Samsung has lengthy reigned within the foldable house, notably because of its cheaper Z Flip sequence. Nonetheless, Motorola has given the corporate some welcome competitors in North America with the launch of the Razr Plus and the less expensive Razr 2023, the latter of which continues to have shockingly low costs. Now, Nubia has seemingly come out of nowhere with a mid-range flip telephone that goals to threaten Motorola’s maintain on the inexpensive foldable telephone section.
You might not have heard of Nubia, however the firm makes some slightly spectacular flagship smartphones and gaming telephones. The Flip 5G is the corporate’s first foray into foldables, which is fascinating since corporations usually are likely to launch bigger foldables first earlier than downsizing with flip telephones. However identical to Motorola, Nubia needs to focus on a lower cost level to undercut its largest competitor, Samsung.
I’ve hoped for a extra inexpensive Galaxy Z Flip FE, one thing that would launch alongside the corporate’s flagship flip telephone as a extra up-to-date different to these not keen to fork out $999. After all, Samsung must make important modifications to convey the worth down, however Nubia and Motorola present that that is very doable.
At this value level, there are sure to be some compromises, particularly for a flip telephone. In my time with the Flip 5G, I’ve tried to find out whether or not or not stated compromises destroy the general expertise of proudly owning a contemporary flip telephone, which is at the moment my favourite telephone kind issue. To place it plainly, I am blended.
Nubia Flip 5G: Value and availability
The Nubia Flip 5G was introduced in February 2024 throughout MWC and went on sale in April. The telephone is out there in two configurations and begins at $499 for the 8+256GB mannequin, whereas the 12+512GB mannequin is out there for $699.
There are three colours to select from: Cosmic Black, Sunshine Gold, and Flowing Lilac.
The telephone would not seem like obtainable by way of retailers like Amazon, however you should buy the gadget unlocked straight from Nubia.
| Class | Nubia Flip 5G |
|---|---|
| OS | Android 13 (MyOS13) |
| Show (inside) | 6.9-inch, OLED, FHD+ (2790 x 1188), 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM Dimming |
| Show (exterior) | 1.43-inch, round OLED |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 |
| RAM | 8GB, 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB |
| Rear cameras | 50MP broad + 2MP depth |
| Entrance-facing digicam | 16MP |
| Audio | Twin Audio system, Snapdragon Sound, DTS:X Extremely |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC |
| Safety | Fingerprint sensor, face unlock |
| Water/mud resistance | ❌ |
| Battery | 4310mAh, 33W wired charging |
| Dimensions (open) | 170 x 75.5 x 7.0mm |
| Dimensions (closed) | 87.6 x 75.5 x 15.0mm |
| Weight | 209g |
| Colours | Cosmic Black, Sunshine Gold, Flowing Lilac |
Nubia Flip 5G: What I like
Flip telephones are recognized for being extra compact, however there additionally appears to be extra of a give attention to design, a minimum of in comparison with their larger-screened counterparts. That is clear after I take a look at the Nubia Flip 5G; it is in all probability one of many best-looking flip telephones I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing. The flat aluminum alloy body and angular chassis remind me loads of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 however with a softer look and contact. Nonetheless, the place the telephone actually stands out is the round housing the place the quilt display screen and cameras are.
The housing is usually black with a golden ring round it, which provides a premium contact to the design. If in case you have a lighter coloration possibility, akin to Flowing Lilac or Sunshine Gold, the digicam/cowl show housing actually contrasts towards the remainder of the gadget. The truth is, the telephone appears extra just like the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and TECNO Phantom V Flip had a child.
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At simply 7mm thick when open and 15mm when closed, the Nubia Flip 5G is pretty skinny for a flip telephone, roughly matching the Motorola Razr Plus. Though, at 209g, it’s kind of heavier than both of the 2023 Razr fashions and even the OPPO Discover N3 Flip. Even so, it would not really feel notably heavy, particularly with the distinctive glass overlaying the again panels (which I am going to get to later).
Opening and shutting the telephone feels very satisfying and Nubia’s hinge is sort of sturdy, protecting the telephone open at varied angles. When open, the 6.9-inch FHD+ show is fairly good when seen indoors, and the 120Hz refresh price retains issues clean, though you may have to enter the settings to allow this because the telephone is about to 60Hz at default. However even when set to the usual coloration mode, the show is fairly vibrant, and the crease, whereas not as clean as another foldables, is luckily not as deep as on the Z Flip 5 show.
