Nubia Z70 Ultra review – Sbenny’s Blog

Introduction

Give us a special camera system any day of the week and you’re sure to keep us entertained. Few brands make imaging setups as unusual as nubia, and with the latest Z70 Ultra we have another focal length combination that no one can match. Together with more cutting-edge hardware, the new 35mm camera is housed in a stunning body, making for a very attractive proposition overall. But how beautiful is it in reality?

The nubia Z70 Ultra is another iteration of parent company ZTE’s goal of making the best 35mm cameraphone. This time, they’ve added a variable aperture to the main camera lens, updated the telephoto lens to allow for close focusing, and given it an ultrawide camera with extra wide coverage. Few good things come without compromise, though, and we’ll have to see what the engineers had to sacrifice.

nubia Z70 Ultra (left) next to the Z60 Ultra

No sacrifices have been made in the chipset department, the brand new Snapdragon 8 Elite is inside the Z70 Ultra, and nubia is also joining the industry movement towards silicon-carbon batteries. The trendy IP69 rating is also reflected in the blocky body, made especially eye-catching in this optional Starry Night colorway. Equally difficult to miss (or is it difficult to spot?) is the lack of a hole for the selfie camera in the display: improving the solution under the display is another of the company’s continuous research.

ZTE nubia Z70 Ultra specifications in brief:

• Body: 164.3×77.1×8.6mm, 228g; Glass front, aluminum frame, glass back; IP68/IP69 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes).
• Display: 6.85″ AMOLED, 1B colors, 144 Hz, HDR10, 2000 nits (peak), 1216×2688 px resolution, 19.89:9 aspect ratio, 431ppi.
• Chipsets: Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm): Octa-core (2×4.32 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6×3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M); Adreno 830.
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM, 1TB 24GB RAM; UFS4.0.
• Operating system/software: Android 15, NebulaAI operating system.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.6-4.0, 35mm (standard), 1/1.56″, 1.0μm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.0, 13mm, 122˚, 1/2.88″, AF; Telephoto: 64 MP, f/2.5, 70 mm, 1/2.0″, 0.7 µm, PDAF (15 cm – ∞), OIS, 2.7x optical zoom (compared to 26 mm camera).
• Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), below display.
• Video Capture: Rear camera: 8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, 1080p at 30/60 fps, gyro-EIS, HDR10, 10-bit video; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Drums: 6150mAh; Wired 80W, PD3.0, QC4.
• Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4, aptX HD, aptX adaptive; NFC; Infrared port.
• Miscellaneous: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.

Nubia Z70 Ultra unboxing

Our review unit didn’t arrive in the standard packaging you’d expect to see at your home after ordering a Z70 Ultra. That said, we do have the full set of accessories that should come with your phone.

It’s nothing special, but it’s not entirely lackluster either. You’d get an 80W Power Delivery compatible charger, along with a nice USB-C cable rated for 9A. A frosted plastic case that’s nicer than most is also included, though you might not be completely thrilled about covering the back of the portable, especially if you get the Starry Night version. More on this on the next page.