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. 

 

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  • Flunk - Tuesday, September 6, 2016 - link

    It's mini in price and specs more than anything else. €299.
  • Tams80 - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link

    I'm going with the others here; mini my arse.
  • p1esk - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link

    I remember getting the very first Galaxy Note 5 years ago (5.3 inch), and returning it because it was just too damn large, it simply didn't fit in my hand. Now they call a 5.2 inch phone "mini"???
  • vision33r - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link

    The Note series has always featured atleast 5.5" display the Note 5 has a 5.7" not 5.3"
  • TheinsanegamerN - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link

    Try reading his comment again. He said the original note from 5 years ago, not the note 5. The OG note had a 5.3 inch screen. Try googling it next time.

    http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_n7000-...
  • peterfares - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link

    Don't forget that the original Note was 16:10 1280x800, making it wider than a 16:9 5.3" screen.
  • FlyBri - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link

    @TheinsanegamerN -- Yes, based on @p1esk's comment it can be inferred he meant an older Galaxy Note, but actually the way he wrote it is incorrect and can be a bit confusing at first, because if you're going to use numbers 1-10, you're actually supposed to write it out. So, it should have been written "five", which would have made it clearer. Using the actual number itself implies the actual model.
  • p1esk - Monday, September 5, 2016 - link

    @FlyBri: yes, you're right.
  • Death666Angel - Tuesday, September 6, 2016 - link

    But context is king, as in, how could he get a Galaxy Note 5 "years ago", when it was released only a year ago. Yes, his wording is confusing, but you have to be half asleep to make the "model 5 vs 5 years ago" mistake in the context as well.
  • Tams80 - Monday, September 5, 2016 - link

    I misread it the same way at first too. Still, always best to check.

    The first Note was 16:10, but that didn't really make it that much different to handle.

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