UPDATE: According to Cyanogen, the ZUK Z1 will launch internationally in mid-October. However, it's still unclear what countries the phone will be available in and how much it'll cost. Stay tuned.
The ZUK Z1 debuted earlier this month, offering a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 13-megapixel camera, USB Type-C, and a fingerprint reader for less than $300. At the time, ZUK said that an international launch would happen “soon” after the Chinese release, and now we know exactly when the global launch will happen.
Lenovo-backed ZUK has announced that the Z1 will be released internationally on August 21. Yep, as of this writing, that’s tomorrow. There’s no word yet on how much the ZUK Z1 will cost, but when the device launched in China, it cost around $284.
While the ZUK Z1 that launches internationally will be largely similar, including its specs and packaging, there will be one big difference between it and the Chinese version. While the model being sold in China runs ZUK’s custom version of Android, the international model will run Cyanogen OS 12.1, based on Android 5.1.1.
In addition to Cyanogen OS 12.1, the international ZUK Z1 will feature a 5.5-inch 1920x1080 display, 8-megapixel camera, and fingerprint reader on its face, along with a 13-megapixel camera with a Sony IMX214 sensor. The Z1 is powered by a Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 4100mAh battery, and it’s also got 64GB of storage, a USB Type-C port, and 4G LTE connectivity.
Even though there are still some key details about the ZUK Z1’s launch that are up in the air, it’s great to see that the device will be sold internationally. And then there’s the inclusion of Cyanogen OS 12.1, which is sure to please some of the more hardcore Android crowd. Now we just have to wait and see how much ZUK plans to charge international buyers for the Z1. If it’s just as affordable as the Chinese model, the Z1 could make for an interesting option in the affordable smartphone market.