The ZTE Axon M has been a surprise launch by the company this year, with its foldable body and its dual-screens. The smartphone has turned quite a few heads and has left many fans hoping for an international release soon. The US will be among the first to get the phone, currently being sold exclusively through AT&T.
Apparently, the Axon M will allow users to do two things at once, more like a multi-window for two huge screens. The two displays on the phone are 1080p panels, which come with a Snapdragon 821 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The phone comes with Android Nougat 7.1 out of the box and ZTE have made quite a few optimizations to adapt to the two screens. The processor is not the best out there currently, but is still capable. ZTE have played it safe with the two screens as well, not opting for a higher resolution display and also keeping those bezels intact. The phone also packs a 20MP camera that can be used as a selfie camera as well as a main-camera.
Buyers will be able to make the purchase online through AT&T’s website starting November 1, but in-store availability will start on November 17. Having said that, those who are not familiar with the functionality of the phone might first want to try out the device in the stores so as to make an informed decision. The device will be available for $725 for those who want to make the full purchase or at $24.17 a month over 30 months. The phone will also feature dual speakers with Dolby Audio and will allow for users to use the displays to extend the screen or as two separate screens at once.
The phone, when unfolded, can provide a total screen real-estate of up to 6.25-inches. Powering the entire phone and its two screens is a 3,180mAh battery unit, which seems rather small, considering that there are two 1080p panels. The niche handset will have few competitors in its space, as there are no other devices out there which are capable of emulating two Android interfaces at the same time. Whether the phone will receive the Oreo update or whether it will be given its due attention despite being a unicorn in the smartphone segment, we will have to wait and see. ZTE’s history with smartphones has not been the most reliable with updates. We only hope AT&T does not dull the device’s performance with its bloatware.
