ZTE GEEK announced with Intel’s latest Atom chipset

ZTE is coming right out and saying it with their latest smartphone. If you want the latest Intel Atom chip for mobile, you’re going to have to resign yourself to being a geek. Or having a GEEK, anyway. Yes, the ZTE GEEK is coming as a 5-inch option with 720p display, 8MP camera with 1MP front-facer, 8GB internal storage, and a 2,300mAh battery. But the marquee spec of the Android 4.2 handset is the Intel Atom Z2580.

The newest chip from Intel, the Z2580 is manufactured on a 32nm process and offers a 2GHz clock speed. Compared to Clover Trail+, the previous generation of Intel chips for mobile, its twice as fast for computing and offers three time the graphics processing. This is all on top of reduced drain on the battery.

The only problem with the GEEK, is that like many ZTE phone, it will likely see a release elsewhere in the world and quietly fade into the background. ZTE will be showing off the GEEK along with the Intel-powered Grand X IN at IDF in Beijing.

ZTE Launches the ZTE GEEK with Intel Inside at IDF 2013

First ZTE smartphone powered by Intel’s new 32nm Atom™ processor

10 April 2013, Shenzhen, China – ZTE (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment, network solutions and mobile devices, has debuted the ZTE GEEK, the first ZTE smartphone powered by Intel’s new 32nm Atom™ processor Z2580, at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Beijing, China.

The ZTE GEEK has a 5-inch HD screen with resolution of up to 1280×720. It runs on the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS and has 8GB eMMC+1GBRAM. It also features an 8-megapixel rear camera, 1-megapixel front camera, an LED supplement light, and a 2300mAh large-capacity battery. The phone is powered by the Intel’s new 32nm Atom™ processor Z2580, which has a CPU frequency of 2.0GHZ. Tests show that compared to Intel’s previous processor, the Clover Trail+ processor is twice as fast for computing and three times as fast for graphics. It also reduces power consumption.

“Our recent collaboration with Intel on the ZTE GEEK builds on the success of the Grand Series and further enhances our competitiveness in the high-end smartphone market,” said ZTE EVP and Head of the Mobile Devices Division, Mr. He Shiyou. “This partnership will also improve customer experiences by providing them with more choices in the market.”

This year marks the seventh consecutive year for the IDF in Beijing. It is Intel’s premier event and is a major event for the communications industry. ZTE is also showcasing its V98 tablet and Grand X IN smartphone at the IDF. Both devices use Intel chips.

ZTE has long emphasised the importance of user experiences. A key component of this is its longstanding partnership with Intel. When Intel first entered the mobile microchip field in 2012, ZTE released its first Intel-based smartphone, the Grand X IN, shortly thereafter. This allowed ZTE to become the first company to launch a flagship smartphone powered by an Intel processor in the European market. The Grand X IN later became become the best-selling smartphone in Austria.

Over the past two years, ZTE has stepped up efforts in the smart device arena. The new Intel phone is a significant component of the company’s 2011 strategy to shift toward high-end products.