an elite tier gaming phone in a sleek disguise

In the event you’re searching for a little bit of oomph over the Nubia Z60 Extremely Main Model, then its amped-up cousin, the Nubia Z60S Professional is the improve you’re doubtless searching for. Outfitted with a stunning show, vital battery life, and another nifty tips, Nubia’s newest entry into the flagship market is a powerful competitor. However is it well worth the notable $569 price ticket?

It’s some huge cash for anybody to shell out on a brand-new cell phone, however what you’ll discover is that Nubia isn’t simply competing with the large canine like Google Pixel or Samsung, nevertheless it’s taking the rug out from beneath them too. With that stated, does the Nubia Z60S Professional have what it takes to discover a place among the many finest Android telephones of 2024? Be part of us as we break it down beneath.

Value and availability

The Nubia Z60S Professional is on the market in three totally different configurations, every of them providing numerous storage will increase as you ascend additional up the value bracket. In the event you’re questioning what your choices are, we’ve included them beneath:

Undecided what coloration you’d like? The Nubia Z60S Professional is on the market in Black, Aqua, or White colorways. It’s a restricted selection for now, however all of them look exceptionally trendy. For this assessment, Nubia despatched us the Black variant of the Nubia Z60S Professional. 

Specs

Options and software program

Similar to the Nubia Z60 Extremely Main Model, the Nubia Z60S Professional comes with the producer’s personal MyOS 14.0 pre-installed. This specific Android pores and skin evokes the identical form of simplicity you’d discover in Apple’s newest iOS replace, and that’s the place it shines the very best. Approachability is the secret right here, as MyOS 14.0 is all about tailoring your expertise proper all the way down to the granular particulars. Meaning customization is a breeze to tinker with, whether or not I’m resizing and re-ordering apps or integrating totally different widgets into my dwelling display screen setup. Talking of apps, we had been pleased to search out that, identical to the Z60 Extremely Main Model, the Z60S Professional doesn’t lavatory itself in ineffective bloatware. 

Not a fan of the swiping animation that takes you between every web page of your format? You may change that. Navigating by the telephone’s menus and activating apps is a joyful expertise, and it will get much more particular once you issue within the Z60S Professional’s unique bodily sliding key. This operates in the identical means that the iPhone 15’s motion button does, and you should use it to remap quite a few actions. Personally, I’m a fan of utilizing it to allow silent mode, because it is useful once I’m within the cinema. And let’s face it, I’m there rather a lot. Nevertheless, this button shall be by default set to activate the Z60S Professional’s digital camera.

I did wrestle with the Z60S Professional’s fingerprint recognition usually, although. This is a matter we bumped into with the Z60 Extremely Main Model, and sadly, it’s simply as awkward right here. I ended up remapping my designated finger a number of occasions to get across the preliminary challenge, after a number of awkward makes an attempt of placing my fingers into unusual angles to set off a display screen unlock. Within the grand scheme of issues, it’s an in any other case small blemish on a sturdy person expertise.

Design

That is the place Nubia actually begins to flex its prowess within the flagship enviornment. The Nubia Z60S Professional is a surprising handset. Albeit significantly extra cumbersome than every other cell phone you’ll have used earlier than. Accessible in Black, Aqua, and White colorways, I’ve been spending time with the Black Z60S Professional, and it’s significantly glossy. That is the place that $569 price ticket is strengthened, with an successfully minimalist design that evokes fashion with out screaming it to the excessive heavens. The place it’d stump you, because it did myself throughout on a regular basis escapades with it, is the form of the chassis itself.

The Nubia Z60S Professional may supply rounded edges, however that is in the end a really rectangular machine. It’s extra akin to one thing just like the iPhone 15 Professional Max when it comes to scale and overcomes the latter’s 6.68-inch display screen with a bump as much as 6.78 inches. It may not seem to be rather a lot, however dimension can matter. Whereas the larger type issue does take some getting used to in case your present handset is one thing smaller just like the iPhone 15 or the Samsung Galaxy S24, I did come to understand the additional actual property whereas streaming video content material or enjoying video games. 

Show

Out of all of the options that the Nubia Z60S Professional boasts, the telephone’s show may take the crown for the spotlight. Outfitted with an AMOLED Longxi glass show, the Z60S Professional’s decision presents a pleasingly crisp 2000×1260 excessive decision for all of your endeavors. This show is vivid too, with a notable peak brightness of 1,500 nits. Every side of this spectacular display screen is put to the take a look at.

Throughout my night YouTube catch-up periods, the whole lot I threw on the Z60S Professional appeared excellent, with nice readability, correct colours, and balanced distinction. You may change these points to your liking within the telephone’s settings menu, however the Z60S Professional’s default settings do the trick simply nice. For me, the 120Hz refresh charge is a characteristic that needs to be commonplace on any flagship telephone lately. It’s nice to see Nubia carried out right here, giving me delightfully clean visuals whereas utilizing apps or throughout prolonged gaming periods whereas enjoying visually intense titles like Name of Obligation Cellular. Fortunately, the Nubia Z60S Professional’s battery can sustain with the efficiency demand. 

Digital camera

It isn’t a shock that the Nubia Z60S Professional’s digital camera is unbelievable, to be trustworthy. Nubia has been crushing it on this division for some time now, and identical to the Z60 Extremely Main Model, the Z60S Professional delivers on the promise of its tech’d out lenses. Adorned with a triple-lens configuration, Nubia refers to it because the Cosmic Ring design.

