Weekly poll: the ZTE nubia Z50S Pro is an all-round powerhouse, but is it right for you?
The new nubia Z50S Pro is the second phone with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2, following the launch of the related Red Magic 8S Pro. This one is focused more on the camera than gaming, but there are a lot of similarities between the two as well.
Starting with the camera, the 35mm lens is something you can only find on nubias and Axons – and on actual cameras. There is also an 80mm periscope on board (8MP) and a 50MP ultra wide (125°). The design evokes classic cameras with a mix of metal and leather (well, faux leather).
The display is basically the same size as the Red Magic at 6.78” and it is a high-quality AMOLED panel – it’s sharper (452ppi vs. 400ppi) and has 100% DCI-P3 coverage. This makes it a trusty viewfinder for the camera, so that you can tweak the manual controls and apply 3D LUTs and be sure that the photo you get matches what you saw on the screen.
It’s a 120Hz display with 1,000Hz touch sampling, so you can certainly game on it. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 chipset certainly has the oomph to handle AAA titles, though it is only passively cooled here, so it might need a break during longer gaming sessions. There’s no crazy 24GB of RAM option, but you can get 1TB storage if you want it.
ZTE nubia Z50S Pro at a glance
The 5,100mAh battery supports 80W wired charging, same as the 8S Pro (which has a larger 6,000mAh battery). Going back to the display and cameras for a second, the 16MP selfie cam is in a punch hole rather than under the display.
All three nubia Z50S Pro colors look awesome
The nubia Z50S Pro starts at CNY 3,700 for a 12/256GB model. That’s cheaper than even the base Red Magic 8S Pro, which is CNY 4,000 for the 8/128GB unit and CNY 4,800 for a matching 12/256GB phone.
The Axon 50 Ultra, which dropped the 35mm camera of its predecessor in favor of a 24mm lens (in front of a 64MP 1/1.73” sensor). There is also a 50MP ultra wide (116°) and a 50MP periscope (3x). This phone uses the older Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip but mostly matches the nubia in terms of battery with 5,000mAh capacity and 80W charge rate. The Axon will launch next month.
ZTE nubia Red Magic 8S Pro • ZTE Axon 50 Ultra
Other large and powerful phones with notable cameras include the likes of the OnePlus 11. A 12/256GB unit goes for CNY 4,000 in China and while this one doesn’t have the plus version of the SD 8 Gen 2, it has the Hasselblad name attached to its 50+32+48MP cameras, which include a 2x zoom camera and a 115° ultra wide. The 6.7” 120Hz AMOLED display has a QHD+ LTPO panel.
There is also the Oppo Reno10 Pro+, a 16/256GB example of which can be had for CNY 3,900. This one uses the even older Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip and has a 6.74” 120Hz AMOLED display with 1,240 x 2,772px resolution. The 50MP main camera is on the level with a 1/1.56” sensor and OIS, as is the 64MP tele cam with a 3x periscope. The 8MP ultra wide with a 112° lens is a bit of a letdown, however.
OnePlus 11 • Oppo Reno10 Pro+
Of course, there are the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Oppo Find X6/X6 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Pro and 13 Ultra, but those cost a lot more than the nubia. Note that we’re using the Chinese prices as basis for comparison as we still don’t know if and when the Z50S Pro might be available globally.
Well, what do you think – assuming that the nubia Z50S Pro is available near you, would you get one? Or would you rather have its gaming-obsessed cousin, the Red Magic 8S Pro?
