The closing Nubia telephone that I used with any quantity of regularity used to be the Redmagic 6 Pro, and whilst the gaming telephone had so much to supply at the {hardware} aspect of items, the tool used to be one of the crucial worst I’d used. It used to be buggy, at risk of distinction crashes, and filled with translation mistakes. Thankfully, Nubia made numerous adjustments within the closing 3 years, and the Z60 Ultra gives a blank Android interface with none overt customization or bloatware — a refreshing alternate of tempo.
That’s a excellent place to begin, and the excellent news assists in keeping on coming. The Z60 Ultra has an all-screen design with none visual cutout because of an under-display digicam, making it invisible. More than anything, this differentiates the telephone from each different software out there, and it in an instant brings again recollections of the OnePlus 7 Pro.
You additionally get the most recent Qualcomm silicon, a big 6000mAh battery, first rate cameras, and a stellar price. But must you purchase the telephone in lieu of extra established gadgets? Let’s have a look.
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Nubia Z60 Ultra: Pricing and unlock date
(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)
Nubia introduced the Z60 Ultra on the finish of December, and the telephone is now to be had globally. There are 3 variants to be had: a base style with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of garage for $599, a 12GB/256GB model that prices $649, and a 16GB/512GB style that is to be had for $779.
The Z60 Ultra is offered in silver and black variations, however the base style is not to be had within the silver variant.
Nubia Z60 Ultra: Design
The Z60 Ultra is a large slab of a telephone, and it dwarfs each different software on this house. It is taller and thicker than even the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and coming in at 246g, it’s 14g heavier than Samsung’s flagship. And whilst Samsung went with a design that makes the S24 Ultra somewhat more uncomplicated to make use of, Nubia made no such concerns — the Z60 Ultra has flat aspects that do not supply a lot in the best way of grip.
But the principle spotlight of the software is that it has an under-display digicam on the entrance, so that you shouldn’t have a cutout of any type. That method you get an all-screen design that appears implausible, and whilst you’ll be able to make out the cutout in case you are viewing the display at an off-axis attitude, it’s not noticeable in day by day use.
Another key speaking level with the design is the digicam island on the again; the Z60 Ultra has a large oblong housing that one way or the other overshadows the likes of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and Find X7 Ultra, two gadgets that experience larger digicam modules. The housing takes up a 3rd of the again, and it has a two-tone design that highlights the principle digicam somewhat higher.
Not that it wishes any further consideration; the sensor itself is encircled via a big ring with a pink accessory, and the zoom lens in a similar fashion has an oblong design protecting it. Like the most productive Samsung telephones, the Z60 Ultra will get IP68 mud and water resistance, and it does a perfect process weathering the weather.
The glass again has a silky texture that feels nice, and it does not select up any smudges. The steel aspects would have benefitted from a matte end as that might have made the use of the telephone a smidgen more uncomplicated, however that is not the case. You get the ability and quantity buttons at the proper, and there is a slider beneath the ability button — very similar to the alert slider on OnePlus gadgets — that permits you to keep watch over sound modes, release the digicam, flashlight, or gaming mode.
The slider is a nifty inclusion, however I’d have preferred the power to customise the toggle movements; presently, you simply have a suite of six movements. Regardless, this can be a nice strategy to release the digicam, and the one quibble I’ve with it’s that it’s positioned too some distance down at the aspect — hanging it at the left would were significantly better.
Although there are numerous buttons to the proper, the ability button has a textured end that makes it simple to spot, and it has a pink accessory. The general design may also be summed up as blocky, and this is not a tool constructed with usability in thoughts. In the week I used the telephone as my day by day driving force, I discovered myself getting annoyed with the flat aspects and the sheer measurement and heft of the software.
On that word, the black colour variant is beautiful boring, and if you need a tool that stands proud a bit of extra, you’ll be able to wish to get the silver style. I’m frustrated that the Starry Night version is proscribed to China; that style seems to be beautiful, and Nubia in point of fact must have introduced it globally.
Nubia Z60 Ultra: Display
The greatest speaking level at the Z60 Ultra is the 6.8-inch AMOLED panel. The display has 120Hz refresh and is going as much as a most of 1500 nits, and whilst that’s not as top because the likes of the OnePlus 12 or Honor’s Magic 6 Pro, it’s nonetheless greater than good enough in day by day use. You fail to spot probably the most extras that you just get with different gadgets, however the upside is that there’s no cutout.
Nubia makes use of an under-display digicam, and it’s invisible until you view it in shiny daylight. This ends up in an all-display design that simply seems to be cleaner, and in an instant takes me again to the OnePlus 7 Pro and Redmi K20 Pro. Yes, the cutout on most current telephones is small and no longer very noticeable, however no longer having one in any respect makes a large distinction, and it ends up in a a lot more immersive revel in in as regards to any scenario.
The show has excellent colour vibrancy and distinction, and it is only amusing to make use of. Obviously, an under-display digicam is not going to be as excellent as a normal selfie lens, however for what it is price, Nubia did a good process on this house, and the digicam holds its personal all the way through video calls and face liberate. It does not take selfies which might be any place as excellent as common telephones, so if that is a attention, it is important to believe any other software.
