To be successful in both China and the US is having a leg up on your Chinese OEM competitors who have yet to conquer or even make any headway in the latter’s market. This is probably what ZTE has over bigger China brands like Huawei and Xiaomi. And ZTE will try to furthermore solidify their positioning in the US by releasing their upcoming new flagship, the Nubia Z11 at the same time in both the US and China.
This strategy was revealed by Nubia Vice President Ni Fei last Friday but concrete details, like the specs of the smartphone as well as the schedule of the release have not yet been made available. Of course there have been some rumors and leaks, including rendered images showing that the device will have a 5.2 inch bezel-less screen. It will also supposedly run on a Snapdragon 820 processor and have a 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage, which if true would make this a kick-ass device.
While ZTE has traditionally been in the sub-$200 smartphone category, at least in the US, it has also released several high-end ones, like the Axon Pro. It has also targeted other markets, like South East Asia and Europe, through devices like its Blade S6. But having a strong presence in the US, where other Chinese brands have had difficulty either in entering or keeping up with bigger brands, will give ZTE an advantage over its strong local competitors.
Counterpoint Research said that ZTE is the sixth biggest smartphone maker and in the second quarter, Strategic Analysis said that it is the fourth most shipped brand. Its current flagship, the Nubia Z9 has reportedly sold 5 million units worldwide since it was released in June.
VIA: CNet