nubia Z60 Ultra review

Competition

With a starting price of $650/€750 for a 12GB/256GB version or $780/€900 for a more lavish 16GB/512GB spec, the nubia Z60 Ultra isn't low on value. It's also a fairly unusual package - mostly thanks to the camera system that offers a very specific set of capabilities that you can't find elsewhere. In that sense, it's almost rivalless, but if you're not dead-set on a 35mm camera, there are, of course, alternatives.

The first option that comes to mind is the OnePlus 12. At $800/€970 for a 12GB/256GB spec it's not as great a deal as the nubia in some places, but it's more competitively priced in India. The OnePlus' display is superior, as are its selfies, while the nubia counters with longer battery life and better performance. We'd be leaning towards the nubia as a cameraphone in this bout, with its gaming prowess also scoring it extra points.

Another gaming phone in mainstream attire, the Zenfone 11 Ultra also comes with an unusually wide set of features to cater to that demographic, though it's seemingly the nubia that brings better sustained performance and battery life in that area. The Zenfone isn't as capable a cameraphone though.

Pivoting hard towards the Xiaomi 14, which you might be able to squeeze into the budget for a 512GB nubia. The Xiaomi will appeal to those who might be intimidated by the Z60 Ultra's size, offering cameraphone excellence in a much smaller package. Naturally, the nubia's size scores it points for battery life and screen estate, and if you want 35mm, you want 35mm.

OnePlus 12 • Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra • Xiaomi 14

Of course, if ultimate cameraphone capabilities are paramount, you could entertain the thought of a Xiaomi 14 Ultra, Galaxy S24 Ultra, or possibly an Honor Magic6 Pro. While they will each make a strong case for image and video capture first and foremost, and possibly outperform the nubia in many respects, they come in at higher price points and aren't as great value as the Z60 Ultra, we reckon.

Then again, if you're eyeing the nubia from a cameraphone standpoint with little regard for value for money, we'd still think it's generally bested by these, unless you're specifically after the 35mm main camera.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra • Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra • Honor Magic6 Pro

Verdict

The nubia Z60 Ultra is another entry in a niche that ZTE has claimed for itself - its 35mm primary camera entices a particular crowd that would otherwise be left with digital zoom-only options (admittedly some better than others, but none quite as good as a dedicated camera for that focal length). In this latest iteration, the triple setup is the most well-rounded and capable to date, so you'll be sacrificing less to get that standard focal length of choice. So while we wouldn't call the nubia cameras perfect, they don't exhibit any glaring or deal-breaking flaws - if you fancy them on paper, you'll very likely enjoy them in practice too.

The camera isn't the Z60 Ultra's only selling point though. If you enjoy some mobile gaming, you'll find the phone's wide-ranging feature set in that area most welcome - minus the hardware triggers, it's more or less a Red Magic gaming phone. The excellent gaming battery life, but also in general, is also scoring big points for the Z60 Ultra.

Perhaps countering that last point to some degree, we observed very high temperatures on the nubia under max GPU load - benchmarks aren't real life though, so your mileage will likely vary depending on the titles you play.

What's possibly more than a small inconvenience when it comes to the nubia's performance is its lack of proper DRM handling for high-res content - the large 6.8-inch panel could use more than the 480p you'd be getting from Netflix. And while you could enjoy the lack of a visible punch hole in the screen, you'll certainly not be liking the selfies one bit.

With all things considered, the Z60 Ultra from nubia delivers on the promise of a unique camera system giving solid results across the board. It adds a gaming angle to the mix and offers some of the best battery life in the class, in any class. And it does it all without breaking the bank. Not bad at all.

Pros

• One-of-a-kind camera system with an uncommon (and capable) main camera and better-than-most ultrawide.
• Top-class battery life.
• Extensive gaming-related features.

Cons

• Bulky and heavy.
• Display not as bright or adaptive as the competition, no HDR10+, Dolby Vision, or Widevine L1 support.
• Heavy overheating under GPU loads.
• Mediocre selfie quality.