The telephone is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, a two-year-old midrange chipset that also supplies good efficiency at this value level. The telephone would not falter when opening and juggling a number of apps, due to the 8GB of RAM (there’s additionally a 12GB mannequin). Even when gaming, the chipset appears to deal with itself fairly properly. Taking part in Honkai: Star Rail, the Nubia Flip 5G defaults to medium settings, however the telephone is ready to deal with the sport even at excessive settings at 60fps, which is fairly spectacular.
That stated, the highest half of the telephone, notably the body, will get fairly heat while you push it, so you may need to watch out.
The first digicam is a 50MP sensor with autofocus. I admittedly did not count on a lot out of the digicam, given the worth level, however I used to be pleasantly stunned to see that it takes fairly first rate pictures in good lighting situations. Photographs are crisp and lots vibrant through the day, and the output is healthier than what I might get from the Motorola Razr 2023 (and even the Razr Plus, to an extent). That stated, it will probably generally go just a little overboard with saturation, and particulars degrade shortly while you begin zooming in.
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Low-light photographs aren’t notably sturdy, however video seize is sweet, even when the telephone tops out at 4K30. Nubia additionally has some enjoyable filters you could view and edit in actual time when you put together to take a photograph, which will help make pictures just a little extra artsy.
Nubia Flip 5G: Cowl display screen
The quilt display screen is likely one of the important causes to think about shopping for a flip telephone, due to the added utility of having the ability to test notifications and different capabilities while not having to open the telephone. Sadly, the Nubia Flip 5G is fairly restricted on this regard.
The quilt display screen is a round OLED panel measuring 1.43, so roughly the dimensions of a giant smartwatch show. Sadly, it isn’t almost as helpful. The quilt display screen helps you to cycle by way of eight totally different panels with totally different capabilities, akin to a calendar, voice recorder, digicam, and music participant. You can too view notifications, however you’ll be able to’t do something with them on the quilt display screen itself, as it’ll simply immediate you to open your telephone to test it. Moreover, whereas I can increase a number of notifications from the identical app, the telephone would not let me swipe away particular person notifications, leaving “Clear all” as the one viable possibility, and even that does not appear to completely work.
This is not my solely difficulty with notifications, however I am going to get to that within the subsequent part.
Happily, the quilt display screen nonetheless acts as a viewfinder for the digicam, permitting you to take selfies with the first 50MP sensor. You may faucet to begin a 2-second photograph timer or swipe up and down to change between photograph, video, and portrait modes.
AOD performance is a plus on the quilt display screen, however it appears as if the brightness is linked to the principle show’s brightness, which looks as if a bizarre oversight, particularly since there is no technique to regulate it from the exterior display screen.
General, the restrictions of the display screen are just a little disappointing, if comprehensible. Once more, I am unable to assist however examine it to a smartwatch display screen, which lets me kind, open apps, and extra, however I clearly cannot count on the identical from a small cowl display screen, particularly on the app entrance. Even the Razr 2023 has related limitations, and it is barely bigger at 1.5-inches.
Nubia Flip 5G: What I do not like
The Nubia Flip 5G has so much going for it for a $500 foldable telephone, however the telephone makes fairly a couple of compromises to get right down to that value. Apart from the pretty small and barely useful cowl display screen, the telephone is restricted to only one usable digicam. The second 2MP depth sensor appears identical to a motive to pad the spec sheet, because it’s largely ineffective.
Taking Portrait photographs requires fairly a little bit of tinkering earlier than the telephone is ready to get even an honest picture, and even then, the Nubia Flip 5G would not do an amazing job separating the background kind the principle topic.
On the software program facet, the Flip 5G curiously nonetheless runs Android 13 regardless of launching properly into the Android 14 cycle. The software program itself is usually inoffensive, and Nubia provides some software program thrives to reap the benefits of the foldable kind issue, which you may discover with the digicam app or YouTube when the telephone is at an angle. Sadly, you may be met with fairly a little bit of bloatware while you first get arrange, which is rarely enjoyable. On the plus facet, you’ll be able to delete or disable any additional apps and options you do not want. I do just like the every day wallpaper operate, which retains issues recent even when among the pictures are fairly random (why does it present me pictures of Celine Dion and Taylor Swift?).
What I am not a fan of is the “Z-Board,” which is Nubia’s bootleg Google Uncover, which sits to the left of the house display screen. Like Google’s feed, Z-Board makes an attempt to offer you related information and different really helpful info, however none of it appears notably helpful, and it simply appears to be full of advertisements versus precise information. Happily, you’ll be able to disable this, however you’ll be able to’t allow Google Uncover as a replacement.
