LIVE FROM CES 2015: Chinese device vendor ZTE talked up its success in the US market over the past year and unveiled two new products for a region it sees as key to future revenue growth.

ZTE’s US CEO Lixin Cheng claimed shipments in the US last year grew by more than 40 per cent, and said ZTE is now the country’s 4th largest smartphone brand (with 7.8 per cent market share).

“We have 20 million active users in the US,” he told a media audience this afternoon. And Cheng said the firm has more than 30 LTE devices available in the US.

ZTE’s latest offering is the Grand X Max+ smartphone, targeted at the prepaid market.

“Prepaid products typically lag postpaid products,” commented Jeff Yee, VP, Technology planning and partnerships, ZTE USA. “We believe in equality. We believe in a standard level of communication regardless of how users pay the bill.”

Sporting a 6-inch display and LTE connectivity, the device is ZTE’s latest attempt to appeal to the masses. Available from January 9 via prepaid carrier Cricket, it is priced at a mid-range $199.

ZTE has also updated its SPro smart projector, which debuted at CES last year. The SPro2 HD projector again supports Android and claims to offer improved brightness and battery life.