Nubia Z80 Ultra Review: True Full-Screen Flagship with Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

A front face without any holes is the ultimate form of a true full-screen display, but unfortunately the vast majority of phone manufacturers are still insisting on punch-hole screens, and this practice of "patching" the screen makes those perfectionists with OCD feel like there's a bone stuck in their throat.

Fortunately, there are always lone wolves in the market, and Nubia is that solitary brave one who has been stubbornly pushing true full-screen displays for ten years without wavering. Nubia's true full-screen technology has been iterated and updated many times, and can be said to be the most mature and most presentable solution in the industry at present.

And the current Nubia Z80 Ultra, equipped with the fifth-generation Snapdragon 8 Supreme Edition chip, is absolutely a super-value choice for friends who want to experience pure visuals and refuse to put up with screen blemishes. This phone is not just about making the screen flat and full — it is more like an "unevenly gifted all-rounder" that stacks performance, imaging, and battery life all the way to the ceiling.

The most stunning aspect of the Nubia Z80 Ultra in terms of appearance is undoubtedly that 6.85-inch BOE X10 light-emitting material AMOLED flexible flat screen without any obstruction. It adopts seventh-generation under-display camera technology, achieving a truly hole-free, notch-free display. The moment you light up the screen, that borderless visual impact of a screen-to-body ratio breaking through 95% is enough to instantly make all punch-hole screens pale in comparison. In order to make the under-display area unobtrusive, Nubia has optimized the pixel arrangement, and in daily use the camera is like wearing an invisibility cloak, and its existence is almost imperceptible.

In terms of screen quality, the resolution reaches the 1.5K level, supporting 144Hz adaptive refresh rate and 3000Hz instantaneous touch sampling rate, scrolling is smoother than a hot knife through butter. Peak brightness of 2000 nits paired with 2592Hz high-frequency PWM dimming.

In terms of performance, the Nubia Z80 Ultra is equipped with the fifth-generation Snapdragon 8 Supreme Edition processor manufactured by TSMC's 3nm process, and is on the same performance level as phones in the same tier — there is no need to elaborate further on this point.

The imaging system is another killer feature of this phone. Rather than blindly following trends in focal lengths like other phones, it insists on a unique 35mm humanistic main camera. The 50-megapixel Guangying Dashi 990 sensor has a super-large 1/1.13-inch sensor size, with simple composition and prominent subjects. The ultrawide lens uses a 50-megapixel OV50E sensor, supporting 5.5cm macro shooting, with even flower stamens clearly visible at close range. The 64-megapixel OV64B periscope telephoto is also a powerhouse, supporting 3.5x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom. As for the 16-megapixel under-display front camera, although it supports 4K 60fps video recording, its detail performance in low light is indeed inferior to traditional punch-hole screens — this counts as a small price paid for the stunning appearance.

In terms of battery performance, the Nubia Z80 Ultra has a built-in silicon-carbon anode battery as large as 7200mAh — heavy use for a day and a half is absolutely no problem, and when going on a long trip you can even leave the charger at home. The charging configuration is also quite generous, supporting 90W wired fast charging that can replenish 50% in 10 minutes, and even provides 80W wireless fast charging and 10W wireless reverse charging — this combination makes battery anxiety a thing of the past entirely.

In terms of design and details, Nubia has also put in a lot of thought. It comes in Phantom Black, Condensed Light White, a Starry Sky Collector's Edition, and a Luo Tianyi Limited Edition with anime concentration cranked to the max. The metal mid-frame paired with a 3D curved-edge glass back panel gives a full premium feel, but the 227g weight and 8.6mm thickness are indeed a bit heavy in the hand, and your wrist may protest slightly after holding it for a long time. Fortunately it supports IP68 and even IP69K level dust and water resistance — even if it falls into a basin of water, you can fish it out, wipe it off, and keep using it. In addition, the 3D ultrasonic fingerprint unlock is extremely fast and wet fingers do not affect it. The side of the body retains a dedicated physical shutter button and a fully customizable key that feel ceremonious, along with stereo dual speakers, X-axis linear motor, full-featured NFC and infrared remote control — not a single practical feature has been cut.

Taking everything into account, the Nubia Z80 Ultra is not a mediocre balanced phone, but a hardcore flagship full of personality. It uses the most mature under-display technology to give users back a clean visual world. Although it is a bit heavy and the front selfie camera is not exactly top-tier, if you are tired of the monotonous punch-hole screens everywhere and are pursuing the ultimate complete visual experience and a powerful hardware foundation, then the Nubia Z80 Ultra is absolutely the freshest and most non-conformist force in the market.