Smartphone ZTE Nubia Z17S 8 (64GB and 128GB) - advantages and disadvantages

The production of smartphones does not stand still, every year several dozen of them are produced, whether they are inexpensive or mid-priced phones. However, flagships don't roll off the assembly line every day.

ZTE Nubia Z17S released last year is called "almost a flagship". For a modern design, powerful hardware and a reliable case. There are small errors, but they do not prevent the smart from proudly occupying its niche in the rating of quality devices.

The company, following the trends of popular models, has also introduced its own distinctive features into the gadget. The result is a black monoblock covered with oleophobic glass with aluminum inserts, a red border around the lens of the main camera and a proprietary home button.

The device is pleasant to the touch, cold and tenacious. It sits well in the palm of your hand, not too thin, not very heavy and there is no possibility of slipping, but it is difficult to operate it with one hand.

The filling of the glass-metal monolith is quite impressive. A productive processor, considerable RAM and a smart fingerprint scanner. Available in 6GB + 64GB and 8GB + 128GB models. The difference between them is in power, capacity and, accordingly, in price.

Specifications

The phone is distinguished by very strong parameters, it is characterized by an almost frameless screen, a strong single-chip system and an extraordinary appearance. Cool dual module camera and support for all modern technologies of 2018. The performance of the filling is just perfect for weighty games.

Equipment

First of all, the eye falls on a matte, pleasant to the touch box made of thick cardboard. Black and velvety with a bright red logo in the center. The kit in it is the most common:

• Documentation in several languages;
• Protective rubber cover;
• Quick Charge 3 charging;
• USB Type-C cable, cord length - 1 m;
• Headset;
• Adapter with USB to 3.5 mm.

What you should pay attention to is the absence of a standard 3.5 mm jack, listening to music in ordinary headphones only through the supplied adapter. Supports fast charging mode and standard - Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0.

The quality of the components of the accessories is typical of the flagships, everything is neatly folded and twisted. Also worth noting is the tightly folded cord with thick insulation and a comfortable cross-sectional profile.

Another disadvantage is the Chinese plug, you will have to look for a standard adapter in the store, since they are "sea", and the price is low. But this fact spoiled the reviews a little, we hope it will not affect the popularity of the models.

Design

The appearance of the devices was so impressive that the question of which smart company is better in design disappears by itself. A beautiful screen covered with 2.5 D oleophobic glass, occupying almost the entire front panel, a selfie camera with a flash and a speaker are beautifully located above. Three touch buttons are located under it. Red illuminated home button to match the edging around the rear camera module. The combination of black and red is stylish and extraordinary. The sides and back panel are metal.

The sides are adorned with standard details: the volume and power buttons on the right, the dualSIM slot on the left. On the top there is a microphone and antenna, on the bottom - a speaker, USB and main microphone.

The dual module of the rear camera is decorated with a red bezel, located in the upper and right corner of the rear edge of the candy bar. Below is a fingerprint scanner and a metal logo underneath. Model and manufacturer are indicated in small letters below.

Carriages and all connectors are cut in very high quality, running your fingers along the sides, nothing puffs up, everything is smooth. But unlike many flagships, the device is not waterproof. Therefore, you should not drown your phone in a puddle and use it in heavy rain.

Screen

The display looks nice and unusual thanks to the removed side bevels. The edges are not curved, but due to the 2.5 D glass, the illusion of a curved screen is created. Close inspection reveals narrow rainbow stripes along the edges. In principle, they are not striking and should not interfere.

Matrix IPS, diagonal - 5.5 inches, resolution 1920 × 1080 pixels. The pixel density per inch is 403 ppi. The colors are rich and vibrant, the viewing angles are good. White and black do not change shades when changing the viewing angle.

The brightness adjustment range is not the widest, but with the possibility of convenient adjustment of the color temperature control, you can change the brightness for comfortable viewing in the sun. The blue saturation mode is ideal for night viewing to rest your eyes.

Iron functional

Far from budget smartphones Nubia Z17S are equipped with truly not frail hardware. We will sharpen our attention on the eight-core Snapdragon 835 processor. Split into two pairs of four cores. The first four with a frequency of 2.35 GHz, the second - 1.9 GHz. Parallel cores do a better job with heavy tasks.

The RAM is not small compared to some expensive phones. Manufacturers offer gadgets to choose from, with 6 or 8 GB of RAM. Built-in memory is also a choice - 64 or 128 GB.

For active and heavy games, the gadget is just perfect. Testing it under high load, it produced very high fps and maximum graphics - 45-60 frames per second. Surprisingly, for an hour of playing at maximum resolution, it warmed up by 36 degrees.

Let's tell gamblers and lovers of complex graphic applications right away: it will perfectly satisfy their selection criteria.

Software and interface

Installed Android 7.1.1 Nougat system, update to 8.0 never came. Above is the Nubia UI 5.0 shell, which has its own pleasant design, which I liked more than the standard Google one. I was disappointed by the terrible translation into Russian, periodic glitches and program crashes. This is not serious for a device at such a considerable price. Hopefully the update will fix this bug.

On the positive side, it is worth noting the ease of operation and the various available functions. Due to manufacturers dropping support for google, play market, gmail and google storage apps will not work.

Fast unlocking via fingerprint. In addition to it, the sensor protects access to hidden information. Edge gestures allow you to quickly adjust the brightness of an image.

