On Friday, Nubia presented the Z17, the latest flagship smartphone from the ZTE spinoff company. Not only it packs great specs like a Snapdragon 835 chip, but it is also the first mobile device to feature Quick Charge 4+. It launches in July, and it starts around $410.
The newcomer Nubia is still relatively unknown, but it has steadily made itself noteworthy in the homeland by doing what Chinese phone makers do best: building premium handsets with powerful specifications and affordable price tags.
Revealed only a few days ago at an event at Beijing’s National Aquatics Center, is still too early to know if the Nubia Z17 will ever make it out of China. With components like that and an attractive cost-effective profile, though, Huawei, Lenovo, and Xiaomi might soon face a new rival in the global market.
Nubia Z17: Specs and features
At first glance, the most striking thing about the Nubia Z17 is its design. It looks beautifully crafted, starting with the vibrant color options offered by the company. These include Obsidian Black, Gold Black, Solar Gold, Flame Red, and Aurora Blue.
Upon closer inspection, this perception seems to check out, as Nubia claims the phone is 98% made out of metal and a “sophisticated glass metal material” that offers both durability and smoothness for an all-around great user experience.
Nubia packs a Full HD, IPS LCD with 1920 x 1080 resolutions and Corning Gorilla Glass coating for protection. The screen takes 5.5 inches out of the 6 inches of the phone’s overall height, and it features an edgeless design on the sides like the latest flagships by Samsung.
Don’t be fooled, though, the most impressive thing about the Nubia Z17 is what’s inside. Processing power comes courtesy of Qualcomm and its top-of-the-line Snapdragon 835 SoC. The octa-core chips pairs with an Adreno 540 GPU to deliver a fast-response UI and withstand even the most demanding apps.
Introducing the nubia Z17, our most powerful smartphone yet. pic.twitter.com/54kTiTwnPE
— nubia Smartphone (@nubiasmartphone) June 2, 2017
The device can have multiple memory configurations depending on its RAM capacity. 6 GB of RAM is the lowest supported by the phone, which already tells much, and that setup is compatible with either 64 or 128 GB of storage. For those who choose 8 GB of RAM, only 128 of storage are available.
On the back, the Nubia N17 features a dual camera setup, with lenses of 12 and 23 MP respectively, optical zoom capabilities, and dual LED flash. It can record at up to 2160p and 30 fps, while the front camera has 16 MP and features HDR.
Other than that, the phone has a fingerprint sensor on the back and a Li-Po 3,200 mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 4+ technology via USB-C. Nubia claims the device can be charged at 50% of its capacity within 20 minutes or so.
Nubia Z17: Price and release date
Nubia will launch the Z17 exclusively in China this July, and it has revealed the model with top specs (8 GB of RAM and 128 of storage) will cost RMB 3,999, which translates roughly to $590.
At this price point, the base Z17 model will be priced around $410 if it ever reaches the United States and Europe. Other phones by the company have made it to the neighboring continent in the past, so there is a chance the new flagship releases there as well.
Source: Nubia
