nubia Z50S Pro review

introduction

A little fragmented, the nubia Z50 family was born starting from the actual Z50 almost a year ago, followed by the Z50 Ultra in spring and the Z50S Pro at the end of July. It’s the latter that we need to review now, and it can get us excited about the next generation of nubia Zs.

The Z50S Pro continues along the camera path that ZTE/Nubia have been pursuing for a few generations of smartphones. It features a 35mm equivalent primary unit – a key focal length of the nubia Z range and ZTE Axons. It’s different from its other 35mm-equipped companions, and the 1/1.49″ sensor here is the largest ZTE has used so far. Not a bad start, but other cameras are less impressive. At least, the ‘AF- the 50MP 13mm ultrawide looks more promising than the modest 8MP 80mm telephoto.

Somewhat tied to the camera, a slide switch on the side of the phone can act as a shortcut to the camera app, a haptic cue that aims to work in tandem with a body designed to evoke memories of a time when cameras didn’t they were smartphones.

It is still a smartphone, the nubia Z50S Pro, and quite well equipped. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside has only now been replaced by the Gen 3 as the most powerful Android chipset and with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, you definitely won’t be short on memory.

The bright, high-resolution 6.78-inch OLED display is sure to keep you entertained, the 5,100mAh battery will keep you going for a while, and the 80W charging will allow for quick top-ups for when “a little” isn’t enough.

ZTE nubia Z50S Pro specifications in brief:

• Body: 163.6×75.9×8.6mm, 228g.
• Screen: 6.78″ AMOLED, 1B colors, 120 Hz, 1200 nits (peak), 1260×2800 px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 452ppi.
• Chipsets: Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm): Octa-core (1×3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 and 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 and 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 and 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 740 (719 MHz).
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM; UFS4.0.
• Operating system/software: Android 13, MyOS 13.
• Rear camera: Standard (main): 50 MP, f/1.6, 35 mm, 1/1.49″, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.0, 13mm, 125˚, AF; Telephoto: 8 MP, f/2.4, 80 mm, 1/4″, PDAF, OIS, optical zoom.
• Front camera: 16MP, f/2.5, 26mm (wide).
• Video Capture: Rear camera:4K; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Drums: 5100mAh; 80W wired charging.
• Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 6e; BT 5.3; NFC; Infrared port.
• Various: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.

Unboxing of the nubia Z50S Pro

The Z50S Pro arrives in a box that itself has been designed to look like a camera from the past, preparing you for the look of the phone that’s inside.

Beyond the laptop, you get a snap-on clear protective back cover that also wraps the corners in moderately tacky glossy plastic – functional, perhaps, but also polarizing when it comes to looks.

The charging solution will be most appreciated by everyone: an 80W adapter with USB-C cable.