Nubia Z70 Ultra Review: Discover the Nubia Z70 Ultra, a flagship smartphone priced at $830, offering Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite performance, a 50MP variable aperture camera, a 64MP periscope zoom lens, a 6,150mAh battery, and an under-display selfie camera. Compare it with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and see if it’s the best budget flagship of 2025.
Table of Contents
Nubia Z70 Ultra Review Key Points
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite |
| Display | 6.8-inch AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate |
| Main Camera | 50MP, 35mm focal length, variable aperture (f/1.6 – f/4) |
| Zoom Camera | 64MP periscope telephoto, 3x optical zoom |
| Ultra-Wide Camera | 13mm ultra-wide, gimbal stabilization |
| Front Camera | 16MP under-display selfie camera |
| Battery | 6,150mAh, 80W fast charging |
| Software | Android 15 with Nubia UI |
| Storage Options | Up to 512GB UFS 4.0 |
| Build Quality | Premium aluminum frame, artistic back panel |
| Connectivity | 5G, WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 |
1. Nubia Z70 Ultra Hands-On Review
The smartphone industry is packed with high-end devices from brands like Samsung, Apple, and Google, but Nubia, a brand under ZTE, is shaking things up with the Z70 Ultra.
At just $830, the Nubia Z70 Ultra offers flagship-tier specifications that rival Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, which costs nearly $500 more. With a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite processor, a massive 6,150mAh battery, a 50MP camera with variable aperture, and a periscope zoom lens, the Z70 Ultra seems too good to be true.
But is it really a flagship killer, or does it come with trade-offs that justify its lower price? Let’s take a deep dive into every feature of the Nubia Z70 Ultra to see if it lives up to the hype.
2. Design & Build Quality
2.1. A Familiar but Unique Design
At first glance, the Nubia Z70 Ultra looks strikingly similar to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. The flat edges, squared-off design, and minimal bezels resemble Samsung’s flagship, but here’s an interesting fact: Nubia actually used this form factor first, even before Samsung adopted it.
So, rather than copying Samsung, Nubia has refined its own design over the years. The result is a solidly built, premium-feeling phone that competes directly with the best in the industry.
2.2. The Artistic Back Panel
One of the most polarizing aspects of the Z70 Ultra is its back panel design. Instead of a plain glass or matte finish, Nubia has included a Vincent van Gogh-inspired painting on the back of the phone.
- Pros: It’s visually striking, and people who love artistic designs may find it stylish.
- Cons: Not everyone wants their phone to stand out so much. Some users might prefer a sleeker, minimalistic design.
For those who don’t like flashy designs, Nubia also offers more traditional color options without the artistic pattern.
2.3. Premium Materials & Durability
The Z70 Ultra is built with high-quality aluminum and glass, giving it a flagship-level feel. It has a solid weight to it, adding to its premium appeal. However, there are a few potential drawbacks:
- No Official IP Rating: Unlike Samsung’s IP68-rated flagships, the Z70 Ultra does not have an official waterproof rating. While it can withstand splashes, it’s not fully water-resistant.
- Large Camera Module: The camera bump is noticeable, which may make the phone feel unbalanced when placed on a table.
Overall, the Z70 Ultra’s design is bold, unique, and premium, offering something different from the typical flagship phone.
3. Display
3.1. A Large and Immersive AMOLED Screen
The Nubia Z70 Ultra features a 6.8-inch AMOLED display, delivering vivid colors, deep blacks, and sharp details. AMOLED technology allows for infinite contrast ratios, making everything from videos to games look stunning.
- Resolution: 2480 × 1116 pixels (FHD+)
- Refresh Rate: 120Hz for buttery smooth scrolling
- Peak Brightness: High enough for outdoor visibility
This screen is ideal for multimedia consumption, whether you’re watching Netflix, gaming, or browsing social media.
3.2. Under-Display Selfie Camera – The Pros & Cons
One of the most futuristic aspects of the Z70 Ultra is its under-display selfie camera. Instead of using a punch-hole or notch, Nubia has placed the 16MP front camera beneath the screen, creating a truly uninterrupted display experience.
✅ Advantages:
- No notch or punch-hole, offering a full-screen experience.
- Great for gaming and watching videos without distractions.
❌ Drawbacks:
- Selfie quality suffers, especially in low light.
- Under-display cameras still have visible blurriness due to the screen layer above them.
For people who rarely take selfies, this compromise may be worth it for a cleaner display.
4. Performance & Hardware
4.1. Flagship-Level Processing Power
At the heart of the Nubia Z70 Ultra is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite chipset, which is one of the most powerful processors in the world.
