ZTE’s sub-brand Nubia was active in launching smartphones in 2018. However, since ZTE was banned in the U.S. for illicitly selling equipment to Iran and North Korea and it was on the verge of bankruptcy, it could not launch many phones last year. Hopefully, the year 2019 will be different for the company as it confirmed yesterday it will be releasing the first 5G phone in the first half of the year. Moreover, it has also revealed that it will be launching new Axon and Blade series of smartphones.
ZTE did not disclose any information on the specifications of its upcoming 5G phone. However, the company has confirmed that it will be using the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 tech expo platform in Ferburay to reveal more details on its 5G plans.
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018, ZTE had claimed that it will be launching its first 5G phone in early 2019. However, in November it pushed the launch of its first 5G phone to the first half of 2019. New information shared by the company yesterday suggests that the company is on track on its 5G plans and it is gearing up to launch its first 5G phone in the next few months.
In April 2018, ZTE carried out its first 5G testing based on the 3GPP R15 standard. Later in October, it tested its first 5G call and in November, it conducted other tests on calls, internet connectivity and WeChat.
- Read More: US reportedly considering a clear trade ban on Chinese telecom equipment targeting Huawei and ZTE
There is no information available on the Axon and Blade models that will be unleashed in this year. There is a possibility that the company may debut new Blade phones at the MWC 2019 in the coming month and launch Axon smartphones in the second half of the year at the IFA 2019 event.
Multiple smartphone manufacturers are gearing up to launch 5G smartphones this year. At the CES 2019 keynote in Las Vegas, Qualcomm claimed that it is expecting more than 30 5G-enabled devices to launch this year and most of them will be smartphones. Samsung, Huawei, LG, Sony, Motorola, OnePlus, OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi are some of the companies that are going to announce 5G phones this year.
(source)
