ZTE Star 2 release date, specs news: Voice-controlled smartphone with Samsung Galaxy S5-like features coming at CES 2015

ZTE Star 2 bound for international release at CES 2015. ZTE

With a number of devices set to be announced at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show next month, there is one smartphone that you should watch out for. The ZTE Star 2 is a Chinese smartphone with high end specs that is currently available in China, but will mark its international release at the event.

One of the selling points of the ZTE Star 2 is its advanced voice-control feature that allows users to access the various functions of the device through speech recognition that is accessible even without an internet connection. The accuracy rate of the feature is 90%, according to some reports. According to reviews, the speech recognition of the device is excellent and even works well in noisy environments. The voice control allows users to unlock the phone, access apps and features, take photos and play music.

The smartphone has 158 patents that are related to voice control, and many boast that it could be better than Apple's voice assistant Siri.

Aside from speech recognition, the smartphone boasts a 5-inch full HD 1080p screen display, which is currently the standard screen display of the smartphones in the market. The handset is powered by 2.3GHz quad core Snapdragon 801 SoC paired with 2 GB of RAM.

Under the hood, other features of the handset are: 16 GB built-in storage with expandable storage via microSD slot and 2300 mAh battery capacity. At the back, it sports a 13 MP camera and 5 MP front-facing camera. The smartphone runs with Android 4.4 Kitkat OS. At this rate, the ZTE Star 2 specs are at par with that of Samsung Galaxy S5.

China-based OEM company ZTE has not revealed the international price of the device and which markets it is headed to yet, but the handset is being sold for CNY2499 in the Chinese market. Thus, interested buyers must wait until the announcement of the device at the CES.

News
King Charles attends Royal Maundy service in Wales
King Charles attends Royal Maundy service in Wales

Hundreds of people gathered at St Asaph Cathedral on Thursday for the annual Royal Maundy service, held in Wales for only the second time in the service's 800-year history.

Welsh church to hear full bell ring for first time at Easter service
Welsh church to hear full bell ring for first time at Easter service

Over 150 years since a north Wales church was built with plans for a full ring of bells, the sound long intended for its tower is finally set to be heard at an Easter service.

'Gordon Brown: Power with Purpose', by James Macintyre
'Gordon Brown: Power with Purpose', by James Macintyre

'Gordon Brown: Power with Purpose' is beautifully written, with an unusually nuanced approach to political matters.

MPs reminded of impact of Christian faith in politics with book gift
MPs reminded of impact of Christian faith in politics with book gift

Alastair Campbell famously declared "We don't do God."