ZTE Grand S3 With Eye-Based Biometric Authentication Launched at MWC 2015

By Ketan Pratap | Updated: 2 March 2015 01:17 IST

ZTE has launched "world's first smartphone" with eye-based biometric solution, called the Grand S3, at the Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona.

The ZTE Grand S3 is now available to buy online in China and has been priced at CNY 2,999 (Rs. 29,500 approximately). Unfortunately, there is no word on global release of the ZTE Grand S3. The company notes that the handset was initially available in Chinese market starting last month.

The highlight of the Grand S3 smartphone is the eye-based biometric solution from EyeVerify. The company writes that the solution utilises "vein patterns in the human eye" to unlock the handset.

(Also see: ZTE Grand S II vs. ZTE Grand S3)

"EyeVerify is excited to launch Eyeprint ID for users of ZTE devices - enabling highly accurate biometric authentication that eliminates password pain," said Chris Barnett, EVP Global Sales and Marketing at EyeVerify.

ZTE alongside also revealed that Eyeprint ID will be featured in upcoming Grand series smartphones. The company also tipped that the eye-based biometric solution will be soon integrated with mobile payment system. Chinese handset brand also announced that it sold more than 5 million units globally to date which includes handsets such as ZTE Grand S, Grand Memo, Grand Memo 5S, Grand S II, and Grand X Max.

For specifications, the ZTE Grand S3 features a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display and runs Android 4.4 KitKat. Other innards include a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) processor clocked at 2.5GHz coupled with 3GB of RAM. It includes 16GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable via microSD card (up to 64GB). There is 16-megapixel rear camera with dual-LED flash and an 8-megapixel front camera. It supports dual-SIM cards (Nano-SIM) and comes with LTE connectivity. The handset is backed by a 3100mAh battery.

Commenting on the launch, Adam Zeng Xuezhong, Executive Vice President of ZTE Corporation and CEO of ZTE Mobile Devices said, "We are delighted to announce our partnership with EyeVerify that brings their leading Eyeprint ID solution to the ZTE Grand S3. Our ZTE Grand series of smartphones is focused on offering the most secure devices in the market for business users worldwide. Coupled with EyeVerify's leading solution, the ZTE Grand S3 represents an unbeatable option for smartphone privacy."