But when you omit the times of all-screen designs and need one thing that emulates that to a perfect extent, the Z60 Ultra is the most obvious selection in 2024.
Nubia Z60 Ultra: Hardware
Nubia hasn’t put a foot incorrect in the case of the {hardware}, and the Z60 Ultra is powered via the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 — similar to all of the telephones I reviewed lately. It comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of garage within the base model, and also you get 12GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB variants as effectively, with all fashions the use of UFS 4.0 garage.
The telephone is extremely fluid as a rule, and it once more strikes a chord in my memory of legacy variations of OxygenOS. But this is not the case all through, and there have been occasions once I encountered a definite lag, virtually like a jerky movement, when doing mundane such things as scrolling in Chrome or switching between apps. It is not any place as pronounced because the jelly scrolling impact, however it’s noticeable in daily use.
A restart types out the problem, and the UI is going again to being easy, so it will simply be a subject of optimization. It’s most effective glaring since the UI is another way fluid, and to Nubia’s credit score, the emblem rolled out a tool replace at the day of publishing this overview that addresses device balance problems, and I did not see any lag within the new construct (14.0.10MR2).
| Category | OnePlus 12 | Nubia Z60 Ultra | Honor Magic 6 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Overall) | 12542 | 20530 | 17314 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Web Browsing) | 10157 | 20402 | 15748 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Video Editing) | 6057 | 8628 | 7707 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Writing) | 16945 | 25584 | 21271 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Photo Editing) | 23586 | 49807 | 36257 |
| Geekbench 6 (single-core) | 935 | 2140 | 1908 |
| Geekbench 6 (multi-core) | 4729 | 6622 | 6816 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme (rating) | 4062 | 5050 | 5121 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme (FPS) | 24.325 | 30.24 | 30.67 |
| 3DMark Solar Bay (rating) | 7826 | 8539 | 8623 |
| 3DMark Solar Bay (FPS) | 29.76 | 32.47 | 32.79 |
Other than that, I did not see any problems in day by day use or gaming, and the Z60 Ultra delivers strong framerates in hard titles, and there is little to no throttling. If the rest, the telephone may use with a bit of extra optimization on this state of affairs, since the energy limits of the Qualcomm silicon are unrestricted right here. I do not believe I’ve used every other software rather than Qualcomm’s reference fashions that do that, and the result’s that the Z60 Ultra will get sizzling. Very sizzling. So sizzling that you’ll be able to’t use it.
In the 3DMark Solar Bay tension take a look at, the telephone hit a balance of 86% — one of the crucial best possible ratings but — but it surely additionally went to up an insane 60 levels, considerably upper than every other software I examined. To come up with some context, maximum 2024 telephones I examined did not cross previous 45 levels Celsius, and the Z60 Ultra did not simply get sizzling — it used to be on the level the place I could not even select it up. I needed to depart the telephone apart for 10 mins sooner than I may return to the use of it.
That’s one thing Nubia obviously must paintings on, and whilst the Z60 Ultra delivers blistering energy, you’ll be able to’t use it all the way through prolonged gaming periods on account of the loss of thermal control. Switching to connectivity, the telephone has all of the newest modems: you get Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, dual-band GPS, NFC, AptX Lossless audio codec, and USB-C 3.1.
Nubia Z60 Ultra: Battery existence
The Z60 Ultra has the most important battery of any telephone I examined in 2024, and it places it excellent use. The 6000mAh unit lasts two days between fees, or even with heavy use, you’ll be able to rise up to an afternoon and a part sooner than you’ll be able to wish to fee the software.
Battery nervousness simply is not a subject with this software, and when you wish to have to fee the telephone, there is 80W charging tech that makes use of the usual USB PD 3.0 protocol, so any same old GaN charger that is going as much as 100W will suffice. Nubia bundles a charger within the field, and you’ll be able to use it to fee different gadgets. The telephone misses out on wi-fi charging, however truthfully, it’s not that gigantic of an omission making an allowance for the sheer measurement of the battery and the way lengthy it lasts.
Nubia Z60 Ultra: Cameras
The Z60 Ultra has so much to supply at the imaging entrance, with the software that includes a 50MP f/1.6 major digicam with OIS, 50MP f/1.8 wide-angle lens with OIS, and a 64MP f/3.3 telephoto lens that is going as much as 3.3x — and sure, this digicam has OIS as effectively. The digicam positioned on the entrance is a 16MP lens.
Nubia’s digicam interface is wanting a bit of of polish, but it surely has maximum capturing modes and standard settings simply out there. Interestingly, the digicam interface makes use of focal lengths to toggle between the 3 sensors on the again — 35mm for the principle digicam, 18mm for the ultra-wide, and 85mm to change to the zoom module.
There is a Pro mode to be had that offers you granular keep watch over over pictures, and the Milky Way Night mode is fascinating because it means that you can take pictures of evening skies. Coming to video, the telephone means that you can shoot 4K video at 60fps from all of the lenses, and also you even get 4K at 120fps from the principle digicam — a pleasant addition.
