Like it already doesn’t have a great relationship with Google, ZTE announced that some of its future smartphones will ship with the Google Now launcher preloaded.
Said launcher is typically used on Nexus and Google Play Edition devices, and this would be the first time a major handset maker opted to use Google’s rather than its own software.
I personally think this is a good thing for ZTE and users, alike. ZTE’s Android skin is everything but popular and improving it takes time. Meanwhile, the Chinese firm is much better off using something that users all around the world love to use. The best part is that with the Google Now launcher you get your phone to react to “Ok Google” voice command from any part of the system!
The first ZTE phone to rock pre-loaded Google Now Launcher will be the Blade Vec 4G which is going to be released in Hong Kong on July 24. Then it’s going to few other European markets, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.
Said device is a solid mid-ranger with specs that include a 5-inch 720p HD screen, 13-megapixel camera on the back, 1GB of RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, and 16GB of internal storage.
That model, of course, is just a start, with more ZTE-made, Google Now phones coming later in the year. Alas, these devices won’t be available in China where folks don’t have Google Mobile Services and Google Play enabled…