ZTE today officially detailed its new Grand Memo phone/tablet hybrid as well as its first Firefox OS smartphone, the Open. First up is the ZTE Grand Memo, which is apparently a little different than the model that was previewed last month. This new Grand Memo features the same 5.7-inch touchscreen and quad-core processor that we learned about before, but today ZTE revealed that Memo now features a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, which is a newer chip than the 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro that the company previously said would be used.
The remainder of the ZTE Grand Memo's spec list contains several similar high-end features, including a 13-megapixel camera, 1-megapixel front shooter, 16GB storage, 1GB RAM, Dolby Digital sound, 4G LTE and a 3,200mAh battery to keep the whole package powered. All of that fits into a body that ZTE says is 8.5mm thick. On the software side of things, the Grand Memo will come preloaded with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean beneath ZTE's Mifavor custom overlay.
The 5.7-inch display found on the Grand Memo sits in-between the screens found on the Samsung Galaxy Note II and Huawei Ascend Mate, which feature 5.5-inch and 6.1-inch displays, respectively. That doesn't change the fact that the screen on the Grand Memo is still large, though, so only big screen lovers need apply. The move to a Snapdragon 800 processor is also sure to earn the Grand Memo a bit more interest than it would've gotten before, as it's the first handset that's been announced as having the new chip. ZTE has said that the Grand Memo will initially launch in China and then in Europe. When asked if it had any plans to bring the Memo to the U.S., it said that it's still examining its options.
After talking up the 5.7-inch Grand Memo, ZTE moved on to the Firefox OS-powered Open and its much smaller 3.5-inch screen. Originally confirmed during yesterday's Mozilla event, the ZTE Open features a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen and its powered by a single-core Qualcomm MSM7225A processor. It's also got a 1,200mAh battery. Obviously the ZTE Open is a fairly low-end smartphone, but since Firefox OS is meant to be loaded onto devices that are targeted at developing markets, the Open makes sense for Mozilla's mobile OS. Some images showing the ZTE Open's front, side and rear are available below.
UPDATE: Qualcomm has told Engadget that the ZTE Grand Memo is actually powered by a Snapdragon 600 processor, similar to what's inside the HTC One and LG Optimus G Pro.
