ZTE Officially Announces Full Specifics Of Hawkeye, Its First Crowdsourced Smartphone

Phone maker ZTE has officially announced the specifications for Hawkeye, the company’s first crowdsourced Android smartphone.

Back in 2016, ZTE opened Project Crowd Source X (CSX), a new way of making a smartphone. The company asked customers exactly what they want on a new phone through suggestions and by voting on polls. The people who participated in the project have decided that the Hawkeye will come with eye-tracking technology and a self-adhesive shell on its back.

At CES 2017, ZTE didn’t give out much details on the Hawkeye, but the company did show off what the final product will look like. Earlier this week, ZTE pulled the curtain off of the project and listed the upcoming smartphone’s full specifications.

The ZTE Hawkeye will have a 5.5-inch full HD 1080p display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with 3GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage and a 3,000 mAh battery. The device also has a microSD card slot allowing users to expand storage up to 256GB.

On the back is a fingerprint scanner and a dual-camera setup. It’s a combination of 12MP and a 13MP cameras which come with optical zoom, a feature that’s also found on Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus. Up front, the ZTE Hawkeye is equipped with an 8MP shooter. Other features include Android Nougat, Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 via USB Type-C, NFC and Hi-Fi Audio.

ZTE says that the delay on providing the full specs of the Hawkeye was due to the time it took to gauge user feedback, according to TechCrunch.

Customers will be able to get the ZTE Hawkeye if they pledge $199 or more on the company’s Kickstart page. The $199 price tag will only be available for a limited time. ZTE says that the device should start shipping in September 2017, but the final release date is subject to change.