The ZTE Blade A1 is a new budget-friendly smartphone with a rare functionality that sets it apart from its class. The device is fitted with a fingerprint sensor on the back and retails in China for the equivalent of $94 in the U.S. This makes it the cheapest smartphone with fingerprint scanning technology out in the wild today.

According to the Chinese OEM via PhonesReview, the fingerprint sensor of the Blade A1 can unlock the handset in three-tenths of a second. This hasn't been verified by reviewers yet since the device is a couple of days away from being released. It will be made available later this month through JD.com. Folks in China can already start making reservations for the Blade A1 through the said e-commerce site.

Outside of its fingerprint scanning technology, the Blade A1 has all the prerequisites of an entry-level smartphone. It sports a plastic frame with a five-inch screen capable of displaying images in 720 x 1280 resolution. There's 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable native storage and a 2,800 mAh battery.

The handset is powered by MediaTek's four-core MT6735 SoC clocked at 1.3GHz while Android Lollipop is pre-installed. Camera combo is pegged at 13 and five megapixels.

GSMArena pointed out that the Blade A1 measures 142 millimeters long, 70.2 millimeters wide and nine illimeters thick. It comes in five color options namely Smart White, Space Grey, Cool Blue, Vibrant Yellow and Dream Green.

The Blade A1's global availability has yet to be reported, although it will likely be more expensive internationally than in China but still relatively cheap.

While waiting for further word, ZTE smartphone fans in the U.S. can check out two new Axon models.

BussinessWire reported that the recently released ZTE Axon and the 64GB Axon Pro maintained the screen size and dimensions of the 32GB Axon Pro, which was launched earlier this year. However, both devices featured upgraded specs which were based from consumer feedback.

The Axon's design is a cross between the HTC One M8 and OnePlus One. It comes with a metal build, two rear-facing cameras and stereo speakers. It has a 5.5-inch screen with 1080 x 1920 resolution display

The Axon Pro is a twin of ZTE's flagship offering from August. It sports an aluminum unibody edged with plastic. There's a 5.5-inch 1440 x 2560 QHD display and a dual camera setup on the back.

The two new Axons are fortified by Corning's antimicrobial glass technology and run Android 5.1.1 right off the get go. Color options for the duo are Phthalo Blue, Chromium Silver and Ion Gold.