We’ve already seen next generation phones from Meizu, Oppo and Xiaomi, but the year still has some surprises left and we cannot wait to see what Chinese phone makers Zopo, THL, Xiaocai, Nubia and Jiayu have in store for us!
Zopo ZP1000
Zopo are working on a new phone, and it will launch before the end of the year and we believe it will be the Zopo ZP1000.
In the past Zopo have often battled it out with other local phone makers to be the first to bring new technology to the local market. They were the firstChinese phone maker with a 3D phone, the first to embrace the phablet and one of the first to release a quad-core handset based on the MT6589 platform.
This is going to continue with the next generation Zopo. We believe the Zopo ZP1000 will pack the latest 8-core MT6592 processor from Mediatek with at least 2GB RAM. We expect screen size to be kept to 5-inch and resolution to be 1920 x 1080. We also hope to see improved camera specs, stock Android ROM and a larger battery.
As for the design think an updated version of the Zopo ZP980 or C2 with a more modern look and sturdy steel chassis.
THL Monkey King 2
I have seen and held the THLMonkey King 2 (well a mock up at least) and it is one of the most stunning looking Chinese Mediatek phones to date. To give you an idea of the design imagine the rear of the Xiaomi Mi3 with the front of a Sony Xperia phone and you have a very good idea of the design.
The mock-up we held was manufactured from alloy and featured a 5-inch 1080 display. THL are hoping to address a number of issues with the Monkey King 2 that customers found with the original so the new phone will feature a more durable body and replaceable battery.
Like Zopo, THL like to be one of the first to bring new tech to the market. In this case the Monkey King 2 will retain it’s dual 13 mega-pixel cameras and will boast Mediatek’s 4G LTE processor, we also expect an 8-core version to be announced too.
ZTE Nubia Z7
ZTE have just gone Stateside with the year old Nubia Z5, but for the Chinese market an all new Nubia phone is in the works. According to reports the next generation phone will be named either the Nubia Z7 or Z6 and fill feature a 6.3-inch 2540 x 1440 display!
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Power for all those pixels will come from a Snapdragon 800 processor with 4GB RAM on tap. Also onboard there will be 4G LTE support, 16 mega-pixel rear camera and 4000mAh battery.
Xiaomi Hongmi (WCDMA)
The WCDMA version of the Xiaomi Hongmi is one of those phones we know is going to happen, but as of yet we have no idea of knowing when it will launch! The popularity of the current Hongmi has helped Xiaomi overtake rivals such as HTC and Samsung in the Chinese phone market, but they have also been victim of their own success and are featuring supply shortages.
If you are familiar with the current Hongmi then you will know that it ships with a 4.7-inch 720p display, 1.5Ghz quad-core MTK6589TT (TD-SCDMA) processor, 1GB RAM, 8 mega-pixel rear Samsung camera, and features MIUI V5, dual SIM and a micro SD card slot. The WCDMA model will likely be the same, but will support many of Europe’s 3G networks and could also come in a white colour option.
8-core JiaYu G4 and G5
JiaYu like to give their phones a midlife refresh to keep things interesting. Last year’s dual-core JiaYu G3 appeared again as the quad-core G3S, and a similar update is planned for the current JiaYu G4.
JiaYu’s plans all depend on the availability of 8-core Meidatek MT6592 processors, but their plan is to launch an 8-core version of the popular JiaYu G4 before the end of the year along with an updated G5. Pricing is unlikely to change so those of you lucky enough to get your hands on one of these will be getting a great performance boost at a great price.
After meeting with JiaYu last month we have seen how supply issues have really affected them in the past and how they have been really very unlucky with their supply partners, we hope the future is a little kinder to them.
Which Chinese phones are you waiting for?
We of course still have the release of the Oppo N1 and Xiaomi Mi3 to look forward to, then there are 8-core beauties from TCL, Xiaocai and Mlais to look forward to, and outsiders Geak and Landos may also surprise us with something special.
Which Chinese phones are you most looking forward to?