ZTE, the world’s fifth largest China-based handset manufacturer, said through Wu Sa, the U.K. Director of Mobile Device Operations, that the company has Windows Phone 7 devices running in its test labs but currently no plans to launch a product.

Mr. Wu implied that ZTE was not quite happy with Redmond’s response to the phone’s performance and said they “anticipate that Microsoft will respond more effectively to market needs in terms of user experience in terms of cost“. ZTE is known to produce cheaper, budget-oriented smartphones pretty much like its homeland competitor Huawei. With chassis specifications requested by Microsoft (1GHz processor, WVGA screen, 8GB internal memory and five-megapixel camera, to name a few), manufacturers like ZTE could produce pretty cheap smartphones that could compete with current Windows Phone 7 OEMs and become affordable in countries where wages demand a cheaper smartphone.

Whether the performance of the test/prototype unit was lacking or Microsoft is protecting its Nokia and other OEM investments is not clear at the moment. That, or maybe the waiting game ZTE might play until the platform gets Asian input support. Nevertheless, a ZTE-made Windows Phone 7 launched in China would give a pretty good boost to device sales in the world’s largest mobile consumer community and market.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Via: Electronista