Update (June 8, 5:45 pm ET): The ZTE Axon 40 Ultra is now available outside China.
What you need to know
- ZTE has announced its latest flagship, the Axon 40 Ultra with an improved Under-Display Camera (UDC).
- The device features three 64MP sensors on its rear for the primary, ultrawide, and telephoto cameras.
- The phone is now available in China with a global launch scheduled for June.
ZTE has been more or less at the forefront of Under-Display Camera (UDC) technology and continues to improve on this with its latest flagship. On Monday, the company launched its latest flagship, the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra, which features its latest UDC advancements for improved selfies while keeping the display free of any notches or hole punches.
The new Axon 40 Ultra features an uninterrupted 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a FullHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Underneath that display is a 16MP selfie camera that can combine pixels to achieve a 2.24μm pixel size for improved light capture. The display area over the camera has a pixel density of 400ppi, similar to the ZTE Axon 30 5G, so there shouldn't be any noticeable loss of display density around the camera, unlike the UDC found on Samsung's best foldable phone. Additionally, selfies should be improved thanks to ZTE's Selfie Algorithm 3.0, which uses AI to reduce noise and make any adjustments to the image.
On the back, ZTE has also gone all-out in the camera department, outfitting the phone with three 64MP cameras for the primary, ultrawide, and telephoto sensors. The primary and ultrawide cameras use the Sony IMX787 sensor with "dual full-pixel omnidirectional focusing" for faster and more accurate focus. The primary 35mm equivalent lens has an f/1.6 aperture for more natural blur, while the 16mm-equivalent ultrawide lens can also capture macro images. The periscope telephoto features a 5.7x optical zoom and is aided by "Steadicam-level" optical image stabilization.
ZTE also highlights nighttime photography thanks to improved light capture, enabling features like Smart Moon, Star Photography Algorithm, and AI constellation.
Powering everything is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The Chinese variant will also have an option for 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. A 5,000mAh battery keeps the lights on, which can be topped up quickly thanks to 65W charging support (80W charging will be exclusive to China). You'll also find dual stereo speakers with DTS audio, Snapdragon Sound, and MyOS 12 based on Android 12.
The ZTE Axon 40 Ultra is currently available for purchase in China. However, it won't be long for the all-screen phone to reach other regions, with a global launch set for June.
Update
ZTE has announced that the new Axon 40 Ultra is will go on sale in global markets on June 21. It includes the same 64MP triple camera setup, 5,000mAh battery with 65W charging, and 6.8-inch 120Hz AMOLED display with a 16MP Under-Display Camera.
Depending on the region, the device retails for $799, €829, and £709 for the 8GB+128GB variant. For 12GB of RAM and double the storage, you'll fork over $899, €949, or £809.
