PROS: Distinctive Retro Camera Design Extra Large 6,600 mAh battery Impressive cooling under heavy use like gaming CONS: No wireless charging Moderate 16MP front camera RATINGS: AESTHETICSERGONOMICSPERFORMANCESUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITYVALUE FOR MONEYEDITOR'S QUOTE:The Nubia Z70S Ultra pays homage to pro digital cameras both in style and performance, without forgetting that it's a smartphone first and foremost. Smartphone manufacturers have gotten a lot smarter. Back in the day, you’d notice how they focused their marketing on megapixel counts, making you believe that more is always better. Thanks to some brands (like Apple and Google) proving that isn’t the case, they’ve switched gears to put the spotlight on sensor sizes, lenses, and even focal lengths. The closer they sound like pro camera specs, the stronger the pull for mobile shutterbugs. Nubia has recently been applying this strategy to its Z series flagships, particularly appealing to photographers who firmly believe in the benefits of a 35mm film equivalent lens. With its latest Z70S Ultra, it’s taking another stab at this still niche category, putting the focus, pun intended, on “premium 35mm photography.” But does it deliver on that promise, and does it come at the expense of everything else about the smartphone? Read on to find out. Designer: Nubia Aesthetics Photography has been one of the key features that smartphones have been selling for the past years, and some brands try to capitalize on that in more ways than just specs and output. A few smartphones have adopted designs that are reminiscent of digital cameras, either on their own or with “photography kits.” The Nubia Z70S Ultra is one of these, but it has a little twist to its aesthetic. It hasn’t forgotten that it’s a smartphone, and it doesn’t bend over backward to hide that fact. You have the telltale design cues of a classic camera, particularly its dual-tone aesthetic with a leather body and metal frames top and bottom. Here, that same appearance is recreated entirely in glass, though your eyes might be fooled until you actually grip the phone in your hand. Even then, your fingers might also be briefly led astray with 3D micro-etched faux texture on the back glass. Of course, actual cameras don’t have multiple lenses on the same body, so Nubia arranged the three rear cameras in ways you’d mistake one for a view and another for a sensor. Enclosed in a raised box that takes up the entire width of the phone’s back, you might be led to believe that the phone has an embedded point-and-shoot camera on its rear, which is probably the effect that Nubia was going for. The rest of the phone’s surfaces are clean and modern, with a flat-edged frame and an equally flat seamless display that hides the front-facing camera quite well. The camera area is the only visually noisy part of the phone, and that’s probably intentional. It faithfully recreates the identity of classic cameras but still manages to keep its own character as a phone, delivering a memorable experience for the eyes. Ergonomics The Nubia Z70S Ultra is by no means a small phone, and at 228g, it’s also slightly heavier than other “ultra” phones. A few aspects of its design do help mitigate that fact, or at least inspire a bit more confidence in your grip. Flat edges and a textured glass surface do help, though you’ll still have to be mindful of how low you wrap your hand around the phone. It’s a top-heavy phone, so it’s a good thing that the optical fingerprint scanner isn’t placed too low on the screen either. One advantage of the Z70S Ultra’s camera design is that it takes up the whole width of the device. That means no wobbling when you place it on your desk, making for a bit more comfortable experience while you tap on it repeatedly. Like other sizable camera bumps, it lifts the top of the phone ever so slightly for a better view of the screen when placed on a flat surface. Performance If the design is any indication, the Nubia Z70S Ultra is hyper-focused on its photography chops. That’s delivered by a triple camera system with a 35mm 50MP main camera leading the charge. It has a large 1/1.3-inch sensor and a matching large f/1.7 aperture lens, ensuring plenty of light and image information comes through. The 35mm format is still a rarity among smartphones, but it’s quite popular among photographers for its wide FOV and similarity to our own human vision. This camera is joined by a 50MP ultra-wide macro lens with a 13mm equivalent focal length and a 122-degree field of view, as well as a 64MP periscope-style telephoto lens. All these result in photos that look more natural and pleasing to the eyes. All in all, the three cameras work great in providing vibrant, detailed, and color-accurate shots. If there’s one minor flaw in the camera system, it would be the 16MP front-facing camera. Nubia does well in hiding it beneath the display, at least better than anything Samsung has ever done, but the lower resolution plus light bleed from the display still results in rather pasty and overexposed selfies. The Nubia Z70S Ultra’s nod to