Today, ZTE announced two new smartphones at CES. ZTE’s crowdsourced smartphone has been officially named Hawkeye. The Hawkeye phone is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter at kickstarter.zteusa.com for a discounted price of $199.00 and is expected to ship globally in Q3 2017. The highly regarded Blade smartphone series will make its debut in the United States with the Blade V8 Pro. At $229.98, the Blade V8 Pro offers a dual camera, bigger battery, fingerprint sensor, a large screen and powerful processor among other features.

ZTE USA is the fourth largest smartphone supplier in the U.S. and second largest in the no-contract market. The Blade series is well known for packing high-end features at an affordable price and the Blade V8 Pro carries on that tradition through integrating a fingerprint sensor, dual-lens camera, dual SIM slot, expandable storage and more. 

“First launched in Asia, the Blade series has expanded to countries throughout  Europe and Mexico due to growing consumer demands,” said Lixin Cheng, chairman and CEO of ZTE USA. “The Blade series hasn’t gone unnoticed here in the US as consumers and partners have continually asked about it so we’re excited to kick off 2017 by giving them what they want with the Blade V8 Pro.”

Year after year, ZTE consistently delivers even more choices of affordable premium phones, ensuring that U.S. consumers are able to purchase a quality, reliable and feature packed smartphone at a reasonable price. Keeping with this momentum, ZTE is bringing the next generation of one of its best-selling global smartphone series stateside with the Blade V8 Pro, which delivers on what consumers value most – features and price.

At $229.98, the Blade V8 Pro offers:

• Dual Camera: A feature typically found on more expensive phones, two 13 MP rear cameras offer more choices when editing photos, including the popular bokeh effect

• Fingerprint Sensor: A fast-detecting and accurate fingerprint sensor located on the home button of the phone bridges security and ease of use

• Battery: The large 3140mAh battery is designed to handle all your social media, texting and web-surfing needs. With Qualcomm® Quick Charge 2.0 and battery optimization capabilities, the Blade V8 Pro can last all day and charge quickly when you need it.

• Large Screen: 5.5 inch Full HD display with Gorilla Glass 3.0 allows you to maximize your viewing experience for streaming movies, watching TV shows, playing games and more

• Powerful Processor: Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with X9 LTE, the Blade V8 Pro can handle all your surfing, streaming and swiping needs

• Expandable Storage: Choose either a second SIM card or microSD up to 128GB to expand storage, never needing to fear limits

• Dual SIM: A feature not typically found on affordable smartphones, the dual SIM slot allows users who travel the ability to switch carriers as needed

For a full list of phone specifications and features visit zteusa.com/blade.

ZTE’s other launch is “Hawkeye,” the winning name of the Project CSX eye-tracking, self-adhesive smartphone device.  With 540 name submissions from consumers around the world, the Hawkeye phone is available for funding today on Kickstarter at kickstarter.zteusa.com for a discounted price of $199.00.

“Project CSX has been a groundbreaking process and the Hawkeye device sets the stage for us in 2017,” said Cheng. “As we move forward with this smartphone, we’ll look to continue to integrate consumers every step of the way.”

Continuing with the crowdsourced theme surrounding Project CSX, the Hawkeye phone is available for funding on Kickstarter and is expected to ship globally in Q3 2017.

“With Project CSX, we experimented by turning the typical R&D process on its head and did something completely different within the industry,” said Jeff Yee, vice president of Technology Planning and Partnerships of ZTE USA. “We believe that the Hawkeye name reflects the spirit and vision of ZTE as we continue to put the consumer first throughout this entire process and will continue to do so in every phone we deliver.”

Project CSX kicked off at CES 2016 when ZTE announced its plans to completely crowdsource a mobile device that the company promised to build in 2017. In October 2016, thousands of consumers from 176 countries selected the winning concept, a device that aims for an easier and smoother user experience with eye-tracking capabilities and a self-adhesive back

To learn more about ZTE and to keep up with the latest Project CSX developments visit csx.zteusa.com or to become a member of Z-Community, visit community.zteusa.com