(Update: available today!) ZTE Blade S6: $250 gets you Lollipop, Snapdragon 615, LTE, and a 13MP camera

Update: The ZTE Blade 6 is now available on Aliexpress for $249, with a $10 free coupon available today only. After today, the actual price of the device will be $263.

Original post:

ZTE just unveiled the latest member of its “mass market premium” Blade family, the Blade S6.

A device that’s targeted at the “young and young at heart,” the ZTE Blade S6 brings together solid mid-range specifications, with Android 5.0 Lollipop and a few unique features, in one package going for $250.

The Blade S6 features a 5-inch HD (1280 x 720) screen in a 7.7-mm plastic body, available in silver and matte pink. ZTE points out that the Blade S6 is the first device to ship with Qualcomm’s 64-bit Snapdragon 615 processor and Lollipop, a pairing that should provide excellent performance. Other specifications include 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a Sony IMX214 13MP rear camera, a 5MP front shooter, and a 2,400 mAh battery. The device features “Hi-Fi sound,” expandable storage, and two nano-SIM cards, with LTE support in the B3/B7/B8/B28(B20)  bands.

Running the show is the Lollipop-based MiFavor 3 operating system, which includes ZTE’s numerous customizations as well as Smart Sense, which lets you launch apps like the music player or flashlight with gestures like flicking your wrist.

The ZTE Blade S6 will be available at a later date for $249.99. The device will ship globally from AliExpress, while in some markets, customers will be able to get it from Amazon and eBay.

The Blade S6’s specs and price tag put it somewhere between the Moto G (2014) and the OnePlus One, and it remains to be seen if ZTE manages to convince customers to opt for its own product. ZTE’s core market remains China, where Lenovo just re-introduced the Moto G, and Xiaomi is growing steadily by offering high-end products at mid-range specs. It’s good to see however that ZTE is going for global online sales, even if for now it’s just AliExpress.

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ZTE unveils Blade S6 4G LTE smartphone with innovative Smart Sense and a host of other premium features for the masses

28 January 2015, Hong Kong – ZTE, a global leading mobile device maker, released its Blade S6 4G LTE smartphone today. Aimed at the young and young at heart, the Blade S6 – per its name – boasts six key features designed to provide customers from across the board with world-class user experience. The new features including ZTE’s Smart Sense gesture motion control, world’s first Qualcomm^® Snapdragon™ 615 octa-core chipset running on the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system, a SLR like ultra-high-definition camera, Hi-Fi Sound, ZTE’s MiFavor 3.0 user interface and ZTE’s AliveShare application for network-less communication.

“In line with our product portfolio plan, we very much sought to push the envelope with the Blade S6, and to do so in a way that would appeal to youths, as well as those with active social lives,” said Mr. Adam ZENG Xuezhong, Executive Vice President of ZTE Corporation and CEO of ZTE Mobile Devices.

“The Blade S6 is part of our 3+1 approach, which is led by a trio of product lines that includes the voice control Star series, security-focused Grand series and mass-market premium Blade series. The sub-brand nubia series completes the approach, which together allows ZTE to address an expansive variety of customer needs.”

To date, the Blade series has accounted for over 20 million units of ZTE’s global device sales, thereby validating the company’s strategy of adding high-end features to devices targeted at multiple customer segments.

Among those key features are the device’s Smart Sense, which includes an intuitive and practical sets of gesture and motion controls, such as with a flick of the wrist that allows users to shine the Blade S6’s flashlight, activate its built-in mirror application, take rapid succession of photographs, play music, and much more.

Powering the Blade S6 is the new Qualcomm^® Snapdragon™ 615 chipset – Qualcomm’s first octa-core system-on-chip solution – and an Adreno 405 image processor capable of Full-HD H.265 decoding. This makes the Blade S6 the world’s first Android-L device to be powered by the Snapdragon™ 615, and uniquely capable of providing one of the most seamless user experiences currently on the market.

ZTE’s MiFavor 3.0 user interface meanwhile offers numerous customisation and personalization options at the finger-tips of the consumer. The Blade S6 also packs equally a punch in the audio department thanks to its Hi-Fi sound capability. The device’s five-inch screen is built using In-Cell technology, which allows better and more vibrant image quality.

Packaged in a slender two-millimetre-thin casing, the Blade S6 comes in a silver or pink matte finish.

“With its small package and powerful capabilities, the Blade S6 is the dream device for the socially active consumers and a clear demonstration of ZTE’s ability to offer a premium smartphone at an affordable price.” ZENG added.

 Price and availability

The retail price for the ZTE Blade S6 is $249.99 US. ZTE Blade S6 will be available online globally on AliExpress, and with Amazon and eBay in selected markets.

It will be available through the distributor, Qool International Ltd, and exclusively at the Hong Kong mobile operator csl. and other major retail channels including Suning, Dream Team, Sun Shine Telecom, Cyber Telecom, 188 Digital.com, Pak Lik and I Mobile in Hong Kong.

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