ZTE at IFA GPC: SPro2, global growth and 2015 targets

ZTE has announced that the SPro2 smart projector will be going on sale in the USA tomorrow. ZTE’s Senior Director of Technology and Partnerships, Waiman Lam, announced at the company’s IFA GPC power briefing that the SPro2 will be launched in the USA tomorrow and, as we revealed earlier this week, it’s landing on AT&T with a price tag of $400.

The SPro2 is the world’s smartest mobile projector as it runs Android 4.4 KitKat and features a 5 inch display, Snapdragon 800 processor and a 6300 mAh battery. The Pico-HD projector can output 720p HD images on a screen up to 120 inches which autofocuses with a brightness of 200 lumens. For more on the SPro 2, check out our ZTE SPro 2 review (or look at the video below).

Alongside the SPro 2 announcement, ZTE revealed the Star 2 is coming to Europe and gave us an overview of their market performance around the world.

The Star 2 is the first smartphone to have system-wide voice control that doesn’t require an internet connection and is backed by over 1000 patents, of which 158 are related to voice control. ZTE is working with the world’s leading voice control companies and partners to deliver an impressive voice control system that is untethered and doesn’t require an internet connection to operate.

2014 saw the company ship a total of 100 million devices with 48 million of these being smartphones and for 2015, the company has predicted a total of 100 million shipments but an increase in smartphone shipments by 25 percent to 60 million.

In the US, ZTE remains the only Chinese OEM with significant share in the market and at the end of 2014, the company had 7 percent market share and 21 percent of the prepaid market. At the end of 2014, the company was No 4 in the overall device market and expects to grow this significantly in 2015 with more devices shipping with the ZTE logo.

ZTE’s growth is not just limited to the US, with the company revealing performance gains all over the world. In Asia Pacific, the company’s smartphone shipments are up 100% year-on-year (YoY) and LTE smartphone shipments are up 500% YoY. Channel income is up 200% YoY and in Russia alone, there are 10,000 retailers offering ZTE devices to customers.

All across the world, the company is transitioning from being an ODM (Original Device Manufacturer) to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) with 75% of devices in Europe now having the ZTE logo stamped on the back. In the Middle East & Africa, ZTE smartphone shipments are up 400% YoY while in China, the company has continued growth for the past four years.

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Overall, the short 15 minute presentation revealed that ZTE are a Chinese OEM dedicated to delivering growth around the world and the transition to an OEM should help ensure this happens sooner rather than later.