ZTE Blade V9 set for MWC launch

ZTE's Blade line of smartphones is known for offering decent value for money. The company is said to be set to launch the next device in the series this month, at MWC.

The device, the Blade V9, will succeed the Blade V8, and makes a number of improvements on it. A budget offering, it will sport a 5.7-inch FHD+ display—up from the 5.2-inch FHD one on the V8, but with pretty much the same feel due to the new aspect ratio. Like with the V8, it will feature an IPS panel. No surprise, of course, as ZTE reserves AMOLED displays for its Axon flagship line. 

The V9 will be powered by the 14nm Snapdragon 450 that was released last year. The Snapdragon 450 is an improvement over the Snapdragon 435 on the V8, in any case, as it's, for all intents and purposes, an underclocked Snapdragon 625. On the camera side of the fence, it will feature dual rear cameras (16 MP + 5 MP, f/1.8) and a 13 MP selfie camera.

It will come in RAM configurations of 2 GB, 3 GB, and 4 GB. Storage will come in variants of 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB. There will, of course, be the option for expandable storage, with a Micro SD slot that doubles up as a second sim slot. A rear fingerprint sensor, 3.5mm headphone jack, 3200 mAh battery, and Android Oreo out of the box complete a package that could be quite attractive depending on how it's priced.