ZTE Axon 9 to have beastly processor, all-screen front

There’s no indication that the Axon 9 will be announced soon, but alleged specifications for the upcoming phone have leaked.

ZTE’s 2018 flagship, on paper at least, should be comparable to other mobile devices set to launch in the coming weeks and months. So it’ll come down to brand recognition for ZTE to push sales worldwide, which the company doesn’t exactly have. Still, the Axon 9 looks like it’ll be an impressive high-end phone.

Before we get into the latest leak, here’s an image that claims to be the Axon 9:

ZTE plans to position the Axon 9 against the Samsung Galaxy S9, HTC U12, and Motorola Z3. It’s said to feature a 6-inch Quad HD+ AMOLED display with 18:9 aspect ratio, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845, up to 4GB of RAM, up to 256GB of storage, a dual-camera setup on the back with at least one 20MP lens, a dual-camera setup on the front with at least one 13MP lens, and Android 8.0 Oreo with custom software on top.

Something that stands out about the leaked image is the switch from on-screen navigation buttons to capacitive keys below the display. Based on the image, it seems the fingerprint scanner has been moved to the bottom’s slim bezel as well.

Rumored pricing has the flagship as low as $550 and as high as $630, putting the Axon 9 well above its predecessor. The Axon 7 hit the market in 2016 for less than $500.

There’s no word on when the Axon 9 will go official, but it could be at MWC 2018 later this month. If not, ZTE could debut it in March or April to be released by the summer.