Beijing – Nubia, a subsidiary of Chinese smartphone maker ZTE, will bring an unlocked premium Z9 Android smartphone to the U.S. in the third quarter in three versions priced from $564 to $725.
The subsidiary “mostly functions independently” of ZTE, a ZTE spokesperson said.
The Nubia Z9 will be available in black and gold at select retailers and online at Nubia.cn. Other Nubia smartphones are already available in the U.S. through online retailers.
The Z9 features Android Lollipop 5.0, LTE, 5.2-inch FullHD screen with a near-borderless screen on two sides, 64-bit quad-core Snapdragon 816 processor, and Frame interactive Technology (FiT), which that enables grip and gesture controls. With FiT, for example, users can launch the camera by turning the phone sideways and placing four fingertips on the edge of the screen. Users can also take a selfie by squeezing the handset.
The Classic model comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage at $564. The Elite steps up to 4GB RAM and 64GB storage at $645. The Exclusive adds fingerprint sensor technology for $725.
Other features include 16-megapixel main camera with f/2.0 aperture and optical image stabilization, 8-megapixel front camera, 2,900 mAh battery, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA and NFC.
In the past, ZTE itself marketed a Nubia family of unlocked smartphones in the U.S.
