Soon after the successful launch of its ZTE V5 smartphone, the Chinese brand is planning to follow up with two cheaper models – the Blade L2 and the ZTE V969. The first model model, which unfortunately comes with Android 4.2, will be priced in line with its current entry-level 5-inch model, Grand X Quad V987.
The Grand X Quad V987 is priced at just Rs 6,000 on Snapdeal, which makes it the most value-for-money, entry-level smartphone in the Indian market after the Xiaomi Redmi 1S.
To be fair, the Redmi 1S comes with an HD display while the Grand X has a qHD display. As a result, the true competitor of the Xiaomi phone is the ZTE V5 model that is priced nearly 80% higher than the Redmi phone.
This disparity with Xiaomi will continue even after the launch of the two new models.
First, the ZTE V969, which is a poorer speced cousin of the V5 that will be priced in the range of Rs 9,500-10,000. Nothing much to write home about as far as the model’s specifications are concerned.
This one also has a bigger 5.5-inch display, 1 GB of RAM and a quad-core processor. However, unlike the flagship model, this one comes with the Mediatek MT6582 processor and a PowerVR graphics processor.
The ZTE V969, which was launched in Australia in June, will only appeal to the budget constrained, and will be a decent buy if priced in the Rs 8,000 range.
The second phone, the Blade L2, is an upgrade of the Blade L model that is currently available online for Rs 5,500. The blade L was launch quite some time ago and comes with half a GB of RAM and Android 4.0. The L2, however, was released in May, and comes with Android 4.2.
It too has the same Mediatek processor and has 1 GB of RAM. In configuration, it is very close to the ZTE Grand X Quad Lite, priced at Rs 6,000. The only difference is in the display resolution. While the Grand X has a 960*540 display, the Blade L2 comes with a 854*480 pixel screen.
As a result, the phone would make sense at a price of Rs 5,500, but, according to industry sources, the phone too would be priced at the same level (Rs 6,000) as the Grand X.