11'

ZTE Axon Mini is claimed to be the world’s first phone with force touchscreen

Yash GargJuly 21, 2015

ZTE’s been on quite a roll lately. After announcing the Axon smartphone for the US, the Chinese maker brought home the phone but with a twist in the form of a fingerprint scanner.

It now appears as though there’s another variant of the Axon, aka the Axon Mini. What is special about this device is that it comes with a force touchscreen, i.e., a touchscreen that doesn’t just sense touch but also the pressure. Force touch is a technology that first appeared on the Apple MacBook.

Join GizChina on Telegram

According to Pocketnow, the Axon Mini features a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display among other internals. Not much else is known about the phone besides the force touch feature, which is clearly the Axon Mini’s claim to fame.

Other devices that ZTE showcased today for the Chinese market include the full-sized Axon smartphone, the Axon Watch smartwatch and the Spro 2 smart projector. You can read more about these devices here.

[ Picture source]

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

About the author

Yash Garg
Yash is a blogger by profession, builder of things by passion and foodie by birth. You'll usually find him talking about technology, music, travel and the game of cricket on the streets of Pune when not busy writing or speeding his way through the country! Read more on retro handheld gaming on RETRO91
You can learn more about Yash, add him to your Google+ circles or follow him on Twitter to stay connected!

realjjj
July 21, 2015
lol Apple Macbook first….
HP has been using ForcePad from Synaptics since 2013 so long before Apple, Apple just ripped it off and added feedback.
Here a 3 years old article on the tech http://www.tomshardware.com/news/synaptics-forcepad-trackpad-touch-pad,17054.html
- Bug My Android A$$
  September 6, 2015
  Mention one laptop. it was the other company created it and tested it in an HP Laptop. Apple just bought them (knowing how it can impact the industry). So, Apple is the first to implement this feature in Commercial Product.

AdM
July 21, 2015
Apple wasn’t the pioneer of this particular technology. What their market team managed to be was the first to coin the designation “Force Touch”.
- realjjj
  July 21, 2015
  No even that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jCJaQd3NsM
- balcobomber25
  July 22, 2015
  Apple and their fans like to claim they invented everything from the touchscreen to the smartphone and laptop itself. It’s quite funny to hear them each year, they have to wait for the talking points from Cupertino before they can engage you.
  For instance right before the Iphone 6 sizes were officially announced the usual Apple fans were all the forums saying how no one needs a phone over 4 inches it was the perfect size. Immediately following the announcement it was “Apple has reinvented the size of smartphones”!!!
  - Marius Cirsta
    July 22, 2015
    Haha, funny but oh so true.
  - Adam Irvine
    July 22, 2015
    Yep, and it makes me grit my teeth at the Apple tw@ts…
    - balcobomber25
      July 22, 2015
      It’s pointless arguing with them sometimes. They are ignorant to truths. The worst is the Apple fanboy media members every new Android Phones that comes out, especially from China is an Iphone clone to them, even phones that look nothing like the Iphone lol. But yet I never heard them say the Iphone 6 copied HTC….
      - dzawisko
        July 22, 2015
        If we talk about the touch technology Atmel is leading in that field – maXTouch.
        There are Linux (android) drivers for mXT chips.
        The pressure is one of the standard features in all touch drivers.
        .
  - Sansa
    July 22, 2015
    “Apple and their fans like to claim they invented everything”
    Remember when Apple created the graphical interface? Remember when Jobs was pissed at BillG for MS stealling their graphical interface?
    Apple is “inventing” stuff for decades now 🙂
    - balcobomber25
      July 22, 2015
      No one said they never invented anything. But once again Apple is getting credit for creating something they didn’t. Apple didn’t create graphical interface. The GUI as we know it today was created by Xerox in 1973, Apple didn’t begin to develop theirs until 5 yeas later. Steve Jobs actually got the idea from a visit to Xerox PARC. When Apple tried to sue MSoft and HP for using a similar GUI, Xerox tried to sue Apple claiming they were the original copyright holders for GUI. Steve Jobs also stole the mouse idea from Xerox. Another product he is often falsely credited with creating.
      Apple lost that case because many of their design elements were licensed from Xerox. This just further proves my point about the Apple invention “myth”. Apple is not an inventor they are an innovator. They take current products that have already been created and improve upon them. The tablet is a prime example. There were dozens of tablets before the iPad but they didn’t sell nearly as well as they do now until the iPad was released.
      - Sansa
        July 22, 2015
        Yeah, Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal. But that scene with Jobs and Billg was epic. It’s how the “industry” works.
        
        balcobomber25
        July 22, 2015
  - Faress ElFarissi
    July 30, 2015
    Yes , some fans really makes me upset , but i’m really think apple the one who created this tech , and now that. Zte eat the apple
    - balcobomber25
      July 30, 2015
      Apple didn’t create this tech, it has been around for quite some time before them….
      - Bug My Android A$$
        September 6, 2015
joe mont
July 21, 2015
- balcobomber25
  July 22, 2015
  It’s a similar technology. The Wacom works in conjunction with a stylus pen to detect the difference in pressure signals. The Microsoft Surface Pro has a Wacom layer but you need the Surface Pro Pen to use it.

realjjj
July 21, 2015
lol Apple Macbook first….
HP has been using ForcePad from Synaptics since 2013 so long before Apple, Apple just ripped it off and added feedback.
Here a 3 years old article on the tech http://www.tomshardware.com/news/synaptics-forcepad-trackpad-touch-pad,17054.html
- Bug My Android A$$
  September 6, 2015
  Mention one laptop. it was the other company created it and tested it in an HP Laptop. Apple just bought them (knowing how it can impact the industry). So, Apple is the first to implement this feature in Commercial Product.

