Following LG’s Optimus 4X HD announcement and HTC revealing its One X smartphone, ZTE showcases its Nvidia Tegra 3-equipped smartphone, the ZTE Era.  

As is the case with the ZTE Mimosa X, the company’s Era boasts Nvidia’s Icera 450 HSPA+ modem that supports up to 21 Mbps category 14 HSPA+ for quicker downloads in fading channels, as well as IceClear interference cancellation technology to boost data throughput.

The 7.8 mm thick Era sports a 4.3" qHD (540 x 960 pixels) touchscreen, 8 GB of memory that is expandable via a microSD card slot, HD voice and Dolby sound. This smartphone operates on the latest version (4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich) of Google’s Android mobile operating system (OS).

According to ZTE, the Era delivers improved battery life thanks to the Tegra 3’s 4-PLUS-1 quad-core architecture. This entails Nvidia’s latest mobile processor utilising four main CPU cores for demanding tasks such as mobile games, whilst relying on its fifth battery saver core for less demanding tasks which includes active standby mode.

As ZTE’s new flagship device, the Era will lead the charge in the company’s ambition to be counted amongst the top three handset makers by 2015. As Lenovo has proven on the PC side, having a strong base in China can do a lot to boost sales, and with devices like the Era and the Mimosa X, ZTE is starting to deliver on decent high-specced devices. For this Chinese company a top three place in three years’ time might not be that far out of reach.

ZTE’s Era will launch in Europe and China during the second half of this year. No local release info is available yet.

 

 

In other mobile related news Nokia recently unveiled its Symbian-running 808 PureView smartphone that sports an amazing 41 MP camera sensor, as well as two additions to its Windows Phone Mango-powered Lumia line-up in the Lumia 900 and Lumia 610.