Nubia Z70 Ultra review: you’ll love this crazy phone (unless you’re big on selfies)

Introduction

What makes a flagship smartphone worthy of your pocket? Raw processing power? Camera innovation? Battery life that laughs in the face of charging cables? The Nubia Z70 Ultra checks all these boxes, and more – while costing substantially less than its rivals.

Starting at $829/£749 for the base 12GB/256GB model, it’s practically half the price of competing flagships like the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL ($1099/£1099) or the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ($1299/£1249). You can even step up to the maxed-out 24GB/1TB version for $949/£899, and still make a hefty saving.

With the world’s first 35mm variable aperture camera in a phone, cutting-edge Qualcomm silicon (it was the first handset to feature the Snapdragon 8 Eilte processor in the US), and a design that refuses to follow the crowd, this photography-focused flagship manages to stand out while undercutting the competition. Nubia – you have my attention.

But innovative specs on paper don’t always translate to real-world excellence, and a lower price point often means compromises. Has Nubia managed to deliver flagship thrills without the usual flagship bills?

Design & build

In an era where smartphones are becoming increasingly indistinguishable from one another, the Nubia Z70 Ultra is a breath of fresh air. While many online critics have taken issue with the distinctive camera housing and my review unit’s pale yellow finish, I’m going to confidently (and firmly) go against the grain – I absolutely love it. The design is refreshingly bold, and that pale yellow colour? It’s grown on me more than a carefully cultivated sourdough starter.

Build quality is exceptional too, with the aluminium frame and glass panels feeling reassuringly premium in the hands. The included case adds welcome protection without sacrificing the phone’s distinctive character,  and even the front of the handset stands out, thanks to an under-display selfie camera that delivers an uninterrupted viewing experience.

Better yet, Nubia has packed in some genuinely useful hardware treats that are increasingly rare in modern smartphones. There’s a proper two-stage camera shutter button that brings back memories of dedicated point-and-shoots, plus a customizable shortcut toggle switch that adds even more flexibility. I’ve set the switch to quick-launch the video recorder, while a long-press of the shutter button fires up the camera in street photography mode. This kind of hardware customisation is something I’d love to see more manufacturers embrace – it adds a layer of tactile control that touch-only interfaces simply can’t match.

Screen & sound

The 6.85in AMOLED display is an absolute stunner, though it arrived with colours a touch warmer than I’d like. Thankfully, you can easily tune this to your liking in the settings. What really struck me though, was the complete absence of any selfie camera cutout – I’d forgotten just how glorious an uninterrupted smartphone display could be, especially when gaming or watching fullscreen videos. This really (and ironically) feels like the future, even if there are still some compromises to be made with the under-display camera technology. More on that in a bit.

With that said, this is an absolute beast of a screen. Even with my larger-than-average hands, one-handed use is a challenge. Thank goodness for the built-in mini-screen function, which lets you shrink the display with a simple bottom swipe for easier thumb navigation.

With a resolution of 2688×1216 and brightness that peaks at 2000 nits, the Z70 Ultra’s display is more than capable of fighting off the harshest winter sun, and I’ve had no problems viewing it comfortably, even in bright light. The up-to 144Hz refresh rate keeps everything flowing buttery smooth (I left it on Auto but you can step it down to 120Hz, 90Hz, or 60Hz, if you prefer), while the punchy colours and perfect blacks you’d expect from a quality OLED panel are present and correct.

Audio performance is equally impressive. The stereo speakers pump out enough volume to stand in for a Bluetooth speaker in a pinch, maintaining clarity even at maximum volume. Like most phone speakers, bass response is light, but that’s par for the course in this form factor.

Cameras

Here’s where the Nubia Z70 Ultra really flexes its muscles. The headline act is the world’s first 35mm smartphone camera with variable aperture – a 50MP main 1/1.56″ sensor that can adjust between f/1.6 and f/4.0. It’s joined by a 50MP, f/2.0 ultrawide and a 64MP, f/2.4 telephoto.

The 35mm main attraction is, hands-down, the best smartphone camera I’ve ever used. The 35mm focal length might seem unusual in a world of wider smartphone lenses, but I’m completely converted. It makes your shots stand out from everyone else’s, for a start. Photography fans will also likely be familiar with the legendary status of Sony’s RX1RII full-frame 35mm fixed-lens camera, which is widely regarded to produce some of the best, most awe-inspiring shots around, and I feel that the main camera of the Z70 Ultra is the current smartphone equivalent. Portrait shots deliver gorgeously creamy bokeh with little computational trickery, while street photography takes on delicious layers of depth that make every shot feel special.

As for the headline-grabbing variable aperture controls – they’re frustratingly hidden away in Pro Mode, which feels a little like keeping the crown jewels in the garden shed. When you do use it though, it’s transformative. During a riverside walk, I was able to slow the shutter speed for silky-smooth flowing water effects, then compensate for the overexposure by stopping down to f/4.0. Yes, a tripod and a proper ND filter would give cleaner results, but being able to achieve this on a smartphone, spontaneously, feels like living in the future.

