New Standout Features May Not be Enough to Overcome Removal of MicroSD Slot & 3.5mm Jack for Target Chinese Consumers

Boston, MA – September 14, 2017 – The latest premium flagship smartphone from ZTE, the Nubia Z17, comes with fashionable bezel-less design and high-end specifications for its hardware. As one of the first Chinese smartphones to have a 8GB RAM, in addition to the fastest processor on the market, a new UX expert review from the User Experience Strategies (UXS) group at Strategy Analytics “ ZTE Nubia Z17: UX Expert Review, ” has found that despite these stand-out features, the lack of a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD slot may lead some consumers to look elsewhere.

Click here for report: https://www.strategyanalytics.com/access-services/ux-innovation/user-experience-strategies/reports/report-detail/zte-nubia-z17-ux-expert-review

Key report findings include:

• The bezel-less screen design style, Snapdragon 835 processor, Quick Charge 4+, and impressive camera specs are standout design features not dissimilar to other high-end mobile brands; and these are especially appealing to Chinese consumers.
• However, the home button is likely to create some initial minor usability issues. Although visually eye-catching, it is not an activation key to wake up the device as might be expected. Consequently, this inconsistency in UX design compared to other devices, in addition to its eye-catching red circle, may visually mislead users to tap on it.
• Providing different gestures and shortcuts increases the sense of playfulness with this device. Nevertheless, consumers may have difficulty in remembering the total number of different gestures and shortcuts available. Consistency should be maintained throughout the model line to ensure users can draw from their past experiences in order to utilize these features properly.

Ji-Wei Wu , report author and analyst commented,

“China is a unique market where users have a tendency to store large amounts of media data such as videos and music on their devices. Removing the microSD slot along with the 3.5mm headphone jack may provide more space and enhance certain design elements, but the lack of these two features may drive some potential buyers away.”

Chris Schreiner, Director of Syndicated Research, UXIP, added

“Removing these two features may turn it into pain points and therefore exclude those who are more reluctant to change their behavior. Attracting consumers by partnering with and heavily marketing wireless headphones as part of bundled accessories, may work to compensate for some of these disadvantages.”