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ZTE’s crowdsourced Hawkeye phone looks like any other smartphone

ZTE’s crowdsourced Hawkeye phone looks like any other smartphone

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Ashley Carman

ZTE asked its users what features they’d like to see in the company’s next phone, and the people spoke. They want an eye-tracking, self-adhesive phone, of course. ZTE showed off that phone today at CES under the name Hawkeye.

For now, ZTE only has a design model, which looks, well, a whole lot different than the original concept. Things change, I get it, but I wish it was as futuristic looking as it was supposed to be. Instead, the phone resembles other smartphones, especially with its single rear-facing camera. That said, things could change again, as the company doesn’t plan to release the device until the third quarter of this year. It’s available to preorder on Kickstarter tomorrow for $199 and will ship globally. It’ll be more expensive when it officially launches, but ZTE hasn’t given us a price.

ZTE executives tells me that they haven’t totally figured out the eye-tracking software, but they’re working on it. They’re also experimenting with different textures and finishes for the phone, some examples of which are in our photos.

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As far as the adhesive feature, ZTE says the phone is going to need a specialized case. When asked how this case will work, ZTE says it’s “black magic.” They aren’t ready to share what this case will look like or how it’ll work. I’m imaging a sticky coating that’ll collect everything, including my hair, dust, and dirt. I hope this doesn’t happen. I also hope they figure out the eye-tracking.

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Ashley Carman

ZTE also announced plans to bring its Blade V8 Pro phone to the US. The company’s Axon 7 is still the company’s flagship device, but this mid-range phone has decent specs, including dual cameras. It also features:

  • 5.5-inch Full HD display
  • Snapdragon 625 processor
  • Dual 13-megapixel cameras, eight-megapixel front-facing camera
  • 3GB RAM, 32GB memory
  • USB-C charging

The Blade V8 Pro will be released on January 18th for $229.98 at most retailers, including on Amazon and ZTE’s website. It’s available to preorder now.