ZTE at IFA 2016: Axon 7 mini hands-on

Introduction

ZTE has multiple product lines - last year at IFA we saw an Axon, a Nubia and a Blade and that was just the phones! This year, the Axon line is back with a mini model.

While the 5.5" Axon 7 is gaining traction in the US, a more compact (if not exactly 'mini') 5.2" Axon 7 mini comes to provide an alternative. ZTE promises the same awesome sound that the stereo speakers of the big Axon 7 deliver, but will the rest of the mini hardware live up to the name?

ZTE Axon 7 mini at a glance

• Display: 5.2" AMOLED screen, 1,080 x 1,920px resolution (424ppi)
• Audio: Stereo front-facing speakers; Dolby Atmos
• Platform: Android 6.0 Marshmallow; Snapdragon 617 chipset (8x Cortex-A53, Adreno 405); 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage; microSD slot
• Camera: 16MP sensor, f/1.9 aperture, phase-detection AF, dual-LED, sapphire lens; 1080p video at 30fps
• Selfie cam: 8MP, f/2.2, 1080p
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM (hybrid slot); LTE Cat. 6 (300Mbps down, 50Mbps up); USB Type-C (2.0 speeds); NFC
• Battery: 2,705mAh Li-Ion (sealed); Quick Charge 2.0 (46% in 30min)

ZTE is also busy crowd-sourcing the design of their Project CSX. The company bounces ideas off its fans and focus groups. The development will go through multiple stages.

Right now, CSX is nebulous. It has to be mobile, affordable and doable by 2017, besides that, it's open to interpretation. ZTE has been collecting ideas and today, September 1, will start a poll. On September 12, the Top 3 ideas will be picked (along with 2 wild cards) and development will go into Phase 2.

Phase 2 involves users making designs and sketches, at the end (in October) ZTE will have figured out which ones are doable and put the Top 5 up for a vote. If your idea makes it to the Top 5, you get a cash prize.