Chinese smartphone goes global

Chinese telecom gear and mobile phone manufacturer ZTE Corp launched four new smartphone models under its premium brand Nubia in Beijing on Tuesday.

The Nubia Z5S LTE smartphone, equipped with a 5-inch Sharp screen and Qualcomm's latest quad-core processor, is the world's first mobile device that supports all mainstream telecommunication standards, according to ZTE.

“That means Nubia Z5S LTE consumers can seamlessly get access to any kind of mobile networks across the world without worrying about changing devices,” Ni Fei, general manager of ZTE Nubia, said at a news briefing in Beijing.

The Nubia Z5S LTE is suitable for Chinese customers who would like to subscribe to a 4G mobile service, since the device is capable of running on the country's TD-LTE 4G network. China has not yet officially kicked off the commercial use of 4G networks, but industry insiders expected the government to issue 4G licenses soon.

Together with Nubia Z5S LTE, ZTE also unveiled the Nubia Z5S, which does not have the function to surf on 4G LTE networks. In addition, two mini models for both devices are to be released.

Nubia Z5S and Nubia Z5S mini are being offered only through Nubia's official website and JD.com, China's leading business-to-customer e-commerce website, starting Nov 26.

The more advanced Nubia Z5S LTE and Nubia Z5S mini LTE will hit the market in all available selling channels on the same date, ZTE said.

The 16GB Nubia Z5S mini sells at 1,499 yuan ($250) per unit, the lowest price of the four models, while the Nubia Z5S LTE has an official price of 3,456 yuan.

Nubia is a brand ZTE created one year ago targeting high-end users. It set up an independent team for Nubia product development and sales.