While gaming smartphones are a dime a dozen these days, when it comes to sub-RM1000 gaming phones, users are left with little options. Enter the nubia Neo 5G, which boasts a midrange Unisoc T820 chipset, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, at an attractive price of RM899.
Table of Contents
nubia Neo 5G – Specifications
| Model | nubia Neo 5G |
| Dimensions | 163.7 x 75 x 8 mm |
| Weight | 192g |
| Processor | CPU: Unisoc T820 GPU: Mali-G57 |
| RAM | 8GB + 10GB RAM Expansion |
| Storage | 256GB |
| Display | 6.6″ IPS 1080 x 2408 pixels 120Hz |
| Camera (Front) | 8 MP, f/2.0 |
| Camera (Rear) | Main Camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, PDAF Depth Camera: 2 MP |
| Operating System | Android 13 |
| Battery and Charging | 4,500 mAh 22.5W wired charging |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 5.2 NFC GPS |
| Biometrics | Side mounted fingerprint reader, face unlock |
What’s In The Box?
- nubia Neo 5G
- Protective case
- USB Type-C charging cable
- 22.5W charger
- Documentation
Design
The nubia Neo 5G looks like an ordinary budget phone from the front. Flip it around however, you are greeted by an industrial sci-fi design at the back, which is available in Phantom Black and War Damaged Yellow colour schemes. Completing the back is the dual camera, arranged in a dual ring layout.
The buttons are located at the right side, with the power button doubling as a fingerprint reader. The SIM tray, USB Type-C port and 3.5mm jack are all located at the bottom. The front features a 6.6″ display with a teardrop style selfie camera notch.
Display
The nubia Neo 5G boasts a 6.6″ IPS display with a FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. While the contrast ratio is mediocre due to the panel technology, it is quite impressive that ZTE can offer a fast refresh rate at this price point.
While you don’t get any fancy features like HDR10+ rating or DCI-P3 colour gamut, what you get is a fast and responsive visual experience while gaming.
Audio
The audio on this device is a mixed bag. You only get a single downward firing speaker, and while it can get loud, it gets muddy at higher volumes. Fortunately, it does come with a 3.5mm headphone jack, so gamers can plug in their favourite gaming earbuds to compensate for the lack of stereo.
Camera
The smartphone is equipped with a dual camera setup, with a 50 megapixel main camera and a 2 megapixel depth camera. This means only the main camera will be used for imaging purposes.
Image quality is however, not great. Under good lighting, it can take usable photos with decent amounts of dynamic range and sharpness. However, in some cases, the colours look washed out, and low-light and autofocus performance is not great.
Performance
Benchmarks
| Geekbench 6 | CPU Single Core – 886 CPU Multi-Core – 2,386 GPU – 2,199 |
| 3DMark Wild Life | 2,066 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 12,704 |
Gaming
The nubia Neo 5G also comes with Game Space, a software suite that optimises the phone’s gaming performance automatically. You can also select performance modes according to how power hungry your game is.
Actual gaming performance is surprisingly decent, as long as you have reasonable expectations. The nubia Neo 5G can handle most game titles at medium settings, including Asphalt 9, MLBB and Punishing Gray Raven. On Genshin Impact, it does struggle a bit, but I managed to get it running at 30 fps using a customised low-medium setting.
Battery Life
Powering the nubia Neo 5G is a 4,500mAh battery. While it is not the largest in this segment, it is plenty for moderate use, as I could get more than a day’s worth of battery life.
You also get 22.5W fast charging, which is good enough for most cases, though it could take more than an hour to get to full charge.
Final Verdict
3.5 / 5The nubia Neo 5G offers a decent gaming experience for those on a budget.
When it comes to budget smartphones, oftentimes compromises have to be made. Fortunately, the nubia Neo 5G is hyper-focused on the gaming crowd, and thus made the correct sacrifices in order to wring out as much gaming performance as possible.
If you are on a tight budget, and only cares about mobile gaming at large, then the nubia Neo 5G could be a tantalising option.
