ZTE V970 (Dual SIM with 3G support)

Introduction

Approximately one month after MediaTek's official launch of the new MT6577 platform, the first devices based on that same chipset started to emerge...

The usual replicas of the hottest smartphones available on the market will always continue to appear, but also big Chinese companies are betting hard on MediaTek platforms. Lenovo is a great example of that, with some successful models such as A60 (MT6573), A750 (MT6575) and the most recently released A789 (MT6577).

Another known Chinese manufacturer choosing MediaTek platforms to power its devices is ZTE. By 2011, ZTE was the world's fifth-largest telecommunications equipment maker measured by its revenues and the world's fourth-largest mobile phone manufacturer measured by unit sales. This review will cover details about the newly released ZTE V970, a dual SIM smartphone based on MT6577 chipset.

Specifications

Chipset
Name:	MediaTek MT6577
CPU:	Dual-core 1 GHz ARM Cortex™-A9
GPU:	PowerVR™ SGX 531
Instruction set:	ARMv7
Software environment
Embedded:OS:	Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Body
Dimensions (width x height x depth):	127.4 x 65 x 9.9 millimetres
Weigth:	140 grams (battery included)
Color:	Black
Battery
Capacity:	1600 mAh
Memory
RAM:capacity:	1 GB
ROM-capacity:	4 GB
Expansion slot:	microSD memory card, supporting up to 64 GB
Network support
Primary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS900, UMTS2100
Secondary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900
Data links:	GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA
Display
Type:	IPS-LCD capacitive touchscreen
Size:	4.3 inches, qHD resolution (540 x 960 pixels)
Camera
Main (rear):	5 megapixels with autofocus and single LED flash
Secondary (front):	None
Interfaces
Bluetooth (802.15):	Bluetooth 3.0 + Enhanced Data Rate
Wireless LAN / Wi-Fi (802.11):	IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
USB:	USB 2.0 Client, Hi-Speed (480 Mbit/s) USB Series Micro-B (Micro-USB) connector
Satellite navigation
Built-in GPS module:	MT6620 chipset
GPS antenna:	Internal
Complementary GPS services:	MediaTek EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit)
Additional features
Sensors:	Gravity, Proximity and Light sensors
Analog Radio:	FM radio (87.5-108 MHz) with RDS radio receiver
Others:	Dedicated LED for notification of missed calls / new messages

Upcoming MediaTek chipsets... expected in 2013

Reports seems to point that MediaTek plans to launch two new SoC products using the 28 nm manufacturing process by the first quarter of 2013...

MT6588 chipset will feature a quad-core ARM Cortex™-A7 processor running at 1.5 GHz or 1.7 GHz. This chipset will support WCDMA and TD-SCDMA (used by China Mobile) network technologies.

Thanks to the integrated PowerVR™ SGX 544 GPU, it will also feature support for up to 1280×800 pixel displays, 1080p video playback and up to 13 megapixels cameras. 

Aside from the new quad-core chipset, MediaTek will also release the dual-core MT6583, which will likewise run at either 1.5 GHz or 1.7 GHz. This one will support a resolution of up to 854×480, meaning it will target a different market segment, particularly lower-end to mid-range devices.

MediaTek roadmap

Additionally, MediaTek's general manager was cited to say that the company is focusing on including LTE support in its chipsets, which can enable smartphone manufacturers to release lower-priced handsets that support this technology.

ZOPO ZP300 Field (Dual SIM with 3G support)

Introduction

I've been very busy lately and only now had the needed spare time to finish the review of a recent MT6575 based smartphone that I've got as replacement of my ThL V9. The review will focus on ZP300 (also known as Field) from the Chinese manufacturer ZOPO.

Previous and quite successful models from ZOPO are ZP100 (Pilot) and ZP200 (Shining). Just like ThL, this manufacturer provides ROM updates very often. This is worth to mention because it is always important to have such kind of support.

Specifications

Chipset
Name:	MediaTek MT6575
CPU:	1 GHz ARM Cortex™-A9
GPU:	PowerVR™ SGX 531
Instruction set:	ARMv7
Software environment
Embedded:OS:	Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Body
Dimensions (width x height x depth):	133 x 68.2 x 11.3 millimetres
Weigth:	123 grams (battery included)
Color:	Black (or white)
Battery
Capacity:	1800 mAh
Memory
RAM:capacity:	1 GB
ROM-capacity:	4 GB
Expansion slot:	microSD memory card, supporting up to 64 GB
Network support
Primary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS850, UMTS900, UMTS1900, UMTS2100
Secondary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900
Data links:	GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA
Display
Type:	LG AH-IPS capacitive touchscreen
Size:	4.5 inches, HD resolution (720 x 1280 pixels)
Camera
Main (rear):	5 megapixels with autofocus and single LED flash
Secondary (front):	2 megapixels
Interfaces
Bluetooth (802.15):	Bluetooth 3.0 + Enhanced Data Rate
Wireless LAN / Wi-Fi (802.11):	IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
USB:	USB 2.0 Client, Hi-Speed (480 Mbit/s) USB Series Micro-B (Micro-USB) connector
Satellite navigation
Built-in GPS module:	MT6620 chipset
GPS antenna:	Internal
Complementary GPS services:	A-GPS (Assisted GPS), MediaTek EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit)
Additional features
Sensors:	Gravity, Proximity, Light and Magnetic field sensors
Analog Radio:	FM radio (87.5-108 MHz) with RDS radio receiver
Others:	Dedicated LED for notification of missed calls / new messages