I’ve additionally had points with notifications. For some motive, notifications are available extraordinarily late, or they do not are available in any respect. After a while, I am going to open an app like Instagram, solely to then be bombarded by notifications from the app that had been by no means delivered. My smartwatch is seemingly the one manner I can get notifications on time. On the one hand, it is a good technique to keep centered after I’m attempting to work, however then again, it will trigger me to overlook out on conversations or reply late.
Nubia wasn’t precisely upfront concerning the replace promise and even when the telephone would obtain Android 14, however the truth that we’re already beta testing Android 15 earlier than it launches later this yr is a nasty signal for the Flip 5G.
My different issues are largely hardware-related, such because the overaggressive auto brightness that always retains the show too low for my liking or the truth that the gesture to activate the flashlight solely works when the lock display screen is energetic. And whereas I actually just like the design of the Nubia Flip 5G, the AG etched glass feels extraordinarily low-cost, nearly like plastic, though the plus facet of the matte end is you could keep away from fingerprints and smudges.
Lastly, battery life is not horrible, however I anticipated extra out of the 4,310mAh battery, as it will probably barely get me by way of a complete day of mixed-use (social media, video games, photographs). The Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a a lot smaller battery and nonetheless appears to last more between prices. Happily, the 33W charging tops up the telephone comparatively shortly, however the Nubia Flip 5G misses out on wi-fi charging, not like a few of its closest opponents.
Nubia Flip 5G: Competitors
Talking of competitors, should you’re in search of an affordable flip telephone, you might need to contemplate the Motorola Razr 2023. The telephone has a big battery and is powered by the identical Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset with 8GB of RAM. You additionally get a comparatively inventory Android expertise, a vegan leather-based end, and wi-fi charging as well. The draw back is that it, too, additionally runs Android 13, and Motorola’s monitor report for main software program updates is not nice.
Elsewhere, you can even take a look at the TECNO Phantom V Flip. It has an identical design to the Nubia, is powered by a MediaTek chipset, and includes a dual-camera system that features an ultrawide sensor. Sadly, it suffers from most of the identical disadvantages because the Nubia, and also you probably will not be capable of get your fingers on it should you dwell in america.
For those who’re keen to spend a couple of extra {dollars}, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 is likely one of the higher choices, even when it does price extra. It has higher cameras than what you may discover on most flip telephones, the quilt display screen is sweet and enormous, and Samsung’s software program is sort of polished. You might spend extra to purchase it, however with a new mannequin more likely to launch in July, you could possibly snag some offers to get the worth down.
Nubia Flip 5G: Must you purchase it?
You can purchase this if…
- You need a an trendy flip telephone.
- You need a telephone with an honest digicam.
- You do not need to spend an excessive amount of in your subsequent telephone.
You should not purchase this if…
- You need polished, dependable software program.
- You need a versatile digicam expertise.
- You need an all-day battery.
- You want wi-fi charging.
The good thing about flip telephones is that they’re much extra versatile in terms of value. The place the bigger, tablet-like foldable telephones can simply price as a lot as $1700, flagship flip telephones are sometimes priced round $999 however can go even decrease. The Nubia Flip 5G is an efficient instance of a mid-range foldable telephone, hitting the identical value level that you’d see from different non-folding and equally specced units.
At a beginning value of $499, it is cheaper than the Motorola Razr 2023 was at launch, though that telephone is positioned a bit increased with some flagship specs thrown in. The Nubia, then again, is content material to supply a number of compromises to get right down to a value that many individuals could be keen to shell out for a foldable telephone, at the same time as a primary foray into the shape issue.
Battery life will not be the very best, and the quilt display screen is sadly restricted in its usability, however the telephone makes up for it with its one usable digicam, fairly good efficiency, and a standout design.
As a lot as I would like to see Samsung launch a less expensive (however higher) foldable telephone, the corporate’s sticking to the upper finish permits others to sort out the decrease finish, a technique that has labored for Motorola. At this value, the Nubia Flip 5G would make a great first flip telephone—that’s, if you will get previous the bloat.
Premium appears, inexpensive value
The brand new Nubia Flip 5G often is the least expensive flip telephone you should buy within the U.S. proper now, however that does not imply it’s a low-cost telephone. The Snapdragon chip affords loads of energy, the 50MP digicam is greater than succesful, and the quilt display screen makes it pretty simple to view notifications and different info at a look.