Nubia Z70 Ultra evaluate: Uniquely totally different

Nubia clearly is aware of easy methods to make telephones that stand out; its Redmagic collection of gaming telephones have flamboyant designs, and the Z collection has distinctive cameras. I loved utilizing the Z60 Ultra final yr, and whereas the software program was buggy at instances and the digital camera high quality wasn’t the very best, the {hardware} was among the many better of any telephone I examined.

Not a lot has modified with the Z70 Ultra, and that is factor. The telephone shares the identical design language, and it is simply as large as final yr. Another plus level is the AMOLED panel; Nubia continues to ship a display that does not have any noticeable digital camera cutout, and that is an enormous deal.

The inner {hardware} has been refreshed to incorporate Qualcomm’s newest silicon, and also you get an excellent larger 6150mAh battery this time round. The 50MP digital camera on the again has a 35mm lens, and also you get extras that are not accessible on another machine. Nubia did not mess with the software program both, and also you get a clear interface that does not have a lot bloatware.

Like earlier years, Nubia managed to undercut its quick rivals, and the result’s a tool that offers you the most recent {hardware} with out the inflated price ticket.

Nubia Z70 Ultra: Pricing and availability

Nubia unveiled the Z70 Ultra on November 21, 2024, and the telephone is now accessible globally. The base 12GB/256GB mannequin is on the market for $729 at Nubia’s web site, and when you want Amazon, you will have to pay an extra $20 to get the identical variant. The 16GB/512GB version prices $829, and there is additionally a 24GB/1TB mannequin that can set you again by $949.

If you have an interest within the telephone, I’d suggest getting the Starry Night coloration choice. It appears notably hanging, and makes the machine that rather more distinctive. It is proscribed to the 16GB/512GB variant, however the distinctive styling alone makes it a fantastic alternative.

Nubia Z70 Ultra: Design

Nubia did not change the design to any noticeable diploma, and apart from a cleaner digital camera island on the again, the Z70 Ultra is nearly indistinguishable to its predecessor. It’s nonetheless an enormous slab of a telephone, and whereas it’s 18g thinner than the Z60 Ultra, it nonetheless weighs 228g, and it is the heaviest telephone I utilized by some margin in current months.

If something, the Z70 Ultra is heavier than foldables just like the Magic V3, and that is with out including a case into the combination. While the Starry Night mannequin is clearly probably the most fascinating of the lot, I acquired the common black mannequin, and it would not have wherever near the identical design aptitude. The again has a satin end that feels good to carry, and it would not appeal to smudges, in order that’s a win.

You nonetheless get a sizeable digital camera island that covers all the high third on the again, however Nubia did job tidying up the association of the modules. The fundamental digital camera is the one one which will get a red-accented ring this time, with the opposite modules and LED flash sitting beneath. While it appears cleaner, the principle lens protrudes fairly a bit from the chassis, and it makes the telephone wobble when utilizing it on a desk.

Like each different telephone lately, the Z70 Ultra has flat sides, however there are ever-so-slight bevels that make holding it comfy. What I like is that the edges have the identical texture because the again, and that additionally makes a distinction in usability. Weight distribution is balanced as properly, and the telephone would not really feel unwieldy despite its dimension and heft.

The energy button will get the same old pink accent, and it sits beneath the quantity rocker. Interestingly, Nubia added a shutter button on the fitting facet that permits you to launch the digital camera and take pictures. Unlike the Find X8 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, it’s a bodily button, nevertheless it would not fairly have the identical tactility as the facility and quantity buttons.

That is not all both; Nubia additionally added a slider button that sits to the left, and you should use this to launch the digital camera as properly. The slider is customizable, so you should use it to toggle the flashlight, launch the gaming utility, change to silent mode, or begin dictating notes. I might have preferred granular management, however the means to toggle silent mode with a bodily button is an honest sufficient begin.

There are not any points with the optical fingerprint module; it is situated excessive up that accessing it is not an issue, and it’s quick to authenticate. The telephone additionally will get IP68 and IP69 ingress safety, so you possibly can submerge it in 1.5 meters of contemporary water and clear it with a strain washer if that’s the case inclined.

I get the sensation that Nubia went overboard with bodily buttons this time, however outdoors of that, the Z70 Ultra would not have any shortcomings as such.