The digicam takes nice pictures in sunlight, providing a excellent dynamic vary and excellent colour stability. Foliage is rendered accurately, you do not get overly saturated colours, and there is no visual noise. The telephone does a excellent process with autofocus as effectively, and it’s first rate at taking pictures of transferring gadgets — albeit no longer at the identical stage because the Pixel 8 collection.
The wide-angle and zoom lenses additionally hang their very own in well-lit prerequisites, and whilst the picture high quality at 3.3x is not on par with what you get at the likes of the Galaxy S24 Ultra and even the OnePlus 12, it’s serviceable. Portrait pictures pop out with a number of element and vibrancy, and that is a space the place the Z60 Ultra excels.
The telephone takes excellent pictures in low-light eventualities as effectively, but it surely takes a 2nd to avoid wasting the pictures to the gallery. Again, the consequent high quality is not on par with different flagships, however it’s not a foul digicam via any measure. That as regards to sums up the digicam of the Z60 Ultra — it’s not relatively on par with the most productive Android telephones, however you get usable pictures in any state of affairs from all of the cameras, and that’s the reason excellent sufficient.
Nubia Z60 Ultra: Software
To say that I used to be stunned via the tool at the Z60 Ultra can be an irony. The telephone runs Nubia’s MyOS 14 in response to Android 14 out of the field, and by contrast to all different Chinese producers, you get a blank tool with out overt customization and little to no bloatware.
The tool has numerous parallels to OxygenOS 9.5; it has a number of customizability must you wish to have it, however you do not wish to tinker with the settings to get the software set as much as your tastes. You can simply us it as is out of the field and nonetheless be glad with what the interface has to supply, and that simply is not conceivable with every other Chinese pores and skin nowadays.
Yes, there are problems with optimization, however the ones usually are ironed out, and there’s a lot to love with the tool as an entire. Nubia embraced the Material You aesthetic wholeheartedly, and the result’s in depth UI customizability that is above and past what maximum gadgets be offering.
The most effective factor with the tool is the competitive reminiscence control; it’s extra restrictive than different manufacturers, and I would not even get textual content messages if I did not have the SMS shopper working. I’ve had problems with getting push notifications for Gmail and Instagram, and they might most effective display up after I woke the display. While Nubia gives a surroundings to disable battery control, doing so made no tangible distinction.
This is one thing that may be addressed with a tool replace, however because it stands, the reminiscence control makes the use of the Z60 Ultra nerve-racking now and then. On that word, the telephone is not most likely to pick out up tool updates concurrently its speedy competitors.
Nubia Z60 Ultra: The possible choices
The obtrusive selection to believe on this class is the OnePlus 12R. The software additionally has an incredible price, and whilst you do not get absolutely the newest {hardware}, it holds up extremely effectively in day by day use in addition to gaming. The cameras also are nice this time round, and they are higher than what you get at the Nubia. The tool is not as blank, but it surely has numerous customizability, and it’s fluid.
The common OnePlus 12 is an excellent more sensible choice. Coming in at $799, it is among the perfect telephones you’ll be able to get in this day and age, providing cameras that may rival the may of the Pixel 8 Pro, together with an attractive design that is considerably more uncomplicated to carry and use than the Z60 Ultra, standout battery existence, and ultra-fast charging tech.
Nubia Z60 Ultra: Should you purchase it?
You must purchase this if:
- You desire a gaming telephone on the cheap
- You want the most recent {hardware} and a colourful 120Hz panel
- You need nice battery existence
- You want a blank tool with out a lot bloatware
You should not purchase this if:
- You desire a telephone that’s not heavy
- You want long-term updates
The Z60 Ultra misses out on design refinement, however the upside is that that is probably the most inexpensive strategy to get your palms on Qualcomm’s newest silicon. What the telephone lacks in polish it greater than makes up for by the use of robust {hardware} and a large battery. That stated, it’s heavy and unwieldy to make use of, to the purpose the place it makes the S24 Ultra glance small.
The {hardware} completely holds up in day by day use, and the telephone is a smart selection in case you are having a look to play video games. The cameras are nice as effectively, and the battery lasts two days between fees. I just like the tool relatively a bit of as effectively, and it is not incessantly you return throughout a blank UI on this phase.
Of path, a large differentiator is the invisible entrance digicam, and this makes the Z60 Ultra stand out significantly. There is so much to love right here, and whilst the tool is blank and devoid of bloatware, Nubia must reign within the battery control; because it stands, it is irksome to make use of the software on account of those boundaries.
Software updates also are an unknown, and the Z60 Ultra is not most likely to pick out up main updates any place as early as its competitors. If you do not in point of fact care about all of that and simply desire a software that has the most productive {hardware} on this phase, then sure, you’ll be able to love what the Z60 Ultra has to supply. It embodies the ethos — if no longer the design — of the OnePlus 7 Pro, and this can be a nice selection in case you are having a look to improve.
Source: www.androidcentral.com
