Pretty soon, IFA feels like it is going to overtake Mobile World Congress for smartphone and mobile type launches. With all the announcements already out, ZTE has one as well - a companion device to their recently launched flagship. The AXON 7 gets the AXON 7 mini as a smaller sibling, with the idea being that a number of the features of the AXON 7 are migrated down into a 5.2-inch form factor. 

ZTE wants the mini to be a flagship killer, with specifications and price. The core design uses a 5.2-inch Full HD AMOLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 SoC (4x ARM Cortex-A53 at 1.5 GHz, 4x A53 at 1.2 GHz, Adreno 405) and a Cat 6 modem with FDD + TDD support plus carrier aggregation (bands listed below). The smartphone uses USB Type-C, and supports Quick Charge to rake it's 2705mAh battery from 0% to 50% in a rated 30 minutes. 

ZTE is keen to point out that the design for the mini was a collaboration with BMWs Designworks division, known for its designs (PC users may remember their involvement in Thermaltake's Level10 chassis or Asrock's M8 barebones). This is pointed out as part of the metal unibody finish and 2.5D curved glass design, which seems to be a strong selection in a number of releases at IFA this year. 

Rather than go into extensive depth on cameras (16MP PDAF+8MP), ZTEs focus was on the audio, with a collaboration with Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM) to adjust the audio. This includes Dolby Atmos and what ZTE calls a '7.1 surround sound hi-fi experience'. 

ZTE Axon 7 Series
  Axon 7 Axon 7 mini
SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 820

2 x Kryo @ 2.15 GHz
2 x Kryo @ 1.60 GHz
Adreno 530
Qualcomm Snapdragon 617

4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.5GHz
4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.2GHz
Adreno 405
RAM 4 GB 3 GB
NAND 64 GB 32 GB
Display 5.5-inch 2560x1440 AMOLED 5.2-inch 1920x1080 AMOLED
Dimensions 151.7 x 75 x 7.9mm
175g
147.5 x 71 x 7.8mm
153g
Modem Cat 6
300/50
Cat 6
300/50
SIM Size Dual Nano-SIM Dual Nano-SIM
Front Camera 20MP, f/1.8, PDAF, OIS 16MP, f/1.6, PDAF
Rear Camera 8MP, f/2.2 8MP, g/2.2
Battery 3250 mAh 2705 mAh
Connectivity LTE Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/20/25/26/29/30/41 (USA)
1/2/3/4/5/6/8/19/20/28/38/40/41 (A2107G)
LTE Band
1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/20
38/40/41
USB USB 3.0
Type-C
USB 2.0
Type-C
Launch OS Android 6.0.1 Android 6.0
Launch Price ~€450 €299

The mini is set for Russia, Germany, Spain, Poland, Japan, Australia, India, Saudi Arabia and USA, with a price of €299 (that's including tax). Outside the US, the release date is set for the 7th of September. 

 

Comments Locked

39 Comments

View All Comments

  • vision33r - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link

    It's more like Axon 7 Lite. It's got weaker specs.
  • shabby - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link

    min·i·a·ture(mini)

    adjective
    1. (especially of a replica of something) of a much smaller size than normal; very small.
    "children dressed as miniature adults"
    synonyms: small-scale, mini; More

    noun
    1. a thing that is much smaller than normal, especially a small replica or model.

    verbrare
    1. represent on a smaller scale; reduce to miniature dimensions.
  • close - Monday, September 5, 2016 - link

    This is the *name* of the phone. It's the "Axon 7 mini" not the mini-"Axon 7". Usually it goes to show it's smaller than the normal version. By how much isn't really the point.

    Otherwise "lite" phone models would be measured by their alcohol or sugar content.

    lite
    adjective
    1. denoting a low-fat or low-sugar version of a manufactured food or drink product.
    "lite beer"

    nountrademark
    1. light beer with relatively few calories.
  • yannigr2 - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link

    Ohhhhhhhh... a new Android smartphone....

    Who cares?..........
  • close - Monday, September 5, 2016 - link

    Apparently you. Enough to even comment.
  • Psyside - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link

    AHAHAh S617, gl....
  • mortimerr - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link

    Is there any logistical reason why a smaller form factor always has weaker specs now? Can smaller devices not dissipate heat well enough? Why is it that every device with a smaller form factor also has significantly worse internal hardware? 617? What are people supposed to do with that who want a easy to hold device with good performance?
  • close - Monday, September 5, 2016 - link

    Probably also because many people associate size with performance and if you show them a small (by today's standards) screen they won't consider it a flagship and won't be willing to pay the price.

    Then again, this is a 300E ($300?) phone. If it's 75% flagship for 40% of the price I call it a win.
  • TheinsanegamerN - Tuesday, September 6, 2016 - link

    It is certianly possible. The iphone SE proves that.

    Android OEMs are falling into the same trap as game devs. They are all chasing the same "mainstream" market that samsung is chasing, and ignoring that there are size-able niche markets in existence. Rather then adapt to the niche markets, they are instead choosing to go belly up by loosing money quarter after quarter.
  • close - Wednesday, September 7, 2016 - link

    I didn't say it's not possible. But for it to be possible you need a different kind of consumers. Ones that are either very conscious about what they actually need or ones that will buy anything big or small if it has a specific logo.
    The iPhone SE isn't the most relevant example given the fact that Apple products historically have been bought regardless of their objective qualities and their customers were always willing to pay more than average. And I'm not talking just about phones, I'm looking at their whole product lineup, some of which offered nothing over the competition except the logo. So Apple is a special case that cannot be generalized.

    Most consumers are definitely not in the first group and they buy whatever society tells them is great. Either spec-wise (5-6", octo-core but wouldn't say no to an icosa-core SoC, 4-6Gb RAM, aluminium unibody, 20+MP camera, etc.) or brand-wise (it has to be Apple or Samsung).

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now