nubia Z60 Ultra review

Introduction

An Ultra like no other, this one aims to offer an alternative to the mainstream cameraphone with a setup that defies the norm. It's unusual in a few other ways, too, plus it comes in at a more than reasonable base price. Let's see if the nubia Z60 Ultra was worth the wait.

ZTE, the parent company behind the phone, is no stranger to odd camera choices and we've seen a handful of models with 35mm-equivalent main units under both the Axon and the nubia brands. This, however, is probably the most advanced configuration of the lot, with large sensors all around and sensibly chosen focal lengths that will make the 35mm module stand out without leaving you feeling like something is missing.

Another way in which it stands out, the Z60 Ultra is also among the largest smartphones that don't bend in half. The 246g weight may sound like a lot, but at least it has a 6,000mAh battery to show for it - the largest capacity on a phone that's not a powerbank first and a phone second. It should also charge fast enough with its 80W adapter, though we'll admit that the lack of wireless charging did leave us a little disappointed.

Also somewhat unusual is the Z60 Ultra's front-facing camera. Being the under-display type, it's mostly for people who don't use front-facing cameras - it won't get you great images, but at least it will stay out of the way.

Returning to mainstream components, this Ultra has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 inside - so, plenty powerful, but also as powerful as the next high-end phone in 2024. Stereo speakers are also included, as is an under-display fingerprint reader - OLED displays are accommodating that way. Speaking of, the 6.8-inch panel might be a little bit behind the curve in a few metrics, but we've learned we can't have it all.

nubia Z60 Ultra specs at a glance:

• Body: 164.0x76.4x8.8mm, 246g; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min).
• Display: 6.80" AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak), 1116x2480px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 400ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8650-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 & 3x3.2 GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x3.0 GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x2.3 GHz Cortex-A520); Adreno 750.
• Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM, 1TB 24GB RAM; UFS 4.0.
• OS/Software: Android 14, MyOS 14.
• Rear camera: Standard (main): 50 MP, f/1.6, 35mm, 1/1.49", 1.0µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; Ultrawide: 50 MP, f/1.8, 18mm, 100˚, 1/1.55", PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 64 MP, f/3.3, 85mm, 1/2.0", PDAF, OIS, 3.3x optical zoom (vs. 26mm cam).
• Front camera: Wide (main): 12 MP, under display.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, HDR10, 10‑bit video; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 6000mAh; 80W wired, PD3.0, QC4.
• Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive; NFC; Infrared port.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.

nubia Z60 Ultra unboxing

The nubia Z60 Ultra ships in a regular-sized dark cardboard box with some red accents for a splash of color. The theme continues on the inside with a red USB-C cable with black connectors and a black charger with, you guessed it, a red USB-C connector.

Also included is a clear plastic snap-on back cover that also offers limited coverage for the extreme corners. It won't save the Ultra in most falls, but it does add a little protection without compromising the looks too much.