nubia Z70S Ultra review

Design, build quality, handling

The nubia Z smartphones have had the design part largely dialed in for a few generations now, iterating on the same concept with minor adjustments in camera placement, materials, and color. We're not saying it as a bad thing - rather, it's a welcome blend of personality and continuity.

Sure enough, the Z70S Ultra changes things up on the back compared to the Z70 Ultra (non-S). The rear looks like your average faux leather panel from a distance, but if you poke at it with a knife it doesn't really scratch, and then you look closer and start seeing reflections - it's still glass, they just etched and finished it to resemble leather.

Which is good, because we were just about to point out that it's not really soft to the touch like you'd expect from leather. But since it's glass, we'd praise it for how not like glass it feels - it offers a lot of grip and it doesn't pick up fingerprints, so not a whole lot of downsides to it.

The larger main camera sensor hasn't resulted in a noticeably bigger bump - perhaps the scrapping of the variable aperture mechanism has evened things out. The other cameras have been left unchanged, so there has been no rearrangement like the one we got from the Z60 Ultra to the Z70 Ultra.

Similarly, there's no change with the physical controls and the Z70S Ultra still has an abundance of those. In addition to the usual power button and volume rocker there's a two-stage shutter release button on the right, while the left side holds a slider that can be used to launch the camera (or flashlight, or gaming utility).

Two-stage shutter release on the right • Slider switch on the left

The fingerprint reader also remains where it was - and that's pretty much right where it should be in terms of height, so your fingers fall naturally on it. It's the optical type and unlocks without incident in ordinary situations, though you'd probably prefer an ultrasonic one if your hands are often wet. Then again, this optical variety will play nicely with glass screen protectors, which the flat rectangular display is seemingly made for.

One of the lineup's most striking features is, well, the absence of a camera punch hole - the display appears to be one solid OLED rectangle. There is a selfie camera underneath, of course, alternating its pixels with those of the panel, and it's largely invisible when the display is lit up. The slim uniform bezels are also a welcome sight.

The display is protected by second-gen Longxi Glass, same as on the Z70 Ultra. The frame of the handset, meanwhile, is aluminum and has a fine satin finish - it's more slippery than the back, that's for sure. The phone is still IP68/IP69 rated, so it should survive in the event of a dunk in water, but also in case you decide to blast it with high-temp water jets for some reason.

Dual nano SIM slot, but no eSIM option, sadly

The Z70S Ultra's styling is meant to evoke retro camera vibes, and if you're not quite getting those from the phone itself, nubia also has an accessory kit to drive the point home. It makes the phone look and handle like an old-school rangefinder, adds a couple of dials and rocker, plus an extra-large shutter release button and a cold shoe mount. The kit will set you back €120, which is not entirely unreasonable on the face of it, though we haven't seen it in person to comment on its practical usefulness.