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ZTE refreshes Nubia line with trio of Z7 smartphones

The Chinese handset maker refreshes its Nubia line with a trio of powerful yet affordable Androids.

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Scott Webster
Scott Webster has spent the better part of his adult life playing with cell phones and gadgets. When not looking for the latest Android news and rumors, he relaxes with his wife and son. Scott also is the senior editor for AndroidGuys. E-mail Scott.
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Scott Webster
2 min read

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On paper, the ZTE Nubia Z7 can hang with the best of them. ZTE

ZTE on Tuesday refreshed its Nubia line of smartphones by unveiling not one, but three versions of its flagship smartphone.

The company introduced the Z7 and its two variants, the Z7 Max and Z7 Mini. All three models run Android 4.4 KitKat with a homegrown Nubia UI 2.0 skin.

The Nubia line of smartphones is ZTE's attempt to break out of its standard "affordable" line of devices with genuinely high-end specifications and design. While ZTE is among the top five smartphone makers in the world, its presence in Western markets remains limited. The Nubia line has yet to make its way to the US.

The flagship Nubia Z7 boasts hardware that rivals today's top Android devices. On paper, it closely resembles the LG G3. The Z7 include a 5.5-inch 2,560 x 1,440 pixel resolution display, 13-megapixel rear camera, and Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor. Bolstered by 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage, the dual-SIM Z7 also features a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and 4G connectivity.

The Nubia Z7 Max, in spite of its name, offers users the same size display, but a lower resolution of 1080 pixels. The only other noticeable difference here is that it comes with a still respectable 2GB RAM.

The Nubia Z7 Mini packs a 5-inch 1080 pixel display, but retains much of the same hardware. Present here are the 13-megapixel rear camera, front-facing 5-megapixel shooter, and 2GB RAM. Unlike the other two, the Z7 Mini has 16GB of internal storage.

While it isn't immediately clear where the Nubia Z7 family will be offered we do know the devices are priced to move. The flagship carries a sticker of 3,456 Chinese yuan (approximately $557) while the Z7 Max and Z7 Mini are 1,999 Chinese yuan ($322.34) and 1,499 Chinese yuan ($241.55), respectively.