The Street Photography mode is a particular highlight too, offering quick switches between 18mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm focal lengths, complete with focus peaking. Though the focal length arrangement is slightly peculiar – it doesn’t progress in a natural sequential order from 13mm to 85mm, which can be jarring.

The telephoto camera is my second favourite offering, perfect for candid shots with beautiful background blur, though the smaller sensor struggles more in low light than its main camera sibling. In well-lit conditions though, its a very capable zoom, and I’d have no qualms using up to 30x zoom in the right light. If you’ve got particularly steady hands or a wall to rest on, the 85mm lens can still produce passable night shots too, as long as your subject isn’t too far away. And if you do decide to push the zoom in unfavourable conditions, be prepared to be met with very heavy-handed AI rendering, which is particularly obvious, and not pleasant for a purist like myself.

When it comes to the ultrawide, you could argue that it’s a step back from the Z60 Ultra’s praised 18mm lens. The new 13mm ultrawide, at times, feels like a supporting actor who showed up to the wrong film– it’s serviceable in good light, but colours are washed out and detail takes a noticeable hit compared to that magnificent main sensor. That’s not to say the ultrawide camera lengths are unusable, mind, and I’ve still got plenty of decent shots in my camera reel to prove it. The 18-24mm focal range has come in very handy when it comes to daylight shots of buildings, and capturing full-width landscapes. It’s just a shame that I can’t rely on it in low-light conditions, and that I’d want to tweak most of the shots in Lightroom to try and get them looking closer to the majestic results of that main 35mm camera.

As for the under-display selfie camera? Well, it’s received more hate online than a controversial Twitter X opinion. But honestly? It’s not the absolute disaster I was expecting. In good lighting, it’s perfectly useable, even if the results are a little soft. But despite turning off the beauty mode, I’m sure it’s still smoothing out my face and even tinting my eyebrows a shade darker. It also struggles with bright backlighting, and it’s an absolute mess in low-light situations. And yes, the post-processing in low-light conditions is pretty shocking. Oh, and there’s a subtle ripple/distortion effect in the viewfinder (likely caused by the fact that the camera is under a friggin’ screen). Okay, on second thought, it is pretty bad. But for someone who values an uninterrupted display, it’s an acceptable trade-off – especially as the quality in decent light is good enough.

Video performance is a pleasant surprise too, with the main 35mm camera capturing gorgeous 4K footage with decent stabilisation. I recorded for 90 minutes straight without any overheating warnings – just some gentle warming of the case. Paired with a tripod, it’s entirely viable as a YouTube camera, though the other lenses notably struggle more in anything less than optimal lighting, as you’d expect given their specs.

Software, performance & battery life

The Z70 Ultra is among the first phones to pack Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and it shows. Paired with up to 24GB of RAM (my review unit has 12GB), it handles everything you throw at it with supreme confidence. Multitasking? Absolutely a given at this level of silicon. But even demanding games like Genshin Impact or Asphalt Legends: Unite run super-smooth, and are made all the better by that maximum 144Hz refresh rate (even if my tired eyes struggle to discern the difference these days). And, of course, the experience is made all the more immersive by that expansive, uninterrupted display.

On the software front, Nubia’s Nebula AIOS keeps things relatively close to stock Android, with a refreshingly bloatware-free experience – though some might find it a bit too bare-bones compared to feature-rich alternatives from Samsung or Google. The promised three years of Android updates is decent, if not quite matching the seven-year commitments we’re seeing elsewhere. One of my only major niggles though, is the under-display fingerprint scanner. I don’t know if its my particularly dry hands in this cold weather, but I can’t seem to rely on it a all, and have had to re-add my thumbprint multiple times. A cursory search online doesn’t seem to suggest that anyone else seems to be having this problem. Luckily, the face recognition is a snappy, seamless experience.

As for the battery life? You won’t be disappointed. The 6150mAh silicon-carbon battery is an absolute monster – you’re looking at two days of normal use without breaking a sweat. Even during my intensive testing period, where I’ve been hammering the cameras and gaming like there’s no tomorrow, I’ve struggled to drain it in a day.

When you do need to top up, the included 80W charger gets you back in action faster than any flagship from Google, Samsung, or Apple, averaging out around a 20 per cent increase in just 10 minutes. Delightful – though wireless charging fans will need to look elsewhere though, as it’s absent here.

Nubia Z70 Ultra verdict

I’m often asked to recommend phones to people. And for most, my answer is normally an iPhone, as that’s what they’re used to. Or a Galaxy or Pixel handset if they’re after an Android solution. For the foreseeable future though, I can see myself recommending the Nubia Z70 Ultra to anyone who wants an Android phone, and values camera performance and battery life above all else. This is, after all, a handset with premium flagship performance and specs, at a price that’s up to half as much as the leading alternatives.

Sure, with heavyweight hitters like the Vivo X200 Ultra and Xiaomi 15 Ultra on the horizon next year (though their availability outside of China can’t be counted on), you could argue that it’s worth waiting for even better across-the-board camera performance. But if you’re happy with the amazing, unique 35mm main camera of the Nubia Z70 Ultra, and could save yourself multiple hundreds of pounds in cash? Then the decision seems pretty clear-cut to me…

Nubia Z70 Ultra technical specifications