ZUK Announces Official Partnership With Cyanogen

ZUK, the company behind the rather spec-packed ZUK Z1, has announced its official partnership with Cyanogen. The move now allows ZUK to preload Cyanogen OS 12.1 on the international variant of the ZUK Z1.

The ZUK Z1 has recently come in the limelight due to the fact that the company is a sub-brand of Lenovo (which also owns Motorola). The phone itself stands on firm grounds spec-wise, featuring the tried and tested Snapdragon 801 (Quad core; clocked at 2.5GHz), along with 3GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage (non-expandable). The camera setup of the device is an 8MP shooter for the front facing-camera, while the rear camera features Sony’s 13MP IMX214. For the display, the ZUK Z1 has a 5.5″ 1080p display, which should find itself lasting long thanks to the large 4,100 mAh battery on the phone. The phone also features a fingerprint scanner and USB Type-C port, but this one is ahead of rival OnePlus 2’s as it utilizes USB 3.1 in its implementation. What’s more, the phone is to be priced at $280, making it stand against the fierce competition of the mid-range segment of the market.

A sub-brand from a major Chinese OEM launches a specced-out product, which also comes preloaded with Cyanogen OS? Does all of this sound familiar to you? For the most part, the similarities between the ZUK and OnePlus are present. And after Cyanogen’s failed relationship with OnePlus, it will be interesting to see how much this one plays through. Considering the fact that Micromax’s YU sub-brand has exclusive rights for preloading devices with Cyanogen OS in India, ZUK’s decision to preload Cyanogen OS may hit known roadblocks whenever it may try to turn its focus on the Indian market, unless it also releases an India-specific version.

Cyanogen’s plan to take Android away from Google may also be in motion as Cyanogen grows in number of partners, one OEM at a time. For many consumers, this is not necessarily a bad thing, though, as devices released with Cyanogen OS tend to be really easy to root, unlock and flash custom roms and kernels on; partly why the OnePlus One became such a popular phone on XDA forums.

Nonetheless, the ZUK Z1 is turning out to be a real head turner. We will test out this device after its international launch press conference on August 21, 2015 in Shenzhen, China. Stay tuned for our hands on and full review of the ZUK Z1!

What do you think about this partnership? Will the ZUK Z1 turn out to be 2015’s “Flagship Killer”? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

 

Further reading:

• ZUK Z1 Announced with USB 3.1 and 4100mAh Battery
• ZUK Z1 Partial Specifications Revealed
• Open War for Open Android: Antitrust for Cyanogen?
• Andromax Q Is A New Cyanogen Device in Indonesia
• Cyngn Explained: Who’s Cyanogen, What’s Cyanogen OS?
• Cyngn, OnePlus, Micromax – The Legal Battle

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