Chinese mobile phone companies have built a reputation of releasing groundbreaking tech on their devices way before the renowned traditional global brands do. While those big names in the industry have invested billions in research and development and lead in the number of patents filed in various countries, they are not necessarily the first to go to market at times. Like in the case of smartphones with QHD displays. Now that is true of smartphones with reversible USB 3.0 ports as well.
A startup in China funded by Lenovo, ZUK, has unveiled a smartphone with reversible USB 3.0. That’s not the big bit about it. The big news is that it has both USB Type-C and USB 3.0 making it the first smartphone to ship with such. As a result, data transfer rates are about 10 times faster than on USB 2.0 devices. Transfer rate peaks at 500 MBs per second. The USB Type-C port won’t just come in handy for data transfer or charging, ZUK is offering a pair of headsets that work with it as well. Never mind that the device will still pack the standard 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Besides the connectivity bit, the ZUK Z1 is said to cut off power supply to the battery when it is full and instead charging the system directly hence shielding the user from all the documented dangers of doing that both to themselves in the event of a faulty battery and the battery itself (shortened life).
Here’s the spec sheet:
- Display: 5.5 inch Full HD IPS
- Memory: 64 GB internal storage; 3 GB RAM
- Camera: 13 MP f/2.2 main camera with dual-tone LED flash and OIS; 8 MP front-facing camera
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
- Operating System: Android Lollipop
- Battery: 4,100 mAh
- Others: fingerprint scanner, dual Nano SIM card slots
Source: Engadget
