ZTE Senior Director of Mobile Devices Waiman Lam told Reuters at the Mobile World Congress that the company is cautiously targeting growth of around 60 million units, which would mark a 7 percent rise in unit sales from 2015. If it gets 70 million units, would represent around 20 percent growth over 2015. Meanwhile the outfit unveiled two new models in its high-volume, value-priced range. The Blade V7 Lite offers a 5-inch screen that can be operated with one hand and a fingerprint scanner for users to sign on to the phone. It will sold in Russia and markets including Mexico, Spain, Germany and Thailand.

A slightly larger Blade V7 sports a 5.2-inch screen in a metallic case for single-hand use and both front and rear 13-megapixel cameras. Instead of fingerprint security, it offers ZTE's retinal eye-scan feature and goes on sale in summer. The company has not yet disclosed pricing for the new models, but Lam told Reuters that the larger of the two, the Blade V7, will sell for around $277.95 and the Lite will go for $154. Meanwhile the outfit has signed a new sports marketing partnership with Spanish football club Seville.

ZTE makes a big deal of its sponsorships. It has sponsored five professional basketball teams and pro golfer Danny Lee. While we can’t see how this translates to sales it was the key part of its brand recognition programme in the US.