ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra Review

The ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is a flagship smartphone that aims to challenge the conventions of the industry with its distinctive design, edge-to-edge display, and powerful hardware. It is the latest offering from nubia, a sub-brand of ZTE that focuses on innovation and creativity. The ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra was launched globally in December 2023, and is available in various configurations and colors.

The ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is not your typical flagship phone. It has a boxy and bulky body, a huge camera bump, and a metallic glass material. It also has a unique feature that sets it apart from the competition: an under-display selfie camera that allows for a flawless and hole-less screen. The ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is a phone that dares to be different, but does it succeed in delivering a flagship experience? Let's find out.

The design of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is one of its most striking aspects. The phone has a rectangular shape, with sharp edges and corners, and a flat back and front. The phone measures 164 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm and weighs 246 grams, making it one of the largest and heaviest phones on the market. The phone is not very comfortable to hold or use with one hand, and may not fit in some pockets or cases.

The phone has a metallic glass material on the back, which gives it a glossy and premium look, but also makes it prone to smudges and scratches. The back of the phone is dominated by a massive camera bump, which takes up more than a third of the space. The camera bump has a point-and-shoot camera aesthetic, with three lenses, a flash, and a nubia logo. The camera bump also protrudes significantly from the back, making the phone wobble when placed on a flat surface.

The phone has a power button and a volume rocker on the right side, a SIM tray on the left side, a USB-C port and a speaker grille on the bottom, and a microphone on the top. The phone does not have a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a microSD card slot, or a physical fingerprint scanner. The phone has an in-display fingerprint scanner, which works well and fast, but may not be as secure as a physical one.

The phone comes in two colors: black and silver. The black color has a matte finish, while the silver color has a mirror-like finish. Both colors look elegant and classy, but the silver color may be more eye-catching and reflective.

The display of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is one of its main selling points. The phone has a 6.8-inch OLED screen, with a resolution of 1116 x 2480 pixels, a refresh rate of 120 Hz, and a peak brightness of 1500 nits. The screen supports HDR10+ and has a 20:9 aspect ratio. The screen covers almost the entire front of the phone, with minimal bezels and no notch or hole-punch. The screen has a curved edge on the sides, which adds to the immersive and futuristic feel of the phone.

The screen quality of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is excellent, with vibrant colors, sharp details, and wide viewing angles. The screen is also very responsive and smooth, thanks to the high refresh rate and touch sampling rate. The screen is suitable for watching videos, playing games, and browsing the web, as it offers a large and stunning viewing experience. The screen also has an adaptive mode, which adjusts the refresh rate and brightness according to the content and ambient light.

The screen of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra has a hidden feature: an under-display selfie camera. The phone has a 12 MP front-facing camera, which is located under the screen, near the top center. The camera is invisible when the screen is on, but becomes visible when the screen is off or when the camera app is opened. The camera uses a special pixel arrangement and algorithm to allow light to pass through the screen and reach the sensor.

The under-display selfie camera of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is a novel and innovative feature, but it also has some drawbacks. The camera quality is not very good, as it suffers from low resolution, poor dynamic range, and noise. The camera also affects the screen quality, as it creates a noticeable patch on the screen, where the pixels are less dense and the colors are less accurate. The camera patch is more visible on light backgrounds and when the screen brightness is high. The camera patch may also interfere with some apps and games, as it may cover some icons or buttons.

The camera of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is another highlight of the phone. The phone has a triple camera system on the back, consisting of a 50 MP main camera, a 50 MP ultra-wide camera, and a 64 MP telephoto camera. The main camera has a 35mm equivalent focal length, an f/1.6 aperture, and optical image stabilization. The ultra-wide camera has an 18mm equivalent focal length, an f/1.8 aperture, and a 120-degree field of view. The telephoto camera has an 85mm equivalent focal length, an f/3.3 aperture, and a 5x optical zoom.

The camera performance of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is impressive, as it can capture detailed, colorful, and well-exposed photos in various scenarios. The main camera can produce sharp and natural-looking photos, with accurate colors and contrast. The ultra-wide camera can capture more of the scene, with minimal distortion and good dynamic range. The telephoto camera can zoom in on distant objects, with decent clarity and stability. The phone also supports up to 10x hybrid zoom and 100x digital zoom, which can be useful for some situations, but may result in loss of quality and detail.

