ZTE has been making some fine devices lately, and one of them is the Axon 7 which just went on sale a couple of weeks ago. The problem ZTE faces with enthusiasts though is the locked bootloader on its phones. This complicates things a lot for custom ROM enthusiasts as well as developers and modders who like to tinker with their devices.

But that situation is about to be resolved now. ZTE has announced that it will unlock the bootloader of the US versions of both the ZTE Axon 7 and Axon Pro, but only if you ask nicely. The requests will be processed on the Z-Community forums, within the Developers Lounge sub-space, and ZTE says it's reserved to "those with a high level of technical expertise and have had experience flashing custom ROMs." It's not clear whether or not it plans to verify that about each person who submits a request, or how exactly that'll be done.

But what's sure is that unlocking the bootloader will void your device warranty. This is the same case with some other manufacturers that offer bootloader unlock tools (like LG), so it's not like ZTE is being unfair. You can read ZTE's blog post for more details about the process.

Source: ZTE