📌 Key Hardware Specifications:
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite
- RAM: Up to 16GB LPDDR5X
- Storage: Up to 512GB UFS 4.0
4.2. Real-World Performance – Smooth & Fast
In day-to-day use, the Z70 Ultra performs like a true flagship. Whether you’re multitasking, gaming, or video editing, the phone handles everything without breaking a sweat.
- App Switching: Instant and lag-free, thanks to fast RAM & storage.
- Gaming: Can run Genshin Impact, PUBG, and Call of Duty Mobile at maximum settings.
- Heat Management: The phone has a decent cooling system, keeping temperatures under control.
4.3. A Phone Built for Power Users
With top-tier hardware, the Z70 Ultra is designed for power users who need a fast and efficient phone. It’s one of the best-performing Android devices at this price point.
5. Camera System – A Photographer’s Dream?
The Z70 Ultra packs an impressive camera system, featuring a 50MP main camera, a 64MP periscope zoom lens, and an ultra-wide camera with gimbal stabilization.
5.1. 50MP Main Camera – Variable Aperture for Professional-Grade Shots
One of the standout features is its 50MP main sensor with a default 35mm focal length.
📷 What Makes This Special?
- 35mm focal length is closer to professional cameras, making photos look more natural.
- Variable aperture (f/1.6 – f/4) allows manual control over background blur (bokeh).
✅ Pros:
- Excellent sharpness and detail
- Good low-light performance
- Natural-looking bokeh effects
❌ Cons:
- Colors can look slightly oversaturated
- No optical image stabilization (OIS) on the main sensor
5.2. 64MP Periscope Zoom Camera – A Hidden Gem
One of the most impressive features of the Nubia Z70 Ultra is its 64MP periscope zoom lens, which offers optical zoom at 70mm focal length.
📌 What Makes This Camera Special?
- 70mm focal length is ideal for portraits and distant shots.
- 3x optical zoom provides clear, high-quality zoom without loss of detail.
- High-resolution 64MP sensor captures sharp, vibrant images.
How Does the Zoom Camera Perform?
Daylight Photography:
- Sharp and well-detailed images even at 3x zoom.
- Natural bokeh effect without needing portrait mode.
Low-Light Photography:
- Surprisingly good low-light zoom performance.
- Noise is controlled well, but not as clean as Samsung’s periscope cameras.
📢 Verdict: If you love portrait shots or need a zoom lens for capturing distant objects, this periscope camera is a game-changer. However, Samsung’s S25 Ultra still offers better 10x zoom clarity.
5.3. 13mm Ultra-Wide Camera – Super Wide, But…
The Nubia Z70 Ultra includes an ultra-wide camera with a 13mm focal length, which is wider than most flagship phones.
📌 Why This Ultra-Wide Camera Stands Out:
- 13mm focal length offers a wider field of view than competitors (14-15mm).
- Uses miniature gimbal stabilization, similar to Vivo’s flagship phones.
✅ Pros:
- Great for landscape photography.
- Gimbal stabilization helps reduce shaky shots.
- Crisp and vibrant colors in daylight conditions.
❌ Cons:
- Struggles in low-light conditions – edges appear soft and grainy.
- Wider field of view means more distortion in some shots.
📢 Verdict: While it’s impressive for daytime shots, low-light performance is weaker compared to Vivo or Samsung ultra-wide cameras.
6. Software & User Interface – Powerful But Cluttered
The Z70 Ultra runs on Android 15 with Nubia’s custom UI. While it includes many useful features, it’s not the most polished UI out there.
6.1. Android 15 with Custom Nubia UI
✅ What’s Good?
- Feature-packed UI with lots of customization.
- Smooth animations and fast app switching.
- App drawer and notification shade are well-organized.
❌ What’s Bad?
- Cluttered settings menu – too many unnecessary features.
- Translation issues – some menu items sound unnatural (e.g., “Quickly launch the camera by camera key”).
- Lack of software polish compared to Samsung’s One UI or Google’s Pixel UI.
6.2. Unique Features in Nubia UI
The Z70 Ultra UI has some standout features:
- Physical shutter button: Pressing it halfway shows a focus bracket.
- Flu light feature: Similar to Vivo’s V-series phones, it adds a soft glow for photography.
- All-in-one notification panel: Unlike Samsung’s split notification system, Nubia keeps everything in one place.
📢 Verdict: While the UI is powerful, it feels slightly cluttered and unpolished. However, Android lovers will still find it very usable.
