Lenovo sub-brand unveils inexpensive ZUK Edge with razor-thin bezels, up to 6GB RAM

You may find this a little odd, especially in the Western Hemisphere, but even as Lenovo strongly considers killing off its own smartphone brand, the fledgling online-only ZUK mobile product portfolio is set to live on and continue expanding.

It appears those relatively affordable, rather premium-looking ZUK Z1, Z2 and Z2 Pro models built quite the audience in China, where a new “edgy” Xiaomi, OPPO or LeEco contender goes official today ahead of a limited January 1 commercial rollout.

Though clearly less curvy than the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, Lenovo’s 5.5-inch ZUK Edge flaunts a remarkable 86.4 percent screen-to-body ratio, killer build and of course, 2.5D curved glass back. A blazing fast “under-glass” fingerprint reader increases the pressure on the next-gen S8’s design revisions, with a heart rate monitor placed on the phone’s rear, alongside a single 13MP snapper.

Under the hood, you get everything a flagship Android handheld can accommodate nowadays, from Snapdragon 821 processing power to your choice of 4 or 6GB RAM. Also, a generous 64GB local storage space, albeit non-expandable via microSD.

On the software side of things, we’re happy to report Nougat runs the show off the bat, but other features are slightly less impressive. Not bad, just not exactly stellar: 8MP selfie cam, 3100mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.1, USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack, Dirac HD sound. At the equivalent of $330 (CNY 2,300) and up however, you’re actually dealing with an overall spectacular set of specs, as well as super-stylish Ceramic White and Titanium Black color options.

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ZUK Edge launching on JD.com December 7

ZUK CEO Chang Cheng has been teasing the Lenovo subsidiary’s latest phone-to-be for a good while now. But beyond the feature peeks and psuedo-unboxings, there is the retail launch itself.

The date has finally been set for tomorrow, December 7 at 3pm local time on JD.com. There’s little pricing chatter, but based off what we saw for the ZUK Z2 Pro and the rumored top-end spec sheet (Snapdragon 81 with 6GB of RAM), we might guess around the $400 mark.

The phone has been noted for its minimal bezels, though not to the extent that Xiaomi was able to pull off for its Mi MIX smartphone.

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Lenovo ZUK edge expected out next week

Lenovo subsidiary ZUK is preparing for a new smartphone launch next week and Chinese social media is abuzz about it leaking out.

ZUK CEO Chang Cheng posted a few teasers for what customers might expect in the box for the ZUK Edge — the contents look to even include a case for the phone, sheathed in optical gloss.

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But we do have close-up views leaked out of another Weibo channel and it shows off a front-facing fingerprint sensor, a single camera with focus and flash modules, a headphone jack, USB-C port and a single, bottom-firing speaker. Confirmed is a 5.5-inch display.

Other rumors bring in a Snapdragon 821 with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, the display having full HD resolution and 13-megapixel and 8-megapixel cameras back and front.

Chang only mentioned a vague launch frame for next week, so we’ll probably get a date dropped in soon.

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ZUK forums show off leaked Hasselblad Moto Mod

Hasselblad usually makes some maddening medium-format camera gear. But with whispers of the company shrinking its workspace a bit for the sake of a Moto Mod, we have something new to stare at.A photographer with a preference for Hasselblad products on Weibo has snapped a picture of what looks to be a camera grip Moto Mod. And it is a meaty one with variable aperture (minimum f/3.5-6.5) with a zoom range ...

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Lenovo ZUK Z2 sees daylight with Snapdragon 820, 4GB RAM, $275 price tag

As part of Lenovo’s ongoing restructuring and reorganization efforts, the ZUK sub-brand is deemed the company’s salvation in China, where Vibes and Lemons have recently lost steam and the Motorola name means a ...

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Exynos 8890 on ZUK Z2 runs well, says exec

Lenovo sub-brand ZUK released its Z2 Pro last month. The irony remains that what is just the Z2 has yet to be launched. But it’s definitely coming soon and we have chief executive Chang Cheng telling us just a little bit of how this new phone runs.He posted onto Weibo that after a whole day of use, he was liking this [Exynos] 8890. Yep, that

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Lenovo ZUK Z2 Pro debuts with up to 6GB RAM, a grand total of 10 health sensors

While mobile consumers on the Western hemisphere probably regard Motorola as the most appealing brand in Lenovo’s portfolio, folks over in China may start to consider ZUK a robust alternative to local veterans like Huawei, Xiaomi or Meizu with the launch of the Z2 Pro.This is so much bolder than ZUK’s affordable but hardly trend-setting 2015 Z1 rookie, daring to go where no Android handheld has gone before, with official iCloud support out the box. Wait, does Apple even know about that?No idea yet, though there are ...

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Lenovo ZUK Z2 Pro confirmed to debut next week, likely with Snapdragon 820

It’s interesting, but none of Lenovo’s recent “structural” changes appear to have impacted the ZUK Mobile sub-brand, established in May 2015, and already extremely popular in China. Quite on the contrary, and although the Z1 flagship has several more months to go before turning one, a Z2 Pro sequel is nearly done and ready for primetime.That’s not a rumor, mind you, as the startup’s own CEO, Chang Cheng, took to ...

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The new MediaTek Helio P10 said to appear in the ZUK Mini

Lenovo subsidiary ZUK has been working on its Z2 handset, a sequel to its first one released back in August. But the parent company has been very much keen on having ZUK lead the company’s innovations — the international Z1 featured Cyanogen OS.More change is on the way for two ZUK models, both ...

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Already affordable Lenovo ZUK Z1 gets discounted to irresistible $280 for limited time

Officially released in the five biggest European markets just a couple of weeks back at prices converting to the rough equivalent of $430, the Cyanogen OS-powered ZUK Z1 can be purchased now if you hurry (and are lucky) for much less.Specifically, $280, two-year warranty included, from international e-tailer AliExpress, which remarkably also ships the 5.5-inch Android worldwide for no extra fee. What’s the catch, you ask? Well, there were only ...

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Cyanogen OS-powered Lenovo ZUK Z1 officially goes on sale in Europe

Well, that sure didn’t take long. The rookie smartphone effort of a little known Chinese company called ZUK was barely announced domestically a couple of months back, securing Cyanogen as a key software partner soon after, and already, folks living in all “big five” European markets can purchase the Z1 from their local Amazon e-outlets.Of course, ZUK isn’t your typical OnePlus or LeTV-like mobile neophyte. The seemingly obscure brand ...

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Cyanogen gets new hardware partner, as ZUK confirms international sales

Ever since evolving from a grass-roots unofficial Android ROM to a legitimate company, making big deals with smartphone manufacturers, we’ve seen Cyanogen hook up with a number of different phone-makers. From Oppo, we’ve seen it work with OnePlus, and more recently companies like Yu. This week we get word of one more, as startup ZUK announces its own partnership with Cyanogen.ZUK may be a new name in the smartphone ...

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