ZTE Grand X 3, Avid Plus Budget Android Smartphones Launched at CES 2016

By Ketan Pratap | Updated: 6 January 2016 12:56 IST

ZTE has launched two new smartphones, the Grand X 3 and Avid Plus, at its pre-CES 2016 press conference. The ZTE Grand X 3 (seen above) will be exclusive to Cricket Wireless in the US while the ZTE Avid Plus will be available on T-Mobile and will be coming soon to MetroPCS as well.

The Grand X 3 has been priced at $129.99 (approximately Rs. 8,650) MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) without contract and will be available via Cricket Wireless soon. The ZTE Avid Plus, on the other hand, will be available off-contract $114.99 (approximately Rs. 7,650) and will be available at T-Mobile starting January 20 and will soon go on sale via MetroPCS.

The Chinese company stresses that the Grand X 3 delivers high-end hardware and software at a "fraction of the cost of similar smartphones."

For specifications, the ZTE Grand X 3 features a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) display; powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 210 processor clocked at 1.3GHz; 2GB of RAM; an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash; a 2-megapixel front camera; 16GB inbuilt storage with expandable storage support up to 64GB; Android 5.1 Lollipop, and packs a 3080mAh battery.

The ZTE Avid Plus, on the other hand, features a 5-inch FWVGA (480x854 pixels) LCD display. It also sports a DragonTrail scratch resistant glass, and is powered by a 1.1GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (unspecified chipset) clubbed with 1GB of RAM. The handset packs 8GB of storage and supports expandable storage via microSD card. The Android 5.1 Lollipop-based ZTE Avid Plus features a 5-megapixel rear and a 2-megapixel front camera. The handset is backed by a 2300mAh battery.

At CES 2016, Lixin Cheng, Chairman and CEO of ZTE USA, also confirmed that the company had 20 million users in the US. He said, "Today we are continuing our mission to deliver affordable premium smartphones with the Grand X 3. Our users are now 20 million strong in the US and ZTE phones provide the affordable connectivity that empowers users, encourages individually, and opens a world of possibilities".

"The ZTE Avid Plus is a phone with wide appeal. Anyone looking for an affordable, durable and reliable option to stay connected can depend on the Avid Plus to be there when they need it," added Cheng.