Mysterious Axon Phone arriving in the U.S. on July 14th (Update: ZTE is behind the high-end phone)

Update (6/26):

Yep, Axon is indeed connected to ZTE. While it already seemed obvious this phone was related to ZTE, we have now turned up a trademark for the Axon which belongs to the Chinese manufacturer. It’s still unclear if this is a whole new sub-brand or merely a new naming convention that is aimed at the US market. We’ll know soon enough, as the Axon is slated to launch on July 14th.

Original article (6/24):

Over the past few days, we’ve heard mention of an upcoming “Axon Phone” that’s slated to launch in the United States sometime this summer. There’s a launch event scheduled in New York on Tuesday, July 14th, and the phone even has its own informative website complete with a list of specifications and features. But who is Axon, and is there a bigger company behind this mysterious smartphone?

Before we dive too deep into theories, let’s talk about the phone itself. Available in Chromium Silver, Ion Gold and Phthalo Blue color options, the Axon Phone totes 4GB of RAM, dual rear-facing cameras that can shoot 4K HD videos, and a supposedly amazing audio experience. There aren’t many other specs listed on the website, unfortunately.

For such a seemingly awesome smartphone, who is this Axon company and where the heck does this phone come from? As it turns out, ZTE may be behind this big marketing scheme. According to PCMag’s Sascha Segan, there’s reason to believe that ZTE is the company behind Axon. Not only does the Axon website have “/zte/” all over its source code, Axonphone.com apparently belonged to ZTE all the way back in 2012.

When asked to comment on this speculation, ZTE told Android Authority “ZTE does not comment on rumors or speculation and does not have any statements to share at this time.”

To clarify, the Axon Phone comes with Google services and features a “Designed in the U.S.A.” stamp on its backside. Since ZTE is a China-based manufacturer, this makes the whole ordeal quite interesting. ZTE has previously stated that it plans to sell inexpensive, high quality smartphones in the United States, which is what we might be looking at with the Axon Phone. It should be noted, though, that there’s no official confirmation that ZTE is behind Axon, though all evidence points in that direction. Additionally, Axon (or ZTE) is giving away one of these devices, along with a $10,000 check, and you can sign up for the contest here if you wish.

At this time there really isn’t a whole lot of information about the Axon Phone, so all we can really do is speculate until the launch event on July 14th. With that said, if these rumors prove true, why do you think ZTE is hiding its association with Axon? Is it merely an attempt to rebrand the company’s U.S. lineup of smartphones, or is it all to generate hype? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!