The new ZTE flagship smartphone Axon M is released in New York on Oct 18, 2017. Customers, business insiders and media attend the presentation. [Photo: China Plus]

Leading Chinese mobile devices provider ZTE launched a dual-screen foldable smartphone in the United States on Tuesday, marking another milestone for the company as it seeks market expansion overseas.

"The Axon M creates an entirely new foldable smartphone category, one that ZTE is committed to invest and lead the way in," said Lixin Cheng, CEO of ZTE Mobile Devices.

He said revolutionary model will also be available in China, Europe and Japan, and ZTE has partnered with major carriers and e-commerce platforms including AT&T, China telecom, jd.com, and NTT Docomo to market the model around the world.

Starting from November, AT&T customers will be able to purchase the Axon M for 24.17 U.S. dollars for 30 months on AT&T Next.

"Our customers continue to demand more from their mobile entertainment experience. Pairing DIRECTV with the dual screen capabilities of the ZTE Axon M will deliver a new and transformative way to enjoy the entertainment they want on the network they need," said Kevin Petersen, SVP of Device and Network Services Marketing, AT&T Entertainment Group.

Under the A/A mode, the display can be folded to two separate screens with an angle of 60 degrees. Two users can share one smartphone to interact, like playing chess. [Photo: China Plus]

Many of the ZTE customers have already been looking forward to buying Axon M and some say they believe in the future of foldable dual-screen devices.

"I'm very excited for Axon M because I want to be able to multitask with the device, watching video while reading emails or texting messages on the other screen," said Pete, who purchased his first ZTE smartphone, Axon 7, last year.

"While they (ZTE) are still behind Samsung and Apple, they are gaining market share with their lower-tier devices," he said, adding that he believes the brand is also gaining more presence with its higher-tier devices.