ZTE confirms Grand Era LTE release, 5-inch phablet rumored
updated 06:01 am EST, Thu December 20, 2012
Rumor claims Nubia Z5 to reach China on December 21st
Images and specifications of a new low-resolution 5-inch phone-tablet from ZTE has been leaked. The budget-level phablet comes at the same time as rumors that ZTE's Nubia Z5 will be released in China on December 21st, as well as an official announcement of the company's first dual-mode Grand Era LTE smartphone in Hong Kong.
The U887 phablet, launching in 2013 according to Gizchina, will have a dual-core 1.2Ghz processor running Android, 512mb of RAM, 4GB of storage, a front-facing 3-megapixel camera, and a 2000mAh battery. While it has a 5-inch display, its resolution maxes out at 800x400, lower than the flagship Nubia Z5's own 5-inch, 1920x1080 screen.
The Nubia Z5 will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor running at 1.5 GHz supported by 2GB of RAM, a 13MP rear-facing camera, 2MP front-facing camera, dual speakers, and a 2500mAh battery. Running Android 4.1.2, the Nubia Z5 will be just 7.6mm (0.3-inches) thick, and according to Ubergizmo, has the 21st of December release date after it was apparently confirmed on the official Nubia account on microblog service Sina Weibo.
While the rumors are yet to be officially confirmed through formal channels by the company, ZTE has said that it will be putting the Grand Era LTE out in Hong Kong, with the ability to connect to two different 4G LTE data networks. The phone will be able to use China Mobile Hong Kong's converged network, using both TD-LTE and LTE FDD, which the carrier will be expanding in the region over time. The Grand Era LTE, using a customized version of Android 4.0, will have a 4.5-inch 1280x720-resolution screen protected by Gorilla Glass, a 1.5GHz processor with 1GB of RAM, and a 1780mAh battery.
It is unlikely that any of these handsets, whether confirmed or not, will reach markets outside of Asia in the near future.
