Nubia Z70S Ultra Photographer’s Edition: A Distinctive Flagship

Nubia returns with a half-generation upgrade—the Z70S Ultra Photographer’s Edition. The company has been teasing its core selling points for a while. Compared to the Z70 Ultra, it brings hardware upgrades in imaging and battery, as well as a retro-style design that pays tribute to classic vintage cameras.

The Only True Full-Screen Phone with a Unique Design Language

If you're tired of the rounded and repetitive look of today’s “Ultra” phones, the Z70S Ultra Photographer’s Edition might be the refreshing change you need. This device embraces a more angular and squared design with minimal curvature—limited to the four corners of its frame. It also features extremely narrow black bezels, with the thinnest edge just 1.25mm wide, according to Nubia. Coupled with seventh-generation under-display camera technology, the front appears as one seamless, uninterrupted screen.

Traditionally, true full-screen phones compromised resolution for better under-display camera visuals, often capped at 1080p. However, Nubia’s latest flagships (including RedMagic) now boast 1.5K resolution screens with 144Hz refresh rates—achieving both immersive display quality and true full-screen design. Starting from the Z50 Ultra, Nubia has consistently applied this unique, boxy, business-style design and remains the only brand offering a mature, full-screen solution.

The under-display camera remains invisible in most lighting conditions, revealing itself only in extremely dim environments. With AI-enhanced algorithms, front-facing selfies are now more usable than ever. Compared to the previous Z70 Ultra, the Photographer’s Edition has a noticeably updated back cover composed of dual-texture glass. One of the textures is “leather-textured glass,” created through laser etching—offering a distinctive tactile experience.

In addition to the standard power and volume keys, the device includes a two-stage switch and a traditional dual-stage physical shutter button—half-press to focus, full-press to shoot. This tactile design adds a sense of ceremony reminiscent of vintage cameras.

Put simply, if you’re bored with mainstream Ultra phone aesthetics, the Z70S Ultra Photographer’s Edition is genuinely worth considering. As 2025 brings increasing convergence in flagship phone design and experience, Nubia stands out as one of the few brands daring enough to pursue true differentiation.

35mm Pioneer, Beyond One-Inch Sensors, Rich Filter Play

Nubia also differentiates itself with its imaging capabilities. A highlight is the 5th-generation 35mm high-end optical lens. Nubia first introduced a native 35mm main camera with the Z40 series. Now, other brands are following suit—like the vivo X200 Ultra, which also adopts a 35mm equivalent main camera. Nubia’s President, Ni Fei, has long praised the 35mm focal length and hopes it becomes an industry standard.

A 35mm lens requires more space, making it hard to pair with large sensors due to smartphone thickness constraints. While a wide aperture helps achieve one-inch-like light intake, the 1/1.56" sensor still has its limits. Therefore, Nubia upgraded to a custom Omnivision Light & Shadow Master 990 sensor with a larger 1/1.3" area—on par with vivo’s top flagship sensors. The 35mm focal length is beloved for its human-centric storytelling perspective and minimal edge distortion.

Unlike traditional cropped main cameras, the Z70S Ultra Photographer’s Edition uses the full sensor with its 35mm lens. Paired with a large aperture, it delivers natural shallow depth-of-field purely via optics. Whether day or night, HDR kicks in efficiently, with quick post-processing.

The camera UI emphasizes professional features, displaying focal lengths instead of zoom ratios. The default photo mode uses a 24mm crop from the ultra-wide lens, and you can choose which lens third-party apps default to—thoughtful detail. Nubia’s default colors lean toward high saturation, with some sharpening and smudging present, but overall, the results are pleasing. Perhaps the most fun lies in the filters, especially in the “street photography” mode. If built-in filters aren't enough, you can import third-party ones, giving you full creative control.

The flagship-grade periscope telephoto and ultra-wide lenses perform well, with the former supporting close focus up to 15cm. Thanks to AI, each special imaging mode recognizes scenes and adjusts settings automatically—sunsets, night skies, and more are signature strengths in Nubia’s camera suite. The Photographer’s Edition continues Nubia’s philosophy of creating differentiated imaging flagships. The 35mm lens, now paired with a larger sensor, achieves improved dynamic range and broader scene adaptability.

Nubia essentially treats the imaging flagship as a retro camera, offering artistic, stylized, film-inspired visuals. If you’re into CCD-like, film camera aesthetics, this “niche” approach might just be the most fun you can have with a phone camera.

Solid Performance & Battery Life – A True Ultra That Doesn’t Compromise

Ultra flagships usually compromise thermal performance or battery size to accommodate heavy imaging hardware. As a result, even with top-tier chips, performance is often conservatively tuned, and battery sizes limited. Not so with the Z70S Ultra Photographer’s Edition—it aims for it all. It includes the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Edition and a massive 6600mAh battery—the largest among Ultra phones.

Performance-wise, in a 30-minute gaming test with Wuthering Waves (5G + ultra graphics), the phone averaged 60 FPS with minimal frame drops. CPU activity remained high, and while the middle frame area got warm from sustained high load, the device maintained brightness and performance throughout—a rare feat for an imaging-focused Ultra phone.

Charging supports 80W wired, fully topping up in about 46 minutes. Interestingly, the charging curve is similar to other phones but retains around 30W even during trickle charging—one reason for the faster total charge time. Nubia’s long-standing “charging separation” feature minimizes heat during charging while in use. It also includes a C-to-C cable and supports high-power PD standards—charging compatibility is excellent.

On the software side, the latest Nebula AIOS 1.5 includes upgraded AI features, tightly integrated with the DeepSeek large model. You get features like long-press navigation bar for smart assistance, AI screen Q&A, and more. The OS feels smooth and responsive. Nubia’s deep system-level optimization is solid, though the overall visual and interaction system could use some refinement to become a truly top-tier custom OS.

Conclusion: A Unique & Well-Rounded Ultra Flagship

In a world where smartphones increasingly look and feel the same, it's rare to find a product that genuinely stands out. Whether it's performance, design, or imaging, the Nubia Z70S Ultra Photographer’s Edition distinguishes itself across the board. In some areas, it even outperforms mainstream Ultra models.

Importantly, it doesn’t compromise on key hardware: under-display fingerprint sensor, dual speakers, full-featured NFC, X-axis linear motor—all are present. Nubia’s uniqueness isn’t just a gimmick—it’s grounded in thoughtful design and technical competence.

So, is it worth buying? That depends on how much you crave uniqueness. This is a distinctive yet well-balanced “Ultra” phone. With generations of proprietary tech and consistency in innovation, Nubia continues to lead mobile imaging forward with hardcore tech and unshakable vision.