nubia Z50S Pro review

Introduction

A bit fragmented, the nubia Z50 family trickled into existence starting with the Z50 proper almost a year ago, followed by the Z50 Ultra in the Spring and the Z50S Pro in late July. It's the latter one we have for review now, and it can get us hyped up for the upcoming next generation of nubia Zs.

The Z50S Pro continues along a camera path that ZTE/nubia have been pursuing for a few smartphone generations. It features a 35mm-equivalent primary unit - a staple focal length of the nubia Z lineup and the ZTE Axons. It's different from what its other 35mm-equipped stablemates have, and the 1/1.49" sensor here is the biggest one used by ZTE so far. It's not a bad start, but the other cameras are less remarkable. At least, the AF-capable 50MP 13mm ultrawide looks more promising than the modest 8MP 80mm telephoto.

Somewhat camera-related, a slider switch on the side of the phone can serve as a shortcut for the camera app - a tactile cue that aims to work in tandem with a body designed to evoke memories of a time when cameras weren't smartphones.

It's a smartphone alright though, the nubia Z50S Pro, and a pretty well-specced one. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside it is only just now being replaced by the Gen 3 as the most powerful Android chipset, and with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, you certainly won't be strapped for memory.

The bright and high-res 6.78-inch OLED display will certainly keep you entertained, the 5,100mAh battery will ensure it does so for a while, and the 80W charging will enable swift top-ups for when 'a while' is not enough.

ZTE nubia Z50S Pro specs at a glance:

• Body: 163.6x75.9x8.6mm, 228g.
• Display: 6.78" AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 1200 nits (peak), 1260x2800px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 452ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 740 (719 MHz).
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.0.
• OS/Software: Android 13, MyOS 13.
• Rear camera: Standard (main): 50 MP, f/1.6, 35mm, 1/1.49", PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.0, 13mm, 125˚, AF; Telephoto: 8 MP, f/2.4, 80mm, 1/4", PDAF, OIS, optical zoom.
• Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.5, 26mm (wide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5100mAh; 80W wired charging.
• Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 6e; BT 5.3; NFC; Infrared port.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.

nubia Z50S Pro unboxing

The Z50S Pro arrives in a box that itself has been styled to resemble a camera from the past, prepping you for the looks of the phone that's inside.

Alongside the handset, you're getting a snap-on transparent rear protective cover that also envelops the corners in moderately tacky shiny plastic - functional, perhaps, but also polarizing when it comes to looks.

The charging solution will be more universally likable - an 80W adapter with a USB-C cable.