ZTE Axon mini with pressure-sensitive touch screen, Snapdragon 616 announced

ZTE introduced its new Axon smartphone series in the United States back in July, and the first device to launch under Axon brand was Axon Pro. Soon after, the company launched the Axon and Axon Lux in China followed by a global variant dubbed as Axon Elite.

Now ZTE has added a new smartphone to its Axon series- the Axon mini. Although the mini was unveiled in July, ZTE has only now revealed prices and specs.

The main highlight of the device is its pressure-sensitive touchscreen 'that recognizes different levels of touch pressure for enhanced functions and experience. We have seen this technology incorporated in Huawei Mate S, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

ZTE Axon mini features a 5.2-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) Super AMOLED display with 2.5D curved-edge screen. It is equipped with an octa-core Snapdragon 616 processor clubbed with 3GB RAM and Adreno 405 GPU.On-board storage is 32GB, further expandable via microSD card up to 128GB. It runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with MiFavor 3.2 on top.

There is a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and Phase Detection Autodfocus (PDAF - which will allow users to focus on their subject in just 0.1 seconds). On the front there is an 8-megapixel camera for clicking selfies.

Connectivity features include 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP and GPS. It is fueled by a 2800mAh battery. Also on board is fingerprint sensor, Eyeprint ID (eye scanner) and AKM4961 Hi-Fi audio chipset that provides 32-bit High Fidelity audio and superior sound recording. The body is constructed from Boeing 787 aircraft-grade aluminum-titanium alloy.

The ZTE Axon mini comes in Ion Gold, Chromium Silver and Rose Gold colors and is priced at CNY 2699 | US$ 439 | 389 EUR (Rs. 27,600) for the Premium Edition with pressure sensitive touch. The Standard model of ZTE Axon mini is priced at CNY 2299 | US$ 379 | 329 EUR (Rs. 23,530) for Ion Gold and Chromium Silver colors. There is also a Rose Gold Color variant priced at CNY 2399 | US$ 399 | 349 EUR )Rs. 23,580. It will be available in ZTE's home market- China, first followed by France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Russia, Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and India.

For basketball fans, there will be a NBA variant of the Axon mini that features alternative design options and includes NBA-related media contents and services.