ZTE to Bring High-End Smartphones to U.S.

The company is shifting its focus from the low-end market in its home country to the high-end market in the U.S. ZTE will use its success in China to fuel its efforts to grow its overseas business.

"By 2015, we expect the U.S. to be the largest market for handsets for ZTE", said Lizin Cheng, president of ZTE's North American region, to the Wall Street Journal. "Next year we're going to launch LTE and high-tier phones in the U.S".

The devices will likely run on Google's Android software, and though they will have similar features to handsets like the iPhone, the company will keep prices a bit lower. ZTE's handsets are expected to feature aggressive pricing in order to break into the U.S. market, which has become increasingly competitive.

HTC, Samsung, Motorola and LG are in a fierce competition to be the number-one maker of Android-based phones in the U.S. Samsung and HTC have surged in 2011, LG is upping its efforts, and Motorola will soon be owned by Google, giving it several patent advantages as it develops new devices.

ZTE will have to prove it is a legitimate contender among its fellow Android phone makers before it comes close to taking on Apple's iPhone. The iPhone 4S is the number-one selling device at every major U.S. carrier that offers the handset, and Samsung as emerged as a close second in the North American market.

ZTE's move to the United States market, along with the health of other major manufacturers, is another indicator of the growing popularity of smartphones. Rapid innovation continues to transform the mobile devices, largely due to consumer interest and competitors; attempts to outdo each other.

The addition of another stateside competitor may be a good thing for consumers, but ZTE will have to prove itself amidst some of the biggest companies in tech if it hopes to have staying power in the U.S. market.