clear that they’ve transformed themselves from budget white label handset manufacturer to a company worth keeping an eye on in the coming years of smartphone development.
To strengthen their premium range even further, MWC has now served as the stage for another new top of the line ZTE device: the ZTE Grand Memo. The company’s new 5.7-inch ‘phablet’ is shaping up to take on the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2, with a 720p HD LCD panel, a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and the company’s latest Android overlay; MiFavor UI.
In the hand, the ZTE Grand Memo doesn’t scream premium, as the company might have hoped. With a glossy plastic finish, fingerprints run rampant across the expansive bodywork, particularly on the back, however the proportions are nice with the side profile only sitting at 8mm. The display looks great from head on with vibrant colours, however the viewing angles seem to leave a lot to be desired. The back of the phone features a 13-megapixel auto-focus snapper and there’s 16GB of onboard storage too.
The MiFavor UI heavily rests atop of Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, but it’s fast and fluid and appears to offer a lot of customisation, even down to the pull-down notifications shortcuts. ZTE have also included a handy quick launcher on the lockscreen, which grants fast access to features like the camera, email, messages, phone and silencing of the phone.
We still have no information on ZTE’s pricing and availability, but following their press conference we might have more information.
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