Nubia Z70 Ultra: Display

Obviously, the defining attribute of the Z70 Ultra is that you just get an enormous 6.85-inch AMOLED panel with none seen cutouts. The telephone makes use of an under-display digital camera module, and it is not noticeable except you launch the selfie digital camera to take pictures or make video calls. Not having a cutout mar the display is wonderful, and it positively makes utilizing the Z70 Ultra that rather more immersive when streaming movies and gaming.

The panel itself has vibrant colours and an honest quantity of customizability, and whereas it would not get as brilliant because the Magic 7 Pro or Find X8 Pro, I did not have any points underneath harsh daylight. It goes as much as 144Hz refresh, however that is unique to gaming, and it defaults to 120Hz in every day use — like all different telephones on this class.

You get a devoted studying mode that switches the panel to monochrome, and I used this characteristic extensively. At the opposite finish of the size, there’s HDR10 accessible, and I did not have any issues streaming HDR content material in YouTube. Stereo sound is detailed, and it will get loud sufficient that you just needn’t use earbuds for informal gaming.

Nubia Z70 Ultra: Hardware and battery life

Nubia is aware of easy methods to ship a robust {hardware} package deal, and whereas it is not billed as a gaming telephone, it holds up extremely properly on this regard. Of course, the Snapdragon 8 Elite contributes to this in an enormous approach, however Nubia did job tuning the machine to take full benefit of the platform. The base mannequin has 12GB/256GB, however I’m utilizing the 16GB/512GB version, and I believe that is the variant to get.

There’s no lag wherever, and the interface is fluid — much more so than the OnePlus 13. It is much like what ASUS does on its telephones, and it is a delight to make use of. It does a a lot better job whereas gaming as properly, simply capable of cross 60fps in visually-intensive video games. This continues to be some extent of competition on most telephones as producers are typically on the conservative facet on this regard, so it is good to see Nubia not restrict gaming in any approach.

It tends to run heat as properly, however the upside is that it is not throttled wherever as aggressively as different telephones I used this yr. In 3DMark’s Steel Nomad stress check, the machine went as much as a ridiculously-high 59 levels Celsius — the most popular any machine has gotten in my testing. Thankfully, this is not an issue in every day use, and it would not get so scorching as to be uncomfortable to make use of.

The vibration motor is not fairly on the identical stage as what you get on different high-end telephones, however outdoors of that quibble, I haven’t got something to level out on the {hardware} facet of issues. The Z70 Ultra makes use of all the suite of Qualcomm codecs — identical to ASUS — so that you get all of the high-res AptX codecs you want.

Switching over to battery life, the Z70 Ultra simply manages to final a day and a half between expenses, and that is right down to the large 6150mAh silicon-carbide battery. While not the very best telephone I used on this regard — Vivo’s X200 Pro nonetheless holds that title — there is not any battery nervousness in anyway, and even with heavy use, the telephone managed to final over a day with relative ease.

When you do have to cost the machine, the bundled 80W charger takes underneath 50 minutes to high up the machine, attending to the 50% mark in simply quarter-hour. Nubia consists of the charger within the field, and that is one thing I want to say lately, as a result of even Chinese manufacturers at the moment are beginning to emulate Samsung and simply have a cable bundled with the telephone.

Connectivity wasn’t a difficulty both, and I did not see any issues in common use or whereas making calls. On the entire, this is without doubt one of the finest {hardware} packages you will get at the moment, and Nubia nailed the fundamentals.

Nubia Z70 Ultra: Cameras

The Z70 Ultra comes with a 50MP Sony IMX906 fundamental lens, and it goes from f/1.6 to f/4.0, offering respectable flexibility on this regard. It’s joined by a 64MP OmniVision OV64B telephoto with 2.7x optical zoom and OIS, and a 50MP wide-angle lens. There’s a 16MP digital camera on the entrance, and whereas it would not have autofocus, it’s invisible in every day use, and that is simply plain cool.

The interface itself hasn’t modified a lot, and also you get the power to simply change between the lenses and capturing modes. There’s 4K60 video with all of the cameras on the again, however video high quality simply would not maintain as much as what Vivo and different Chinese manufacturers are doing.

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Shots taken in daylight have good colours and dynamic vary, however there are occasions when the resultant pictures had cooler colours than common. The wide-angle lens additionally has these points, and it tends to clean out colours at instances — you do not get the identical tonal stability as the principle lens. The telephone takes a smidgen longer to concentrate on a topic, however fortunately there is not any shutter delay whenever you take a picture.

