Just under a year ago, a small news explosion rocked the mobile world when a phone, claiming to be a high-end product, was announced with no familiar, discernible OEM behind it. The offering, called “Axon Phone”, was eventually revealed to originate from none other than China’s ZTE, a company that was – at the time – more readily associated with lower-end products in the USA. Of particular interest however, was the fact that it was specifically being marketed as a premium device, designed for buyers in America.

Fast forward roughly a year and ZTE is now sending invitations for an event to be held on May 26th. The occasion? Launching its new, second generation Axon. Curiously however, rather than calling it the Axon 2, or Axon Phone 2, it’s being called the Axon 7.

It is widely believed that the phone is the very same product that made its way through China’s TENAA a short while ago:

Based on the TENAA regulatory filing, and coupled with leaks from a Geekbench score, the device is expected to have a 5.5-inch QHD (2560×1400) AMOLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal memory. In addition, it is expected to boast a 20-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel front camera, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, a USB Type-C port, microSD support, and a 3,140mAh battery, complete with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow on board.

Based on the images seen, the device looks to have stereo front facing speakers. The measurements were filed at 154 x 77 x 9.8mm and with a weight of 175 grams.

It should be noted that the product might not actually come with an AMOLED display, as one report indicates the panel will be produced by Sharp.

Name game

The name of the phone, Axon 7, is a bit curious to say the least. One possible explanation is that ZTE realizes 2016 is all about the lucky number 7: Samsung has two Galaxies using it, and Apple is widely believed to be launching a new pair of iPhones this fall that will carry the all-important numeral. By including the number seven in the product name, the new Axon flagship will be, perhaps, seen as “on par” with the aforementioned competitors.

Venture Beat, however, offered an additional take on the logic:

Besides the original Axon, sold unlocked in the U.S. starting at $250 directly from ZTE, the company has introduced five additional models under the same sub-brand: Axon Mini, Axon Pro, Axon Lux, Axon Max, and Axon Elite. With six total Axons on the market thus far, ZTE is likely considering this the seventh model — instead of the sequel to the original — which is very likely the logic behind the Axon 7 name.

Whatever the case may be, assuming that the Axon 7 features top-of-the-line specs, an affordable price, and a premium build, customers are likely to take an interest in it.

What do you think? Does the news have you excited?