ZTE announces Blade III smartphone with Android 4.0

CHINESE PHONE MAKER ZTE announced its latest Android smartphone today, the ZTE Blade III, which will be coming to Europe later this year.

The ZTE Blade series is better known in the UK under the Orange San Francisco branding, so it's likely that the third generation ZTE Blade handset will arrive in the UK as the Orange San Francisco III.

In terms of specifications, the Blade III features a 4in WVGA screen, a 1GHz Qualcomm chipset and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), with no mention of an upgrade to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Set to arrive as a mid-priced smartphone, the Blade III also features a 5MP rear-facing camera, up to 32GB of expandable storage, a 1,600mAh battery and integrated DLNA technology.

"With Blade III we have paid extra attention to our users. We have focused on a larger screen and expanded the storage space significantly. ZTE Blade III is the first ever smartphone in its price range with a 4-inch touch screen and Android 4.0. This enables more users to take part in an extremely sharp multimedia experience, without costing an arm and a leg," said Ao Wen, VP of Europe Operations for ZTE Handsets.

The ZTE Blade III will make its debut in Sweden later this month priced at around £140, with a full European launch to follow later this year. µ