At CES 2017, ZTE finally unveiled Hawkeye, the winner of its crowdsourcing initiative named Project CSX. Hawkeye is a self-adhesive smartphone with eye-tracking technology, which will allow users to stick the device on a flat surface and then issue commands and perform tasks through eye movements.
Continuing with the crowdsourcing theme for Project CSX, ZTE then launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the development of the smartphone. However, with so little information then available regarding Hawkeye, it was a difficult sell for customers to send in their preorders for the device.
ZTE has finally revealed the specifications of Hawkeye, and it is now up to customers if they would be willing to pay the special price of $199 for the smartphone.
ZTE Hawkeye Specifications
It has been previously stated that the Hawkeye will be powered by Android 7.0 Nougat and will feature a 5.5-inch full HD display, dual rear cameras, a pair of unlocked SIM slots, Hi-Fi audio, expandable memory, and a large battery with quick charge capabilities.
In the updated Kickstarter page for Hawkeye, ZTE listed the other specifications that customers can expect for the self-adhesive, eye-tracking smartphone.
It was revealed that the Hawkeye will pack an octa-core 2.0 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage that can be expanded by up to an additional 256 GB. The front camera will be an 8 MP one, while the rear camera will feature a dual lens setup of 13 MP and 12 MP, with optical zoom capabilities.
The Hawkeye was also revealed to be coming with a 3,000 mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0 technology, a fingerprint sensor, NFC support, and a USB-C port.
The self-adhesive property of the Hawkeye will be through a self-adhesive case, allowing users to remove it when needed such as when placing the smartphone inside a bag or pocket. The case can then be attached to stick the Hawkeye to a flat surface once the eye-tracking system will be used.
The specifications are nowhere near flagship-level, as the major selling point of the Hawkeye is still its self-adhesive case and eye-tracking capabilities.
Remaining Questions For ZTE Hawkeye
While ZTE has released the hardware specifications for the Hawkeye, the company said back at the CES 2017 that they have not yet totally figured out how the device's software will function, including how its interface will incorporate eye-tracking technology and the eye movements that will be required to issue commands.
There have also been no further information regarding the self-adhesive case of the Hawkeye, such as how it will stick to different surfaces and how long the adhesive will remain effective.
ZTE also said that the Hawkeye will ship in September, subject to change. There are several final details that are yet to be determined, as voting continues over the official Project CSX forum.
The Kickstarter campaign, however, has only raised just over $30,000 of its goal of $500,000 as of the time of writing, and it remains to be seen whether the revelation of the smartphone's specifications will start drawing in backers for the Hawkeye.