You’ll get to change a 50MP ultra-wide lens (with macro capabilities), a 35mm prime digital camera lens, and the 80mm telephoto lens for these snaps at a distance. In the event you’re aware of a selfie, then the 16MP front-facing digital camera will get the job finished.

The 50 MP ultra-wide lens is nothing lower than strong, however I’m usually desirous to experiment with different focal lengths on the wide-angle scale, and the Z60S Professional’s 13mm output satisfies that itch. Whereas I’m hardly on the extent of Emmanuel Lubezki or Roger Deakins with regards to my pictures expertise, now we have to commend the Z60S Professional’s sharpness, whether or not it capturing my guitar or a cheeky Neo Funko Pop! determine.

Even with out good lighting or the grace of golden hour to fall again on, you’ll wrestle to take a ‘unhealthy’ picture on this. For these of you accustomed to utilizing DSLRs, there’s a Professional possibility that lets you attempt manually altering the main target, white stability, and extra. Echoing the flexibility of MyOS 14.0 on the house display screen, the telephone’s digital camera is filled with numerous choices, providing you with an enormous arsenal of strategies to seize that good second.

Nevertheless, I’ll observe that photographs get a Nubia watermark by default, so don’t neglect to show that off within the settings menu. Whereas taking movies, I’ll at all times be pleased to make the most of 4K 120fps the place potential, however if you wish to attempt one thing wild, the Nubia Z60S Professional boasts 8K 30fps recording performance. 

Efficiency

Counting on the energy of a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the Z60S Professional isn’t messing round with regards to efficiency. Utilizing social media apps like X barely drinks any of the telephone’s juice, and communication apps like WhatsApp or Fb Messenger aren’t desirous to zap any of it both. Extra intensive calls for, like recording fixed video clips for prolonged durations of time, can dig into your energy, nevertheless it isn’t something uncommon.

Whereas Nubia might need dressed it up as an appropriate competitor to the likes of the very best Samsung telephones and finest Google Pixel telephones on the market, I reckon that the Z60S Professional will discover a dwelling as a fierce addition to the very best gaming telephones roster. Demanding FPS video games like Name of Obligation Cellular, Name of Obligation: Warzone Cellular, and Enviornment Breakout run with no hitch.

Visually chaotic moments like Zombies mode in COD Cellular don’t give the Nubia Z60S Professional something to fret about, dealing with every wave of elevated on-screen mayhem with no indication of breaking a sweat. It actually goes the additional mile as a gaming machine, and with extra triple-A titles heading to handheld units in current months, I’m assured that the Z60S Professional is prepared for the problem.

I linked my controller to the telephone too, totally settling into the expertise. As it will possibly simply deal with a few of the extra demanding free cell video games on the market, you’ll by no means want to fret about enjoying video games that require barely any horsepower, like Marvel Snap. The Nubia Z60S Professional naturally will get a bit heat throughout extended gaming periods, nevertheless it’s by no means something to trigger concern. And that extends to the telephone’s battery, too. 

Battery

I’m continuously astounded by the Nubia Z60S Professional’s battery. After I first booted up the telephone, it sat round 54% cost and claimed it may final for 48 hours. And it meant it. With some informal utilization and some bursts of gaming, I left the Z60S Professional’s battery to empty over the following two days. Even when it obtained all the way down to the wire, the telephone’s 5,100 mAh stood on enterprise. It’s a slight downgrade compared to the Z60 Extremely Main Model’s 6,000 mAh battery, nevertheless it doesn’t imply it’ll allow you to down. It has been placing my trusty iPhone 15 Professional to disgrace in some respects, usually outlasting it throughout my day-to-day utilization.

Accompanied by 80W quick cost handiness, I used to be capable of seize myself a full cost in just below an hour utilizing the plug and USB-C supplied within the telephone’s field. It doesn’t match the tempo of one thing just like the OnePlus 12, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a substantial feat to juice up your handset this shortly. 

Do you have to purchase the Nubia Z60S Professional?

In the event you’re searching for the simplicity of an iPhone handset however with out the $1000 worth connected to it, then you definitely’ll discover what you’re searching for by taking a visit into the land of Android with the Nubia Z60S Professional.

Whereas it presents the standard gauntlet of flagship smartphone options with its versatile digital camera and wonderful efficiency, Nubia’s aggressive edge is discovered inside the beautiful AMOLED show and stunning competence on the gaming entrance. Its type issue could also be a stumbling block for a lot of to beat initially, however when the options are this spectacular at this worth level, it’s a side we’re keen to beat. 

Alternate options

In the event you’re not fairly positive whether or not the Nubia Z60S Professional is for you, listed below are some options to think about:

Nubia Z60 Extremely Main Model

The Z60S Professional is complimented by the Z60 Extremely Main Model, which comes geared up with a number of cheeky enhancements over the Z60S Professional with regards to the battery and efficiency, however you’ll be buying and selling colorway selection for simply Black or Silver. For extra on this one, try our Nubia Z60 Extremely Main Model assessment.

OnePlus 12R

The OnePlus 12 will stretch your pockets a bit additional, nevertheless it’s one other sturdy decide, we expect. It’s extra snug chassis is interesting for these of you choosing the shape issue as a call maker. Nevertheless, it nearly matches the Nubia Z60S Professional with regards to the specs. For the complete lowdown, see our OnePlus 12R assessment.