retro cameras goes beyond its appearance. It also has a dedicated shutter button that behaves almost like the real deal. A single press takes a photo, but a half-press cases the camera app to adjust the focus. A long full-press activates burst mode, just like on many pro digital cameras. You can also customize the camera button’s action or leave it at the default, which can conveniently launch the camera from a locked screen by just pressing and holding it. Even with all the focus on mobile photography, Nubia hasn’t forgotten that this is still a smartphone and that people will use it for smartphone activities. Equipped with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, it can handle any task with aplomb, even with the lowest 12GB RAM configuration like we had on our review unit. Even more impressive, however, is the Nubia Z70S Ultra’s understated cooling system, which held up well even after a fierce battle royale on Fortnite. Great smartphone cameras might not mean much if the screen you’ll be viewing them on doesn’t do them justice. Thankfully, the 6.85-inch 2688×1216 OLED display doesn’t disappoint in either brightness or vibrancy, especially with 100% DCI-P3 color gamut support. The edge-to-edge screen, made possible by a 7th-gen Under Display Camera design, makes it possible to truly enjoy content without any visual interruptions, at least until you need to take a selfie or make a video call. A standout feature of this powerful smartphone is its generous 6,600mAh battery, a reason why you’ll be able to forgive the heft. All-day battery life is already a given, and 80W charging reduced the downtime involved. Unfortunately, it also lacks wireless charging, which is already a staple on flagships like this. Whether it’s taking photos, gaming, or streaming media, the Nubia Z70S Ultra doesn’t disappoint and delivers a well-rounded experience. Sure, you might nitpick a few flaws here and there, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s still a well-balanced set of features wrapped in a package that will pull at the heartstrings of photographers. Sustainability It is becoming more common for premium flagships these days to boast more than just the usual IP68 dust and water resistance. With an additional IP69 certification, you’re phone is guaranteed to be safe from high-temperature, high-pressure water that may be accidentally sprayed on it. Of course, it’s still up to you to tempt fate, but when accidents do come knocking, you won’t need to panic. Unfortunately, you won’t find the other certifications often flaunted by more expensive models. You have a bit of scratch resistance and drop protection for the display glass, but that’s pretty much it. The phone will also run Nebula AIOS 1.5 out of the box, based on Android 15, and Nubia has so far been silent on the upgrade path for this newcomer. Value The Nubia Z70S Ultra has actually been out in the Chinese market for quite some time, but its global availability raises its value even further. After all, no matter how beautiful or powerful a product is, it holds no value if you can’t even hold it in your hands, let alone use it. Coming to countries around the world, including the US, the retro camera smartphone could very well be making waves in the international market. That deal is made even sweeter by a sub-$1,000 price tag, far lower than other smartphones with nearly equivalent capabilities. It’s still pretty mind-blowing how some brands can pull prices down significantly without compromising on the experience, making you feel like other companies are actually committing highway robbery. Of course, its unique design, lack of wireless charging, and 16MP front-facing camera might turn off a few people, but the Nubia Z70S Ultra definitely offers a lot more for most consumers. Verdict There was a time when smartphones were prophesied to displace digital cameras. Of course, that could hardly happen, perhaps except for the point-and-click camera market. Instead, smartphones have lowered the barrier to entry to digital photography, sometimes even leading to higher sales of digital cameras. Regardless, these devices have become accessible tools for creativity and communication, just as cameras changed the world. The Nubia Z70S Ultra pays respect to these trailblazers not only by embracing their unique aesthetics but also by delivering quality photos and videos. At the same time, however, it doesn’t push aside the rest of the smartphone features just to give way to those sensors and lenses. Be it for making memories, fighting your way to victory, or simply being productive, the Nubia Z70S Ultra offers an experience that is retro in looks but undeniably modern in performance. The post Nubia Z70S Ultra Review: A Nod To The Cameras That Changed The World first appeared on Yanko Design. Source: https://www.yankodesign.com/2025/05/13/nubia-z70s-ultra-review-a-nod-to-the-cameras-that-changed-the-world/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nubia-z70s-ultra-review-a-nod-to-the-cameras-that-changed-the-world #nubia #z70s #ultra #review #nod #cameras #changed #world