Both cameras are respectable at night time, however once more, they’re nowhere on the identical stage because the Vivo X200 or Find X8. You get usable pictures with good particulars, however they don’t seem to be the very best cameras — not by a protracted shot. The 64MP telephoto holds its personal, fortunately, delivering detailed pictures at 2.7x. What I like concerning the lens is that it doubles as a portrait shooter, and it does job on this space.

While it would not go toe-to-toe with the very best Vivo and OPPO telephones, the Z70 Ultra produces respectable pictures in any scenario.

Nubia Z70 Ultra: Software

Like each different producer lately, Nubia is leaning closely into AI with its software program, and the result’s a rebadged identify: Nebula AIOS. That mentioned, the interface is an identical to final yr’s MyOS, and I do not actually see any distinction within the visible design or feature-set.

Dubiously, you do not get a lot in the way in which of AI-assisted options on the Z 70 Ultra; apart from a real-time name translation service and good sign boosting, there is not something that stands out. I do not thoughts this as most AI options are of questionable worth anyway, however Nubia went to the trouble of rebranding its software program, so the least it ought to have achieved is add some options that leverage on-device machine studying.

Outside of that although, I’ve no points with the interface. The Android 15-based UI is clear and would not have any overt styling, and Nubia deserves credit score for not going overboard on this space (taking a look at you, Xiaomi). The fluidity is without doubt one of the finest round, and it comes near what ASUS manages by itself gadgets. While there is not any such factor as a vanilla Android interface any longer — even Pixels have distinct styling — the Z70 Ultra manages to face out for its clear UI.

However, Nubia continues to be aggressive with reminiscence administration, so background providers routinely shut, and I had points with push notifications as soon as once more — they simply would not present up reliably. Overall although, it feels a lot better optimized than final yr, and apart from the difficulty with reminiscence administration, Nebula AIOS is nice to make use of.

Nubia often lags behind its Chinese rivals relating to updates, and that is no totally different this time. The Z70 Ultra is assured to obtain three Android OS updates alongside three years of safety updates, and that is not on par with what you get with different manufacturers. Considering that the Z60 Ultra continues to be on Android 14 with no point out of when the steady Android 15 construct will roll out to the machine, the Z70 Ultra is not more likely to change to Android 16 in a well timed method as soon as the software program model turns into accessible later this yr.

Nubia Z70 Ultra: The alternate options

If you want a high-end telephone that nails the fundamentals, the OnePlus 13 is the best start line. The machine additionally has the identical Qualcomm silicon, and it holds up properly whereas gaming. You get a lot better cameras, and the design is not wherever as unwieldy — notably with the distinctive leather-backed mannequin.

Vivo’s common X200 can also be a robust various. While it would not fairly have the very best total cameras, it is a particular step up over what you get on the Z70 Ultra, and you are not restricted by the {hardware} — it has the identical internals because the X200 Pro. Availability is a matter as Vivo would not promote the machine within the west, and Funtouch OS is not fairly pretty much as good at prolonged gaming.

Nubia Z70 Ultra: Should you purchase it?

You should purchase this if:

• You want a gaming telephone that undercuts its rivals
• You need an AMOLED panel that does not have any cutout
• You want a clear UI with out a lot bloatware
• You need all of the extras: IP68/IP69, AptX suite, and USB-C 3.2

You should not purchase this if:

• You want feature-rich software program and well timed updates
• You need the very best cameras

Ultimately, Nubia did not change the narrative an excessive amount of with the Z70 Ultra; the telephone retains a well-known design and has a transparent concentrate on delivering among the best {hardware} packages. The all-screen panel is a big benefit, and it makes utilizing the telephone that rather more immersive and satisfying.

Other than the truth that it would not final so long as the X200 Pro, I am unable to discover something to fault with the {hardware}; the Z70 Ultra is unbelievable at gaming and on a regular basis duties, and also you get the most recent Qualcomm silicon and significant gaming-focused options. While the software program is not fairly as polished, I like that it has higher optimization this time round, and the minimal styling makes it an honest various to bloated skins which might be a mainstay with different Chinese manufacturers.

The cameras are a sticking level; though the Z70 Ultra does an honest sufficient job on this space, the digital camera high quality simply would not measure as much as the likes of the OnePlus 13, Vivo X200, and the Find X8, and the inconsistent nature of the photographs suggests Nubia nonetheless has a protracted approach to go on this space.

If you want the very best {hardware} and do not thoughts common cameras, the Z70 Ultra is a superb alternative — Nubia did not go away something out, and it is without doubt one of the quickest telephones I used. But when you want a fantastic total package deal, you will want to contemplate one of many Chinese alternate options.