China’s ZTE releases first phone in Korea via Gmarket

Chinese handset maker ZTE said yesterday it has made its first foray into the Korean market by releasing a smartphone via Gmarket, a Korean online shopping mall.

The company has made available its 4-inch “Z Phone,” which runs on the third-generation network and is powered by a dual-core processor, according to the company. The phone, which consumers can purchase first then register with local carriers, features Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich platform and comes with a 5-megapixel camera. Purchases include a 1-year guarantee.

“The first 100 units of the Z Phone we rolled out on Gmarket have sold out, and we are bringing in more products,” an official at ZTE’s Korean unit told Yonhap News Agency by phone.

“We plan to introduce a global model that runs on the long-term evolution [LTE] model early next year and release a localized model in the second half via the country’s three main carriers,” he said.

ZTE’s local release comes as the Chinese handset maker is beefing up its presence through low-end smartphones. In the third quarter, the company ranked as the world’s No. 4 smartphone maker, with a market share of 4.2 percent, according to the data by research firm International Data Corp.

Yonhap