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ameras in cell phones have developed from being little more than novelties to one of the most important elements of a phone for today's consumers.

Front-facing cameras have become an essential feature for those who frequently use their smartphones to take a self-portrait, commonly known as a 'selfie'.

The word 'selfie' was declared the word of the year in 2013 by Britain's Oxford University Press, the publisher of Oxford dictionaries, thanks to its widespread usage around the world.

In an attempt to keep up with this latest trend, China's leading global provider of telecommunication equipment and network solutions, the ZTE Corporation, introduced in November last year its latest smartphone, the Nubia Z5S, which has a high-resolution front-facing camera.

The device comes with a 5 megapixel front shooter, which offers several features including smile recognition, skin rendering and scale adjustment.

The Nubia is an independent sub-brand of ZTE, designed to be a high-end smartphone. The first generation of Nubia phones was launched in October 2012.

Nubia CEO Ni Fei said that according to a survey the company conducted, the number-one function that users wanted, besides communication, was a camera, followed by music and video.

'Based on the survey, we designed this product for creative young people who will use the device as a tool to express their personality,' he said recently during ZTE's Spring Media Luncheon.

Besides the high-resolution camera, the Z5S also comes equipped with a 13-megapixel main camera, which has the ability to shoot 4K resolution video and slow-motion videos at 120 frames per second.

For photography enthusiasts, the Z5S camera has an F2.2 aperture that allows users to boost the shutter speed and capture images in poor light. The large aperture makes it easier to blur the background and highlight the individual being photographed.

The smartphone uses the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system, which is matched by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset. The 5-inch high-definition screen is protected by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which can resist deep scratches from sharp objects.

Unlike most ZTE products, which are sold in bundling packages with operators, the Nubia Z5S can support all 3G networks and LTE connectivity for users who crave high-speed connections.

Ni Fei said the bundling strategy had been very successful in the past, but the method meant that the company only made products according to the operators' requirements.

'The future for us is an open market, where end users can choose their favorite designs. That is the reason why we created the Nubia,' he said, adding that in this modern age, handsets had become the symbol of a modern lifestyle.

The strategy to promote the product freely in the market has proven effective as the phones attracted 2.5 million pre-orders online for the Z5S and Z5S mini when they were launched last year, breaking online records for handset sales in China.

Besides China, the Nubia is available in the United States and Russia. Unfortunately, it remains unknown when it will be made available in Indonesia.

'We are keeping an eye on Indonesia because it is a very big market; but that means the competition is also very tough. And given that the Nubia is for high-end users, the price is high, so initially it may not be easy to get there,' Ni Fei said, adding that each phone sold for around US$500.

Based in Shenzen, China, ZTE is listed on the Hong Kong and Shenzen stock exchanges. According to technology research firm Gartner, ZTE was the fifth-largest cell-phone maker between July and September 2013.

This year, the company aimed to sell 60 million smartphones, higher than last year's total of 40 million, with China and the US its biggest markets, according to ZTE's senior vice president, Zhang Renjun.

Besides cell phones, the company's core products also include wireless, optical transmission and fixed access systems.