This week Nubia refreshed the Z60 Ultra and introduced a sequel to the Z50S Pro. They both have unique designs that make them look like the camera of the future, and they have the hardware to support it. Plus, they bring Snapdragon 8-series performance at a price that’s lower than most flagships.
The Nubia Z60 Ultra Leading is the same as the original Z60, except it switches to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SM8650-AC, often called the “Leading Edition” by Chinese manufacturers. This model also changes the sensor inside to a 35mm main camera – the Nubia Z series is old-fashioned, with basically every other smartphone line on the planet having a 20-some millimeter wide lens on the main module.
The AC version of the chipset boosts the prime Cortex-X4 CPU cores to 3.4GHz (up from 3.3GHz on the original) and the Adreno 750 GPU clock goes up to 1GHz. Unlike its Red Magic cousins, it only uses passive cooling, but the Z60 can still handle AAA games.
Key features of Nubia Z60 Ultra Leading Edition
The Nubia Z60S Pro is based on last year’s chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the same AC variant used in the Z50S Pro. The 35mm main camera switches to a new sensor and the vegan leather back options have been removed, but that’s it.
Nubia Z60S Pro Highlights
Here are the prices of the two Nubia Z60 models:
| layout | Nubia Z60S Pro | Nubia Z60 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 8GB/256GB | , | $649/€729/£649 |
| 12GB/256GB | $569/€669/£569 | $699/€779/£699 |
| 16GB/512GB | $669/€769/£669 | $779/€879/£829 |
| 16GB/1TB | $769/€869/£769 | $879/€979/£929 |
The Red Magic 9S Pro is available globally and also has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (AC), albeit with active cooling. This means it doesn’t have an IP68 rating like the Z60 series. It also has a larger 6,500mAh battery (vs 6,000mAh) with 80W charging. The cameras are more basic – there’s no 64MP 85mm lens here – but with a 50MP main (wide lens) and 50MP ultra wide, it’s not bad either. Both devices have under-display selfie cameras. The 9S Pro is selling for $650/€650/£580 in the international market.
The Honor Magic6 Pro has 50MP main (23mm), 180MP 2.5x tele and 50MP ultra wide cameras. However, the pill-shaped hole on the front for the 50MP selfie camera and 3D ToF sensor isn’t as neat as the Nubias. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (regular AB variant) and a 5,600mAh battery with 80W wired and 66W wireless charging. The MSRP on this is quite high at €1,300/£1,100 and the phone has mostly held its value.
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro • Honor Magic6 Pro • Xiaomi 14 Civi • Vivo X100 Pro
The Xiaomi 14 Civi packs a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 punch and an interesting camera setup: 50MP main, 50MP 2x tele and 12MP ultra wide, as well as dual selfie cameras with wide and 100° ultra wide lenses. Unfortunately, it’s only available in India at a price starting at ₹43,000 (€475 or so).
The Vivo X100 series has some great devices, but availability is quite poor. For example, the Vivo X100 Pro was launched in India with a Dimensity 9300 chipset and triple 50MP cameras (23mm wide, 100mm periscope, and 15mm ultra wide) at a price of ₹90,000 (around €990).
What do you think about the Nubia Z60 Ultra Leading Edition? Are you considering it as your next phone option or not?
What about the Nubia Z60S Pro – is it still a good phone for 2024, considering it has changed almost nothing from the Z50S Pro?