AdM
July 21, 2015
Apple wasn’t the pioneer of this particular technology. What their market team managed to be was the first to coin the designation “Force Touch”.
- realjjj
  July 21, 2015
  No even that
- balcobomber25
  July 22, 2015
  Apple and their fans like to claim they invented everything from the touchscreen to the smartphone and laptop itself. It’s quite funny to hear them each year, they have to wait for the talking points from Cupertino before they can engage you.
  For instance right before the Iphone 6 sizes were officially announced the usual Apple fans were all the forums saying how no one needs a phone over 4 inches it was the perfect size. Immediately following the announcement it was “Apple has reinvented the size of smartphones”!!!
- Marius Cirsta
  July 22, 2015
  Haha, funny but oh so true.
- Adam Irvine
  July 22, 2015
  Yep, and it makes me grit my teeth at the Apple tw@ts…
- balcobomber25
  July 22, 2015
  It’s pointless arguing with them sometimes. They are ignorant to truths. The worst is the Apple fanboy media members every new Android Phones that comes out, especially from China is an Iphone clone to them, even phones that look nothing like the Iphone lol. But yet I never heard them say the Iphone 6 copied HTC….
- Sansa
  July 22, 2015
  “Apple and their fans like to claim they invented everything”
  Remember when Apple created the graphical interface? Remember when Jobs was pissed at BillG for MS stealling their graphical interface?
  Apple is “inventing” stuff for decades now 🙂
- balcobomber25
  July 22, 2015
  No one said they never invented anything. But once again Apple is getting credit for creating something they didn’t. Apple didn’t create graphical interface. The GUI as we know it today was created by Xerox in 1973, Apple didn’t begin to develop theirs until 5 yeas later. Steve Jobs actually got the idea from a visit to Xerox PARC. When Apple tried to sue MSoft and HP for using a similar GUI, Xerox tried to sue Apple claiming they were the original copyright holders for GUI. Steve Jobs also stole the mouse idea from Xerox. Another product he is often falsely credited with creating.
  Apple lost that case because many of their design elements were licensed from Xerox. This just further proves my point about the Apple invention “myth”. Apple is not an inventor they are an innovator. They take current products that have already been created and improve upon them. The tablet is a prime example. There were dozens of tablets before the iPad but they didn’t sell nearly as well as they do now until the iPad was released.
- Sansa
  July 22, 2015
  Yeah, Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal. But that scene with Jobs and Billg was epic. It’s how the “industry” works.
- balcobomber25
  July 22, 2015
  They didn’t call them “Pirates” for nothing…
- dzawisko
  July 22, 2015
  If we talk about the touch technology Atmel is leading in that field – maXTouch.
  There are Linux (android) drivers for mXT chips.
  The pressure is one of the standard features in all touch drivers.
  .
- Never heard of them Ill have to google them and find out more!
- Faress ElFarissi
  July 30, 2015
  Yes , some fans really makes me upset , but i’m really think apple the one who created this tech , and now that. Zte eat the apple
- balcobomber25
  July 30, 2015
  Apple didn’t create this tech, it has been around for quite some time before them….
- Bug My Android A$$
  September 6, 2015
joe mont
July 22, 2015
- balcobomber25
  July 22, 2015
  It’s a similar technology. The Wacom works in conjunction with a stylus pen to detect the difference in pressure signals. The Microsoft Surface Pro has a Wacom layer but you need the Surface Pro Pen to use it.
Muhammad Yasir
July 22, 2015
- Steven Fox
  July 22, 2015
  - Muhammad Yasir
    July 22, 2015
  - - Steven Fox
      July 22, 2015
      The Zenfone 2 with 2GB of Ram is probably the best deal out there, as you get a close to flagship level of performance at a mid-range price.
      I have been a long admirer of Jiayu and currently own a Jiayu S1, but none of them have second rear camera, or force touch technology , not to mention a Super Amoled display which is quite costly, and there you have the 100-150$ difference in prices. It could sell for a bit less, but in my opinion it`s gonna be a great phone.
      - balcobomber25
        July 22, 2015
        If the Zenfone 2 wasn’t so ugly it would be my next phone but I just cant even look at the bulky mess of a design.
        
        Steven Fox
        July 22, 2015
        I like it actually, goes to show that taste differs allot, What I don`t like is the Samsung Edge and Ipone 6 designs, too girly.
        balcobomber25
        July 22, 2015
        I think the Edge is ugly too, I don’t mind the 6 though even if they did blatantly rip off HTC One.
Guest
July 22, 2015
- Steven Fox
  July 22, 2015
  Well, quality material and newer tech is expensive, you can`t have everything for 199$ 🙂
- Guest
  July 22, 2015