ZTE is one of those major Chinese manufacturers, which is widely known for its devices not only in China, but also internationally. What is more, their Nubia sub-brand is known for offering high quality for a price, which is lower than competitors like Apple or Samsung. In the past few years Nubia managed to prove that with the Z5 mini and Z7 mini smartphones, which received positive reviews. This time around, we have a just announced ZTE Nubia Z9 mini. Let us unbox it and our first impressions.

SPECS

As far as the specs go, the Nubia Z9 Mini goes into the upper mid-range devices category. It does not spot a top of the line chip, but Snapdragon 615 processor has proven to be an excellent choice in the this category. Also, it is a 64-bit chip and Nubia Z9 Mini uses this architecture to the full extent as it comes with the Android 5.0.2 out of the box. Other noticeable specs are the powerful cameras, huge battery and the Micro SD card slot.

UNBOXING

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The device comes in a black box, which has a minimal design. On the back of it you can find a list of basic specs and some info, which is, however, in Chinese.

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The first thing that comes out of the box is the smartphone itself. It was wrapped up in the plastic, but I removed it as I have the device for a few days already. If you take the top off, you will find a “drawer” embedded on its side. There is the place where the envelope containing SIM ejector tool and some instruction manuals are.

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Other contents include a nice flat micro USB charging/syncing cable. It spots the design similar to what we have already seen from the OnePlus. Anyway, it definitely looks and feels great and stands out from the crowd of usual cables that come out of the box.

Moreover, there is the US charging brick, which can be used anywhere in the world with a help of the adapter.

Overall, the whole presentation seems to be great and it is a pleasure to unbox all the contents. Everything seems to be made out of quality materials and is organised neatly.

THE DEVICE

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Once you first take the device into your hands, it feels like a solid piece of hardware, which has a great built quality. Also, since the device “only” has 5 inch display, it is a very compact smartphone.

Let’s start by taking a closer look at the front top. Here you can find and earpiece, proximity sensor and the 8MP snapper.

On the bottom there are typical Nubia-style capacitive keys. The programmable back and menu keys light up once you press it only. The home button at the middle has a signature Nubia pulsing effect once you press it. Moreover, it looks like it is always light up once you are outside since it has a red coating. You cannot say the same about the back and menu keys.

A great thing about these keys is that you can adjust its brightness (including auto mode) to either make it visible in the sunlight or make it dimmer to save power.

In addition, they are very responsive and convenient to use.

The device spots an alloy frame, which, however has a plasticky feeling coating on top of it. Not sure why Nubia made that, but most of the people would say it feels like plastic. On the other hand, it definitely feels sturdy and well made.

On the left you will find a dual Nano SIM cards slot. Since the manufacturer decided to implement Nano SIM card standard to be in the same league with the iPhone, you may need to cut your card if you are not using this type of card yet. The device supports 2G, 3G and 4G LTE bands with each band (GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2
CDMA 800; HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100; TD-SCDMA 1900 / 2000; LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500).

On the bottom you can find a speaker, mic and the micro USB charging port.

On the top of the device there is a secondary mic along with the headset jack.

On the right there is a volume rocker and the power on/off key. They are made out of metal and has a great tactile response.

The back plate is made out of plastic, but feels like glass. It is glossy and thus attracts fingerprints and smudges easily.

On the top left corner there is a 16MP shooter with a single LED flash. I have already taken some photos and it is one of the best shooters I’ve used in a while. Make sure to check out the full review and judge it by yourself.

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The back plate can be very easily removed. Under the hood you will find a micro SD card slot (up to 128GB). The battery, however, is not removable.

What I like about the back plate is that it is so easy to remove it, but once you put it back it stays firm.

THE DISPLAY

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The display on the Nubia Z9 Mini is bright, sharp and vivid. Also, the colour reproduction seems to be natural, but on a warmer side. A pleasant panel to look at. It is a bit reflective in the direct sunlight, but it may be due to the pre-installed screen protector. All in all, I’m happy about it as it spots usual positive aspects of quality LCD screens.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The first impressions are pretty good. The smartphone comes in a quite premium packaging and the presentation is really good. I would love to see a pair of headphones included, though. On the other hand, you receive a nicely made flat USB cable.

