ZTE showcased ZTE Nubia Z5s at MWC 2014. The smartphone is the successor of ZTE Nubia 5 and shares a resemblance with it in terms of body design. The phone looks fairy simple one at first glance and the highlight of Nubia Z5S is its 13 MP rear camera for which it also provides a dedicated shutter key and some interesting features in Camera App.
ZTE Nubia Z5S Quick Specs
- Display Size: 5 Inch Full HD IPS LCD, 1920 X 1080 , 441 PPI
- Processor: 2.3 GHz Quad Core Snapdragon 800 processor with Adreno 330 GPU
- RAM: 2 GB
- Software Version: Android 4.2 Jelly bean (Customized)
- Camera: 13 MP camera, LED flash, 4K Video Recording at 120 fps, Optical Image Stabilization, LED Flash
- Secondary Camera: 5 MP
- Internal Storage: 16 GB/ 32 GB
- External Storage: No
- Battery: 2300 mAh
- Connectivity: HSPA+, LTE optional, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, aGPS, Infrared
- sensors: Accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyro
ZTE Nubia 5S Hands on, Quick Review, Camera, Features and Overview HD at MWC 2014[Video]
Design and Build
The ZTE Nubia Z5S features a simple plastic-ky unibody design but in no way feels cheap in hand. With weight of 126 grams it is one of the lightest in its class and quite comfortable to hold in hand. What is disappointing is the glossy plastic back which will attract loads of finger prints and looks dated as well. The dual stereo speakers are also present on the back side. The camera bump you can see at the back is indicative of the Optical image stabilization hardware in the camera module for which ZTE has provided a dedicated key along the edges.
The display is 5 inches in size with very good viewing angles. You get all the crispness you can expect from a full HD 1080p panel and color calibration seemed ok. The 441 ppi IPS LCD display is made from IGZO technology, which makes it power efficient and more integrated at pixel level in theory. Overall a crisp display which won’t disappoint you, but definitely not the best that we have seen.
Camera and Internal Storage
The primary camera of this smartphone is something we like. The 13 MP shooter comes with Optical image stabilization and the shots are crisp. The camera App allows you to toggle separately with white balance, focus and exposure in pro mode.
It also offers a horizon on the view finder, which will be quite useful for those habituated to working with conventional cameras and is something that we like. The camera will support 4K, Full HD and HD recording at 120 fps! A front 5 MP shooter is also present but we didn’t get to examine it thoroughly.
You can choose from 32 GB/ 16 GB internal storage variants but you will have to remain content with that, there is no expandable storage in this uni-body smartphone.
Battery, OS and Chipset
The 2300 mAh non removable battery is maneuvered by power efficient performance beast – Snapdragon 800, with 2.3 GHz Quad core, 2 GB RAM and Adreno 330 GPU. The base operating system is Android 4.2 jelly bean but it suffers heavy customization. The Android skin is pretty un-inspiring and lacks App drawer. We will save our final opinion till we get to spend some more time with the device.
ZTE Nubia Z5S Photo Gallery
Conclusion
The phone does try to stand apart from other phones in its class like Gionee Elife E7, by providing something different in terms of camera. The competition is tough among Snapdragon 800 brethren with Nexus 5 drawing loads of attention. The glossy back cover ain’t helping either. The phone is expected to arrive in India in May 2014 and that’s quite a long time in tech ages. There is nothing essentially wrong with the device, but it will be tough sell if ZTE doesn’t price it right
