ZTE is readying a number of seven-inch Android
tablets, starting with a dual-core, Android 3.2-based ZTE Optik tablet
heading for Sprint Feb. 5 and a similar, but 4G LTE-equipped V66 tablet
headed for Verizon, reports say. Meanwhile, a seven-inch ZTE V9A Light
Tab 2 just went on pre-order in the U.K, and we're still waiting for two
tablets ZTE showed at the Consumer Electronics Show: a seven-inch T72
tablet and quad-core T98.
As we head toward Mobile World
Congress, which will be held later than usual this year (Feb. 27-Mar. 1
in Barcelona), the Android leak-and-tip game has heated up into full
boil again.
This week, there's been plenty of talk about Android tablets coming
soon from Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer ZTE, which along
with Huawei, is starting to gain major Android smartphone market share.
The phones are primarily on the low end, as with the recently announced,
ZTE-manufactured
AT&T Avail. But now, both companies are increasingly moving into Android tablets.
All the new ZTE tablets are seven-inch models running Android 3.2
("Honeycomb"), or in the case of the T98, Android 4.0. Last fall when
the T98 was first tipped (see farther below), a 10.1-inch
Light Tab 3S also came to light.
Featuring a dual-core 1.2GHz processor and 1280 x 800 resolution, the
Light Tab 3S was expected to ship in the U.S. and Europe by the end of
2011. Although the tablet is shown on this
translated ZTE page, it's unclear if it has actually begun shipping.
The new tablets detailed below follow up on ZTE's flagship, Android 2.1 based
ZTE Light, which was announced in Oct. 2010 with a Telechips ARM11 system on chip (SoC). Last year, the company also launched a
ZTE V9 seven-inch tablet running Android 2.1.
ZTE Optik
The first ZTE tablet to ship stateside may well be the ZTE Optik, pictured at right in an advertisement shot
leaked to AndroidPolice.
According to the website's Jan. 25 report, the seven-inch tablet will
be available to Sprint customers online on Feb. 5, followed by a
brick-and-mortar appearance on March 11.
The tablet features Android 3.2 running on a dual-core 1.2GHz
processor.
Additional specs include 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage with
microSD expansion, and both five- and two-megapixel cameras, says the
advertisement.
3G is available, along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and the device is
equipped with a 4000mAh battery. The price is said to be a reasonable
$100 with a two year agreement, or $349 off contract.
ZTE V66
In early December,
The Verge reported on an FCC filing for a ZTE V66 tablet equipped with a 4G LTE radio designed for Verizon's network. On Jan. 26,
UnwiredView published a photo (below) of the V66 originally posted by the
Bluetooth SIG.