The phone also has some advanced camera features, such as night mode, portrait mode, pro mode, macro mode, and AI scene recognition. The night mode can enhance the low-light photos, by reducing noise and increasing brightness. The portrait mode can create a bokeh effect, by blurring the background and highlighting the subject. The pro mode can allow manual control over the camera settings, such as ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and focus. The macro mode can capture close-up shots, with a minimum focus distance of 4 cm. The AI scene recognition can automatically detect and optimize the camera settings for different scenes, such as food, flowers, pets, and landscapes.

The video recording of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is also very good, as it can record up to 8K resolution at 30 fps, or 4K resolution at 60 fps. The video quality is clear, smooth, and stable, with good audio and colors. The phone also supports HDR10+ video recording, which can enhance the contrast and dynamic range of the videos. The phone also has some video modes, such as slow motion, time lapse, and vlog, which can add some fun and creativity to the videos.

The hardware of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is one of its strongest aspects. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which is the latest and most powerful chipset from Qualcomm. The processor has an octa-core CPU, with a clock speed of up to 3.0 GHz, and an Adreno 750 GPU. The processor is paired with up to 24 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1 TB of UFS 4.0 storage. The phone also has a liquid cooling system, which can prevent overheating and throttling.

The hardware performance of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is outstanding, as it can handle any task or app with ease and speed. The phone can run multiple apps and games smoothly and seamlessly, without any lag or stutter. The phone can also handle heavy and demanding games, such as PUBG, Call of Duty, and Genshin Impact, with high graphics and frame rates. The phone also has a game mode, which can optimize the performance, network, and battery for gaming. The phone also has some gaming features, such as shoulder triggers, haptic feedback, and screen recording.

The software of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is one of its weakest aspects. The phone runs on Android 14, with nubia's custom skin, MyOS 14, on top. The software is not very user-friendly, as it has some bugs, glitches, and inconsistencies. The software also has some bloatware, ads, and unnecessary apps, which can affect the performance and storage of the phone.

The software of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra does have some positive aspects, such as the customization and gesture options. The software allows the user to customize the navigation bar, the status bar, the lock screen, the fingerprint animation, and the edge lighting. The software also supports various gestures, such as double tap to wake, swipe to screenshot, and three-finger swipe to split screen. The software also has some useful features, such as the game mode, the screen recorder, and the voice recorder.

The battery of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is another highlight of the phone. The phone has a 6,000 mAh battery, which is larger than most of the flagship phones on the market. The battery can last for two days or more, depending on the usage and settings. The battery can also support heavy usage, such as gaming, video streaming, and web browsing, without draining too quickly.

The battery of the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra also supports fast charging, with an 80W charger included in the box. The charger can charge the phone from 0 to 100% in about 40 minutes, which is very impressive for such a large battery. The phone does not support wireless charging or reverse wireless charging, which may be a downside for some users.

The ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is a phone that challenges the conventions of the industry with its distinctive design, edge-to-edge display, and powerful hardware. It is a phone that offers a unique and immersive experience, especially for those who value the screen and the camera quality. It is also a phone that can last for days, thanks to its huge battery and fast charging.

However, the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is not a phone for everyone. It is a phone that may be too big and heavy for some users, and may not fit in some pockets or cases. It is also a phone that may disappoint some users, due to its unfinished and buggy software, and its poor under-display selfie camera. It is also a phone that lacks some features that are common in other flagships, such as wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.

• Pros:
  • Distinctive boxy design
  • Gorgeous, hole-less screen
  • Large, long-lasting battery
  • Powerful hardware performance
  • Impressive camera system
• Cons:
  • A bit on the bulky and heavy side
  • Metallic glass material attracts dust and fingerprints
  • Unfinished and buggy software
  • Under-display selfie camera quality is poor
  • No wireless charging or reverse wireless charging

Therefore, the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra is a phone that you may love or hate, depending on your preferences and expectations. It is a phone that has a lot of potential, but also a lot of flaws. It is a phone that deserves praise for its innovation, but also criticism for its execution. It is a phone that is worth considering, but also worth comparing with other options.

Rating: 8/10

Recommendation: Buy it if you want a phone that stands out from the crowd, and don't mind its drawbacks. Skip it if you want a phone that is more refined, and has more features.