ZTE will launch a WP7 Mango phone in the UK

CHINESE PHONE MAKER ZTE will launch a Windows Phone 7 (WP7) Mango handset before the end of the year in the UK.

This morning The INQUIRER met with ZTE's director of mobile device operations, Wu Sa, where we got a sneak peek at the firm's first Mango based smartphone. The device is called Tania but we can exclusively reveal that it will be called the Spirit in the UK.

The Spirit will be released in the fourth quarter "very soon" via one of the UK's mobile operators.

Sa said that it's "essentially a part of the Skate family which supports both Android and Windows."

"We see entry into the Windows market as a strategic move," he added

The main differences apart from the operating system are its white colour, that it has three touchscreen buttons instead of physical ones and that there is a dedicated camera shutter button.

Sa said the Spirit is "pretty much the same [as the Skate]."

ZTE has revealed that the Spirit will have a 1GHz processor with 3D acceleration, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 5MP camera.

Our brief time with the phone left a good impression and it felt like a quality handset. If it is reasonably priced like the firm's other handsets, then ZTE could be onto a winner.

It's unclear whether the phone will still be branded 'ZTE' or 'Spirit' when it tips up on the unknown operator. Sa said, "So far we believe it's probably the best, in its segment, the best Mango phone." µ