It is appropriate to say that smartphones have not experienced a drastic innovation as of recent times. They have made significant advances in internal components. Smartphones get faster processors and RAM with the passing of time, yet the outside has followed the same language code as the original iPhone introduced back in 2007. The Chinese company ZTE is looking to break the habit with the recently announced ZTE Axon M. The phone includes the high-end quad-core Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB of RAM, 20 megapixels main camera and USB Type-C connectivity. The phone is quite bulky at 12mm. The main differentiator is the screen, or shall I say screens.
The Axon M includes two 5.2 inches screens divided by a hinge which makes the design foldable. Now, a simple phone transforms into a tablet-like design.
The pros I see with this design is the opportunity to multitask, as each screen can display distinct app content. They can be managed independently with multitouch. It can be easily converted into a tent form factor for comfortable viewing. App developers can take advantage of the dual screens to further adapt their apps for creative uses.
The unique design falls victim of its own ambitions. The hinge in the middle creates a very undesirable black line disrupting the view when watching content in full screen. The design leaves both screens unprotected in an accidental fall since the glasses face outward. Cases for protection?! They would need much creativity to come up with them.
Moving the spotlight from the screens to the camera, the design gives benefit to a single high quality 20 megapixels camera. It serves as both the main and front facing (selfie) camera. You don’t have to worry about low-quality selfies anymore, and the cropping game is stronger than ever with so many pixels.
The ZTE Axon M is a passable prototype that needs polishing and refining. Yes, it can suit the heavy multitasker who needs to get work done while watching video content. And yes, it opens the door for better selfies and larger battery capacities. This new form factor is promising. On the next iteration, I would like to see ZTE incorporate with a slide-out form factor that locks to an edge to edge display, more RAM for the heavy multitasker and a slimmer figure.
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