ZTE’s smartphones rarely make it to the United States. When they do, they’re usually devoid of their original names, being sold as cheap own-brand smartphones by smaller carriers. That isn’t the case this time around, though. ZTE is bringing the Nubia 5S Mini to the US, with LTE support in tow. And it will be sold unlocked, so you don’t have to go to a specific carrier to get one. In fact, the handset is already up for pre-order at Amazon, with an asking price of $279.99. It will start shipping on August 27.
2014 may become the year that the consumer realized they don’t have to pay $600+ for a smartphone that gets the job done. Huawei blew me away with their $300 Ascend Mate2 with a battery that last forever, Nokia sells a few sub-$200 Lumia smartphones, and Motorola has the Moto X, Moto G, and Moto E for the cost-conscious consumer. ZTE is one of those rising stars that are keeping Android market share higher than everyone else, as IDC recently noted in their second quarter report. Today, ZTE announced that the Nubia 5S mini LTE will be available unlocked beginning 27 August with preorders beginning today, online at Amazon.com for $279.99. The primary unique features of the Nubia 5S mini LTE are the rear facing 13 megapixel camera and front facing 5 megapixel camera. We have seen these cameras on some of the latest phones today, but not together on a single device and certainly not on a device at this price.
