ZTE’s original concept with Project CSX attracted a flurry of attention when it was announced last year. The company asked customers to help it build its next phone, allowing users to suggest and vote on key hardware components and major features. The supporters would then pledge money on Kickstarter to make the handset a reality.
The winning idea turned out to be a flagship device that would feature unique eye-tracking technology for hands-free mobile experiences. The design published to ZTE’s forums included Qualcomm’s most powerful processor and 4GB or 6GB of RAM, alongside its eye-tracking features.
ZTE duly went to work to create prototypes of the phone. When it launched its Kickstarter campaign this month, it unveiled a very different device to the crowd-sourced idea though. The Snapdragon 625 processor, 3GB of RAM and 1080p display make it decidedly mid-range. Needless to say, CSX’s supporters quickly disappeared.
As of writing, 193 backers have contributed around $36,000 of ZTE’s $500,000 goal. ZTE Vice President Jeff Yee admitted the company’s mistake much earlier in the campaign as the flood of funding anticipated failed to materialise.
The spec sheet discrepancies appear to derive from ZTE’s $199 target price tag for the finished product. Apparently, this detail wasn’t clearly communicated during the voting stages, leading to unrealistic expectations from the fan community. Rather than clear up the confusion, ZTE went to build the winning idea as best it could anyway, leading to mass disappointment from all sides.
“After posting the project on Kickstarter and then releasing the detailed specifications of Hawkeye, we realize that our decision to introduce the CSX hands-free features on a mid-range device may not have met the expectations of those that backed this project and those that are early adopters and discovering Project CSX through Kickstarter,” said ZTE. “It was our mistake.”
In a final bid to get its funding, ZTE has announced it will change one of CSX’s features for a more high-end alternative. It’s still limited by the $199 price though, preventing it from building the flagship phone fans wanted. ZTE has launched a new community poll to allow people to vote on the feature to change. As of writing, upgrading the Snapdragon 625 processor to the flagship 835 is the clear favourite.
Mired in controversy and now abandoned by its followers, Project CSX hasn’t been much of a success for ZTE. To many, it now appears to be nothing more than an elaborate marketing ploy. Some fans suggested ZTE had already decided on the spec sheet before approaching the community. Having designed its mid-range phone, it then created a crowd-funding campaign to attract attention to the device.
ZTE’s Kickstarter is still live but the company doesn’t look set to receive any money from it. With less than 10% of its funding achieved, ZTE is a long way from its $500,000 goal. Unless it can raise the money by February 18 it’ll receive nothing at all, making CSX an even worse experiment.
