MWC 2018: ZTE Blade v9 Live Blog (3pm UTC, 10am ET)

09:58AM EST - Whirlwind stop at ZTE as part of the MWC Press Event escapades. ZTE last announced the Axon M, a folding smartphone. We're likely to see the Blade v9 at today's event!

09:58AM EST - OK we are here seated at the event

09:58AM EST - No proper seats or tables, just stadium seating

09:58AM EST - I'm front and center, the best place :) I'm glad I have a wide angle lens

10:00AM EST - While I'm here, Anton is hopefully ending up at HMD/Nokia's press event, while Andrei is waiting in line for Samsung's event later. We have to queue early for that one

10:03AM EST - Stadium seating. At least I have plenty of elbow room

10:03AM EST - Just had the tannoy for people to get seated

10:04AM EST - It's pretty clear that ZTE are announcing the Blade v9 today

10:05AM EST - The Blade v8 was launched last year - a 5.2inch Full-HD with a Snapdragon 435 (octo-core A53), around 250 euro

10:09AM EST - Still waiting to start, people still filtering in I think

10:10AM EST - Upbeat music is starting

10:10AM EST - Lixin Cheng, CTO of ZTE Mobile on stage

10:11AM EST - ZTE is commited to providing meaningful innovation

10:11AM EST - Using the power of connections to enrich our lives

10:11AM EST - Innovate to enable people to connect in a meaningful way

10:11AM EST - Seamless without boundaries and without limit

10:12AM EST - Top 5 in many markets around the world

10:12AM EST - Number four in USA ?

10:12AM EST - Top 3 in patents for last 7 years

10:12AM EST - ZTE's purpose comes from its customers

10:13AM EST - ZTE believes that innovation must provide answers to the customer's needs

10:13AM EST - Axon M launched in October, now available globally

10:13AM EST - Available in the US, in Japan etc

10:13AM EST - ZTE is also a global leader in 5G, driving the standard

10:14AM EST - Over 3500 global standardization proposals

10:14AM EST - Unveil worlds first 1.2 Gbps smartphone

10:14AM EST - Also expecting to launch first 5G mobile devices in 2019

10:14AM EST - Tables, access points, and smartphones

10:14AM EST - With leading carriers worldwide

10:15AM EST - But consumers want more - the next transformation

10:15AM EST - Young people want to capture every moment

10:15AM EST - The smartphone should not limit them - it should empower them to be free

10:15AM EST - Announcing the next mobile experience - ZTE will provide consumers greater freedom to capture their lives

10:16AM EST - 'There is something special about the night'

10:16AM EST - >Showing night pictures, just made a sex joke

10:16AM EST - 'The night is when we can truly live without limit'

10:16AM EST - The ZTE Blade v9 is for Living without Limits

10:16AM EST - video time

10:17AM EST - Super low resolution video on this projection

10:19AM EST - Jeff Yee - VP Product Marketing to the stage

10:20AM EST - 'A new type of innovation'

10:20AM EST - ZTE's mission has been equality

10:20AM EST - The Blade cuts through the details

10:21AM EST - Sold 80m Blade devices since its inception

10:21AM EST - The Blade is the lineup for everyone

10:21AM EST - We found that everyone loves social media

10:21AM EST - Social media is about scrolling - the average person transverses 300 ft of social media a day

10:22AM EST - Average person takes 1000 pictures every day with their smartphone

10:22AM EST - what, 1000 ??

10:22AM EST - It should not cost $1000 to unlock your phone with your face

10:23AM EST - Talking about design

10:23AM EST - Glass on both sides, flows seamless into a metal frame

10:23AM EST - 'Feels nice in the hand'

10:23AM EST - Called it Aurora Glass

10:24AM EST - Won an iF Design Award 2018

10:24AM EST - 5.7-inch FHD+ 18:9 screen

10:24AM EST - Achieved without compromising RF performance

10:24AM EST - Bringing 18:9 to the mid-range devices

10:25AM EST - >Alcatel launched 18:9 into sub-100 euro yesterday

10:25AM EST - More content is moving into 18:9 - video and games

10:26AM EST - Thinner bezels than the competition

10:26AM EST - Dual 16MP camera designed for low light performance

10:26AM EST - Showing some pictures on the stage now. But the projector is low resolution

10:27AM EST - Professional influencer and fashion blogger on stage, talking about photography

10:27AM EST - 'We took loads of pictures as a family when I was young'. You and me both, and everyone else here...

10:28AM EST - 'You can have a camera in your pocket'

10:28AM EST - 'In my job I take a lot of pictures'

10:28AM EST - 'Some people take photos of food'

10:28AM EST - 'Lighting is not always good'

10:28AM EST - 'ZTE is solving this problem with the Blade v9'

10:29AM EST - 'We want clear and bright photos'

10:29AM EST - >This influencer isn't speaking in sentences.

10:29AM EST - >Just run on sentences

10:29AM EST - 'You can take photos of your outfits with the Blade v9'

10:29AM EST - 'This is what people have been waiting for'

10:30AM EST - Jeff Yee back to the stage

10:30AM EST - Cameras - f/1.8

10:30AM EST - 16MP, PDAF 2.0

10:30AM EST - 16MP + 5 MP

10:31AM EST - six plastic lens

10:31AM EST - Custom ZTE software - 'Low Light Software' solution

10:31AM EST - It means better pictures in the day and the night

10:31AM EST - Dual lens gives bokeh

10:31AM EST - choosing the focus point and adjust the blur in real time

10:32AM EST - Change the bokeh point after capture

10:32AM EST - 8MP selfie camera

10:32AM EST - More features - AR, Combination Photo, Stickers, Slow Motion, Monochrome

10:32AM EST - Also Face ID Access

10:33AM EST - High resolution camera to enable face detection

10:33AM EST - Still kept the fingerprint sensor - it wasn't a choice of one or the other

10:33AM EST - Sound chamber a smart power amplifier and DTS

10:34AM EST - Snapdragon 450, 3200mAh battery, Android 8

10:34AM EST - Also annoucnign the v9 Vite

10:34AM EST - V9 Vita

10:35AM EST - I missed the spec page on the Vita because my V30 screwed up

10:35AM EST - Blade v9 at 269-euro for 3GB/32GB, 299-euro for 4GB/64GB

10:36AM EST - Blade v9 Vita 179-euro for 2GB/16GB, 199-euro for 3GB/32GB

10:36AM EST - That's a wrap. Time to get some photos.