Introduction to the Nubia Z60 Ultra
Starting at $600, the Nubia Z60 Ultra competes with top phones from Google, Samsung, and Motorola, making for a difficult launch. Despite a few faults, it’s an excellent pick for people seeking a phone with configurable features and strong performance.
Display
The Nubia Z60 Ultra is a powerful smartphone with an AMOLED 6.8-inch display that can reach 1500 nits of peak brightness. It supports 60Hz or 120Hz refresh rates and has a long battery life. The screen is great for mobile gaming and watching videos, however the under-camera display may cause selfie troubles.
The Nubia Z60 Ultra has three software color modes: Colorful, Standard, and Soft, with Soft mode making it easier to see in low-light conditions while remaining bright in sunshine. With a peak sampling rate of 1200Hz, it is one of the best-performing devices available.
Design and Build
The Nubia Z60 Ultra is a blocky, brutalist device by Nubia, featuring a slightly uncomfortable but uncontroversial design. The camera bar takes up a third of the phone’s back, separated into distinct areas on the raised bar. The crevices created by the raised camera bar and lenses are lint magnets, making it uncomfortable to hold without a case.
The Z60 offers a matte surface that is stylish but slippery, making it difficult for people with small hands to keep a firm grip even with a case. The bezels are minuscule, allowing the flat screen to take up nearly the whole front. The front camera hides under the screen, and Nubia has pre-applied a screen protector, which is great for protection but frustrating when fingers catch on the side.
The power button and volume rocker rest on the side of the Nubia Z60 Ultra in portrait, alongside a switch that can be programmed to perform various actions. It’s set to open the camera by default, but it would have been faster to double-tap the power button instead.
Despite Nubia’s minimalistic design, the Nubia Z60 Ultra is uncomfortable to hold for long stretches, and it’s recommended to buy a case to protect the camera lenses and prevent the square phone from digging into your hand.
Camera
The Nubia Z60 Ultra camera boasts a 50 MP, f/1.7 main lens, a 64 MP, f/3.3, 85mm telephoto camera, and a 50MP, f/1.8, 18mm ultrawide camera. Despite its fancy design, the camera’s variable performance is unimpressive. The main lens is oversharp and requires improved color correction, while the ultra-wide lens has post-processing issues.
The telephoto lens, which can zoom up to 30 times, generates hazy and useless images. The selfie camera also creates overly sharpened images that require extensive retouching. Despite these drawbacks, the Nubia Z60 Ultra’s cameras may take excellent photographs under the correct conditions.
Battery and Charging
Despite having a refresh rate of 120Hz, the Nubia Z60 Ultra promises great performance and a 6,000mAh battery life of up to three days. With the phone’s Turbocharge technology, it can charge from 0% to 100% in just 43 minutes without overheating.
Additionally, the Nubia Z60 Ultra’s battery has split charging, which allows it to run on electricity without having to be fully charged. This makes it perfect for media or gaming without overheating.
4K recording is the highest drain because it uses up battery life quickly. While the gadget maintains powered without overheating, the Turbocharge technology makes sure the phone stays warm while it charges.
Software and User Interface
The Nubia Z60 Ultra is a smartphone running Nubia’s MyOS14, which provides a variety of customisation options not available on Google or Samsung phones. These include the fingerprint unlock animation, app icon form, and always-on display.
However, there are certain drawbacks, such as the absence of a full-screen app opening functionality. Despite this, Google Pay works right out of the box and Google Assistant is simple to set up.
The Nubia Z60 Ultra can be configured to resemble a stock Android experience, making it ideal for individuals who want a simple interface. These unique customization choices are concealed in menus, allowing users to avoid interacting with them.
Performance
The Nubia Z60 Ultra, despite its flashy camera, is a gaming powerhouse with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset capable of handling demanding games like Minecraft, Genshin Impact, and Dead Cells at 60fps. The phone maintains a cool temperature, allowing it to handle all the most demanding Android games.
The UI performs beautifully outside of gaming, even when watching videos, downloading music, and scrolling Instagram simultaneously. However, the top-of-the-line hardware may feel redundant with only three years of software support.
The phone could last for over twice that long, but users may not want to risk using a phone with out-of-date security patches. Additionally, Nubia’s update cadence is spotty at best. Overall, the Nubia Z60 Ultra offers a great gaming experience but may face bugs and outdated security patches.
Comparison with Other Phones
The Nubia Z60 Ultra, priced at $600, is a popular pick among gamers and media fans. Its base model provides substantial enhancements, whilst the Samsung Galaxy S23 improves in all areas, including charging.
For $500, the Pixel 7a provides the best Android software experience and excellent cameras. While the Tensor G2’s performance isn’t as stunning as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it’s still a dependable processor for gaming and media. The Pixel experience implies good cameras, but it has a short battery life and lengthy charging times.
The Galaxy S23, on the other hand, has a stunning screen, a long battery life, and One UI, which outperforms MyOS in terms of dependability and design. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip is efficient and capable of running all games without overheating.
Pricing and Availability:
Nubia’s Z60 Ultra is a budget Android phone with a base 8+256GB configuration priced at $599, followed by 12+256GB at $649 and 16+512GB at $779.
It is available in various countries, including the United States, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Singapore, Pakistan, Chile, Egypt, Kuwait, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
The Nubia Z60 Ultra is also available in the UK and European Union countries. However, it does not support some bands required by major carriers, such as Band 71 for T-Mobile, which can result in spotty connections. The device is not available in India or Canada.
Conclusion:
Nubia Z60 Ultra: A Budget Android Phone with High Performance and Customizable Features
- The Nubia Z60 Ultra is a powerful smartphone with an AMOLED 6.8 inch display with a 20:9 aspect ratio, capable of reaching 1500 nits in peak brightness.
- It supports 60Hz or 120Hz refresh rates and has an impressive battery life.
- The phone offers three software color modes: Colorful, Standard, and Soft.
- It is one of the most responsive phones on the market, boasting a 1200Hz peak sampling rate.
- The phone features a blocky, brutalist design with a camera bar that takes up a third of the phone’s back, separated into distinct areas on the raised bar.
- The matte surface is stylish but slippery, making it difficult for people with small hands to keep a firm grip even with a case.
- The power button and volume rocker rest on the side of the phone in portrait, alongside a switch that can be programmed to perform various actions.
- The cameraphone features a 50 MP, f/1.7 main lens, a 64 MP, f/3.3, 85mm telephoto camera, and a 50MP, f/1.8, 18mm ultrawide camera.
- The phone has excellent performance and a 6,000mAh battery that can last up to three days, despite a 120Hz refresh rate.
- The phone’s Turbocharge feature allows it to charge from 0% to 100% in just 43 minutes, ensuring it doesn’t overheat.
- The phone is a smartphone with Nubia’s MyOS14, offering a range of customization options not found on Google or Samsung’s phones.
- The Nubia Z60 Ultra is a gaming powerhouse with a Snapdragon Gen 3 chipset capable of handling demanding games like Minecraft, Genshin Impact, and Dead Cells at 60fps.
- The phone is available in various countries, including the United States, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Singapore, Pakistan, Chile, Egypt, Kuwait, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
- The Nubia Z60 Ultra is a budget Android phone with a base 8+256GB configuration priced at $599, followed by 12+256GB at $649 and 16+512GB at $779.