7. Battery Life & Charging – The Ultimate Powerhouse
One of the biggest advantages of the Nubia Z70 Ultra is its massive 6,150mAh battery, which is the largest battery ever seen in a flagship smartphone.
7.1. Real-World Battery Performance
With such a huge battery, how does the phone perform in daily use?
📌 Screen-on Time (SOT) Results:
- Light usage (social media, web browsing): 10-12 hours
- Moderate usage (gaming, video streaming): 8-9 hours
- Heavy usage (camera, GPS, 120Hz gaming): 6-7 hours
📢 Conclusion: This phone easily lasts 1.5 to 2 days on a single charge!
7.2. Fast Charging – Not the Fastest, But Reliable
- Wired charging speed: 80W fast charging (0-100% in about 45 minutes).
- No wireless charging – a slight drawback for premium users.
📢 Verdict: The Nubia Z70 Ultra is a battery beast, perfect for power users who hate charging their phones frequently.
8. Comparison with Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – Which One Wins?
Now, let’s compare the Z70 Ultra to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, one of its biggest competitors.
| Feature | Nubia Z70 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $830 | $1,300+ |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| Main Camera | 50MP, 35mm focal length, variable aperture | 200MP, 23mm focal length |
| Zoom Camera | 64MP periscope (3x optical) | 50MP periscope (3x, 10x optical) |
| Ultra-Wide Camera | 13mm ultra-wide, gimbal stabilization | 14mm ultra-wide, OIS |
| Front Camera | 16MP under-display | 12MP punch-hole |
| Battery | 6,150mAh | 5,000mAh |
| Charging Speed | 80W wired | 45W wired, 15W wireless |
| Software | Android 15 with Nubia UI | Android 15 with One UI 6.1 |
| Build Quality | Premium, artistic back panel | Premium, IP68 water-resistant |
📢 Verdict:
- The Galaxy S25 Ultra wins in camera versatility, software polish, and water resistance.
- The Nubia Z70 Ultra beats Samsung in battery life, charging speed, and price-to-performance ratio.
For $500 less, the Z70 Ultra is a fantastic alternative, especially for US buyers looking for an affordable flagship.
9. Conclusion – Should You Buy the Nubia Z70 Ultra?
After breaking down every feature, the Z70 Ultra proves to be a flagship powerhouse that offers unbeatable value for money.
✅ Reasons to Buy:
- Top-tier performance (Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite, 16GB RAM).
- Huge 6,150mAh battery for all-day use.
- Excellent 50MP main camera with a 35mm focal length.
- Unique design with a full-screen experience.
- More affordable than Samsung and Apple flagships.
❌ Reasons to Skip:
- Software isn’t as polished as Samsung’s One UI.
- Ultra-wide camera struggles in low light.
- No wireless charging or IP68 rating.
📢 Final Verdict: If you want a powerful, unique flagship phone for $830, the Nubia Z70 Ultra is a fantastic deal. However, if you prefer refined software, better zoom, and wireless charging, the Galaxy S25 Ultra may be worth the extra cost.
10. FAQs: Nubia Z70 Ultra Review
1. Is the Nubia Z70 Ultra better than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
The Nubia Z70 Ultra offers top-tier specs at a lower price, including Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite, a larger 6,150mAh battery, and a 50MP variable aperture camera. However, Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra has a better zoom system, refined software, and wireless charging. If you’re looking for value for money, the Nubia Z70 Ultra is a great choice.
2. How good is the Nubia Z70 Ultra’s camera performance?
The Z70 Ultra has a 50MP main camera with a 35mm focal length and a variable aperture, providing natural-looking photos with excellent bokeh. The 64MP periscope zoom lens is great for portraits and distant shots, while the ultra-wide camera with gimbal stabilization helps with steady video recording. However, low-light performance could be better on the ultra-wide lens.
3. How long does the Nubia Z70 Ultra’s battery last?
With its massive 6,150mAh battery, the Z70 Ultra lasts up to two days on moderate use. It supports 80W fast charging, allowing you to go from 0-100% in about 45 minutes. However, it does not support wireless charging.
4. Does the Nubia Z70 Ultra have an IP68 rating for water resistance?
No, the Nubia Z70 Ultra does not have an official IP68 rating. While it can withstand minor splashes, it is not fully waterproof like Samsung or Apple flagships.
5. Where can I buy the Nubia Z70 Ultra?
The Nubia Z70 Ultra is officially available for purchase in the US and select global markets. You can buy it from Nubia’s official website, Amazon, and other authorized retailers.
What are your thoughts on the Nubia Z70 Ultra? Let us know in the comments!
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