The device spots a nice design with a great build quality. Also, it is really compact as the screen has the size of 5 inches only. Moreover, the screen seems to be sharp and vivid, but a bit reflective in the direct sunlight.

All in all, the initial impressions are positive and I will share my in-depth review after I spend a bit more time with the device. Stay tuned!

In case you got interested in the device and can’t wait for the full review, you can buy ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini for €279.99 from Giztop.com.

The post ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini Unboxing and First Impressions appeared first on Gizmochina.

Yesterday, ZTE announced two new devices in its premium Nubia lineup, namely the ZTE Nubia Z9 Max phablet and the ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini. The Max features top of the line specs, which includes the fast Snapdragon 810 processor. Naturally, with high end specs, we expected a big score on AnTuTu and finally, we can officially confirm that we were not disappointed at all.

According to the image given above, the ZTE Nubia Z9 Max scores an amazing 56,892 points. This makes it one of the best smartphones in the market right now. We can also see the compact, ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini besides the Max, however, its score on AnTuTu is just average. Even with the octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, the device managed to score only 28,501 points. This is pretty disappointing given that the 64-bit MT6752 is capable of getting up to 40,000 points!

The ZTE Z9 Max comes with a full HD 5.5-inch display with 3GB RAM and 16GB of expandable ROM. It supports 4G LTE network and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop with Nubia 5.8 UI on top. As for the Z9 Mini, it comes with a smaller 5-inch display with full HD resolution, 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM, expandable via MicroSD.

Both the phones feature Dual SIM Dual standby and 4G LTE. You also have the same 16MP + 8MP cameras on these devices along with a 2900 mAh battery.

For more information about both the phones, check out our launch article.

So, now that you have the AnTutu score of the Z9 Max, are you impressed? Would you be willing to shell out $400 for the device?

FYI, both the models goes on sale in China starting April 16th.

The post The newly launched ZTE Nubia Z9 Max scores an amazing 56,892 on AnTuTu appeared first on Gizmochina.

Over the past few weeks, we have seen countless leaks about the upcoming ZTE Nubia Z9 Max and Z9 Mini. However, earlier today, the company made both the devices official at an event in China.

The Nubia Z9 Max and Mini are everything that we expected it to be. The Max was already showcased at MWC and we already had some official details about the device. This 5.5-inch phablet will come with the fast Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. This can be further expanded via MicroSD. Up front, you get a large 5.5-inch display with Full HD 1080p resolution.

At the back, there is a 16MP camera unit while at the front, you have a 8MP shooter. The phone boasts of quality Hi-Fi music experience with 7.1 surround sound, thanks to its AK4375 audio chip. For software, the ZTE Nubia Z9 Max runs on Android 5.0 with Nubia 2.8 UI on top.

The device looks extremely well built and premium with its titanium frame and thin alloy case with patterned glass at the back. Finally, a 2900 mAh battery powers the phone.

Like expected, ZTE also announced the ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini at the event. The phone features a similar design as the Max but its back can be replaced with a number of different textured shells including denim and wood. As for specs, the phone features a 5-inch full HD display with Snapdragon 615 octa-core SoC inside. This will be further backed by 2GB RAM and 16GB of expandable storage.

You get the same 16MP and 8MP camera combo on this compact device as the Max. Even the 2900 mAh battery is found on the ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini.

Overall, it looks like ZTE is targeting the premium market with both these devices. The ZTE Nubia Z9 Max is priced at 2499 Yuan ($400) while the smaller ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini is priced at 1499 Yuan i.e. $240. Both the devices will go on sale by April 16th.

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ZTE will announce the ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini, Z9 Max and the Z9 at an official event tomorrow. However, today, we already have the leaked images as well as specifications of both the models. This isn’t the first time we are hearing about the Z9 Max as the company had already shown off the device at MWC 2015. However, before today, we had only a handful of information about the ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini.

