nubia Z70S Ultra in for review

Say hello to the nubia Z70S Ultra - an undeniably outrageous smartphone in almost every way. It's eye-catching for a few reasons - it has a huge 6.85-inch 144Hz display with razor-thin bezels all around - notice the lack of a selfie camera cutout - that's because the camera sits under the display (you can see it a bit further down).

Around the back, the nubia Z70S Ultra sports a unique camera-centric look with a fake leatherette finish and an enormous main camera lens.

Here's a macro peek at the 16MP f/2.0 front facing camera. Don't expect stellar photographic quality (that's what the rear camera system is for) but you get an uninterrupted screen.

The leatherette on the back feels very synthetic and easily shows scratch marks (from your fingernails, for one), but they clean up easily. On the upside, the finish is very grippy, and the texture is interesting to the touch.

Before we continue with the nubia Z70S Ultra's design, let's talk innards. The phone packs a Snapdragon 8 Elite with as much as 24GB of RAM (ours is a 12GB unit, but there's also a 16GB). Powering the device is a mammoth 6,600mAh battery with 80W charging.

The phone is IP68/IP69 rated for dust and water resistance (including high-pressure water jets), and it has a few special buttons. On the right side, there's a milled power button with a red accent color. Under it, on the bottom part of the frame, sits a two-stage physical camera key. You can customize it to open the picture mode, video mode, the Pro mode, or the Street mode.

While on the opposite end, there's a sliding switch that by default opens up the camera, but you can set it to open GameSpace, the flashlight, the voice recorder, or switch the phone to vibrate or silent.

What the nubia Z70S Ultra upgrades over the Z70 Ultra is the battery - 6,600mAh vs 6,150mAh - and the main 35mm camera.

Gone is the 1/1.56-inch imager and the variable aperture f/1.6-f/4.0 35mm lens, replaced by a larger 1/1.3-inch sensor and a fixed f/1.7 lens. This unit should provide shallower focus depth and more light in low-lit situations.

The nubia Z70S Ultra launches today, and nubia is running a special pre-order deal. People who pre-order will get a €40 discount, as well as a free charger and phone case, and an offer of a 180-day one-time replacement. The global model ships with a clear case, and a red USB-C cable.

The 12/256GB model is €769 (€729 with the discount), while the 16/512GB unit is €869 (€829 with the discount).

ZTE nubia Z70 Ultra