ZTE unveils Nubia Z7, Z7 Max and Z7 mini
You can stop guessing now, ZTE unveiled its Nubia Z7 flagships, app three of them. Meet the Nubia Z7, Z7 Max and Z7 mini. And before you get the wrong impression, the Z7 Max is actually a cut down version of the regular Z7 and the Z7 mini is taller than the regular Z7.
ZTE Nubia Z7
The ZTE Nubia Z7 is aimed squarely at the LG G3 with a 5.5" QHD screen and a Snapdragon 801 chipset. The phone runs Android 4.4 KitKat skinned with Nubia UI 2.0 with a roomy 3GB of RAM. The device also has something called Display RAM, which can render static screen content without bothering the chipset in order to reduce battery draw. LG introduced a similar feature with the G2.
And if that doesnt paint enough of a target on the LG G3's back, the Nubia Z7 also has a 13MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and optical image stabilization. The front camera has a 5MP sensor.
The phone has dual-SIM connectivity with FDD-LTE support (that's the international standard, but the China-flavor LTE is also supported). There's also dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac and a 3,000mAh battery.
The Nubia Z7 measures 139 x 71 x 9mm and the current pricing is CNY 3,450 (about $550 / 410). Keep in mind that the dimensions listed here are what it says on Nubia.cn, but they are clearly wrong. The LG G3 with a 5.5" screen and super thin bezels measures 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9 mm.
ZTE Nubia Z7 Max
Take a Nubia Z7 and drop the screen resolution to 1080p and cut a few features and you've got yourself a ZTE Nubia Z7 Max. The screen size is the same 5.5" but the device measurements are given as 152.7 x 76 x 8.7mm, even though the bezels don't look any thicker in the product shots. These dimensions do seem more realistic for a 5.5" device though. We'll have to wait for the Nubia.cn site to be updated with correct data.
The phone is almost identical to its non-Max counterpart including the Snapdragon 801 chipset, but it drops the RAM to 2GB. By the looks of it you also lose the optical image stabilization.
The ZTE Nubia Z7 Max runs Android 4.4 KitKat with Nubia UI 2.0 and has LTE-enabled, dual-SIM connectivity.
The Nubia Z7 Max is a much more affordable model at CNY 2,000 ($320 / 240).
ZTE Nubia Z7 Mini
This is essentially a Z7 Max scaled down to a 5" 1080p screen. It runs Android 4.4 with Nubia UI 2.0 on a Snapdragon 801 chipset with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage. It has two microSIM card slots and LTE connectivity.
The main camera is a 13MP shooter (again with f/2.0 aperture and no OIS) while the selfie camera takes 5MP snaps.
The device is taller than its counterparts (yes, even the Max) at 140.9 x 69.3 x 8.2mm. It weighs 143g and packs half the built-in storage at 16GB (all three models have microSD cards). The battery capacity drops to the rather small 2,300mAh, while the connectivity remains the same.
The Nubia Z7 Mini is the most affordable of the bunch at CNY 1,500 ($240 / 180).
Thanks for the tip, Zami!