ZTE’s Nubia lineup has come a long way since its launch and the latest Z9 series features a new stylish design and top end specs to keep things interesting. We have already seen the Z9 Max in action and the design looked pretty good. Today’s leak confirms that the Z9 Mini will use the same design as the Max but in a smaller body. The ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini is a bit thicker than the Max, but just by 0.3mm. This is further justified by the battery onboard, which is the same 2900mAh capacity one found on the larger model.

Even though the phone bears the ‘Mini’ tag, it comes with capable hardware underneath. The device features the octa-core 64-bit Snapdragon 615 processor that’s currently used by most upper mid-range devices in the market. The processor is supported by 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM which is further expandable up to 128GB via MicroSD.

Since, this is the Z9 Mini, you get a compact 5-inch OGS display with full HD  1920 x 1080p resolution. There’s a 16MP camera at the back and an 8MP shooter at the front. As mentioned above, there will be a 2900 mAh battery, which is pretty great for a device of its size. Given that the phone is a part of the premium Nubia lineup, it will support all three Chinese carrier 4G networks namely China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom. As for software, the ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini will run on Android 5.0 version with the company’s Nubia v2.8 on top.

We already know most of the specs of the Z9 Max. It will sport the super fast Snapdragon 810 octa-core 64-bit processor with 3GB RAM and 16GB ROM which can be expandable. You get the same 16MP + 8MP camera combination as the Mini along with the 2900 mAh battery.

While its highly likely that the specs leaked by this source are bang on target, let me remind you that its still not official. Only after tomorrow’s launch can we confirm the specs and the features of the new ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini.

The post The ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini and Nubia Z9 max leaked a day before launch, specs revealed! appeared first on Gizmochina.

Its a new day, which means its time for another set of ZTE Nubia smartphone pictures. We have been consistently getting new leaks everyday since the past few days about the upcoming ZTE devices. While most of the leaked pictures of the Z9 show that the design language is in line with the Z9 Max, a couple of leaks show a totally different design. Today, there’s another leak which shows a metal body on one of the upcoming ZTE Z9 smartphone much like the one we saw a couple days back.

This particular image shows off a new metal body in a premium finish. It could be the rumored ZTE Nubia Z9 Plus which is expected to be announced at the event on March 26. Or it could be a totally new device (Z9 Mini?), but we aren’t sure of anything at the moment.

We can see the Nubia logo in the middle as well as the protruding camera on top. The size seems to be around 5-inches which is why we feel this could be the Z9 Mini but rumors say its the Z9 Plus. So, its best not to speculate the model name at the moment. Still, the design looks quite good, thanks to the metal back.

We still have no idea about the specs of this device, but hopefully, we will get more information at the event next week. Till then, all we can do is relish these beautiful images leaked.

So what do you think about this design? Do you prefer the leaked glass + metal design or the all metal design like this one?

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ZTE has an official event on March 26 where it will unveil a number of devices in the Z series lineup like the ZTE Nubia Z9 and the Z9 Max. While we patiently wait for the official announcement, the device was recently spotted on the AnTuTu benchmark test which revealed most of the important specs of the device.

The ZTE Nubia Z9 with the model number NX510J will reportedly feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB RAM. There will be a 5.2-inch display with a full HD 1080p resolution. The rear camera will be of 16MP while the front shooter of 5MP. Finally, the listing reveals that the phone will run on the latest Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update.

While the specs look high end, the older flagship model, i.e. the ZTE Nubia Z7 featured a 5.5-inch 2K display panel. So, it would make no sense for ZTE to bring down the size as well as the resolution on its successor.

Also, according to the picture leaked on Weibo by the Ubuntu team, the device which ran this test had thick bezels, which is the exact opposite of what recent leaks and rumors say about the ZTE Nubia Z9. Several images claiming to be the Z9 flagship revealed a bezel-less design. So, its very likely that this is a new model in the Z9 lineup, which could end up as the ZTE Nubia Z9 mini.

The company usually announces three different variants in the Z series and the specs is probably of the smaller Mini version.

Anyways, we will have to wait only for a few more days to get full details about the upcoming ZTE devices. So stay tuned.

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