The function of duplicating individual applications, especially mail and social networks, is attractive. Helps separate privacy from work life. But it is automatically activated only if there are two SIM cards.

Camera

In addition to high performance, Nubia Z17S has decent photo modules. The shots, in general, are juicy, realistic and with good detail.

With the introduction of modern trends on dual lenses, as befits a flagship, the rear camera has a dual photo module.The first lens with a resolution of 23 Mpx and an aperture of 2.0, the second with the same aperture, but a resolution of 16 Mpx, and a wider field of view. The 23MP lens can be said to be tuned for good portraits, macro shots and sunset shots, while the 16MP wide-angle lens is tuned for group photos.

It is worth noting a powerful LED flash, phase detection autofocus, double zoom and bokeh effect. All functions are easy to find in the settings; even a beginner can figure it out. I was pleased with the presence of the Pro Mode with 16 presets. I will note two cool features: Star Trail, with it you can shoot the movement of stars and 3D modeling of an object that is created when you shoot it from all sides.

A small drawback of the camera is the lack of stabilization. For a clear image, you need to hold the smartphone confidently, in case of a shaking hand, the photo may blur a little.

Daylight shots are of high quality, and even in cloudy weather, but at night the photos come out noisy, as focus and sharpness drops. How the main camera takes pictures can be seen below:

An example of a daytime photo:

How to photograph at night:

Front 16 Mpx camera with 1.8 aperture, takes stunning selfies. It seems that this model was created specifically for selfies. The viewing angle is wide. It is a pity that the module is not double, like in Samsung A8, but it can shoot no worse.

The only thing that I really did not like was the crammed watermarks on the pictures at the default setting.

When it comes to video, the ability to record in 4K and at 30 frames per second really hit the spot. On the rollers, there is excellent detail and color rendition, the quality is not strong in the evening, but it drops. The lack of stabilization indicates a violation of the clarity of the picture, with any movement.

Autonomy

Non-removable battery with a capacity of 3000 mAp. The device in the middle mode will work for a day without recharging, if you load it with games, the autonomy will last no more than 12-18 hours. For 1 hour on the Internet and watching videos, the charge dropped by 8%, and games - by 12%.

A fully discharged battery will charge 100% in 1 hour and 20 minutes, 25% in 10 minutes, 65% in 40 minutes and 85% in 1 hour. This model is the only ZTE that supports the Quick Charge 4 mode, which reduces the charging time by 10%.

Sound

When new items are released with improved qualities, that's great. The manufacturers decided to improve the speaker on the Z17S. We have a loud speaker with clear and detailed sound. The transition of the upper and lower boundaries is clearly audible, without wheezing and background. This allows you to watch movies and video clips without headphones.

But in headphones, the sound is better and more balanced. Although many worried about the lack of a dedicated audio chip. But there is no standard 3.5 mm jack, a mini-jack is included, which you will have to carry with you. The wireless headphone alternative is nice. After all, in any case, listening to music and charging the phone at the same time will not work.

Price

In the summer, the company announced the release of the ZTE Nubia Z17S, a model with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of ROM came out with a cost of $ 450, 6 and 128 GB - $ 550. For an almost flagship, the price, you see, is too high.

At the moment in Russia the average price for 6 + 64 GB is 33,700 rubles, for 8 + 128 GB - 40,000 rubles. How much does 6 + 128 GB cost, they do not yet say, models with such a configuration have not yet gone on sale.

The question of where it is profitable to buy such a device is difficult to answer unequivocally, we trust the official online stores more. Prices may be slightly higher, but the purchase transaction is safer. Therefore, the advice is to purchase gadgets from trusted online suppliers.

Advantages and disadvantages

Before choosing a smartphone, you need to consider its strengths and weaknesses, the main qualities will be listed below:

• Powerful processor;
• Robust and reinforced monoblock;
• Stylish and at the same time original appearance;
• Professional shots with good aperture;
• Fast response of the fingerprint sensor;
• Clear sound and loud enough;
• Large amount of RAM.

• Lack of 3.5 mm jack and standard plug;
• Blocked google software package;
• Lack of stabilization in cameras.

Before completing the review, let's quickly go over the characteristics and qualities of the phone. The block looks luxurious and expensive. The frameless screen adds charm to the gadget. The body is not easily soiled and pleasant to the touch, the device does not slip in the hands. All the connectors and the carriage are cut right in, no crevices or notches were found. All this speaks of the high build quality.

The package bundle is also not lame. A box made of thick cardboard, tightly twisted cord, candy bar, adapter and minijack. Upset by the lack of a standard connector, the adapter is certainly a good thing, but you will have to carry it with you and be afraid of losing it. The charging adapter is also upset, the standard Chinese plug and adapter must be purchased separately.

Performance is the strength of the Nubia Z17S. For gamers and fans of resource programs, it is ideal. And the power of the iron will last for a long time. In this regard, there is even no doubt which model is better to buy.

The cameras, in general, are also fine. Good aperture and light sensitivity. The LED flash allows you to take good pictures even at night. 4K video recording capability. But the lack of stabilization spoils the quality, alas.

The software leaves much to be desired, the shell is crude and with glitches, the Russified version is generally "crooked". There is no way to install gmail, play market and other useful apps from google. Hopefully, these bugs will be fixed with updates. The fingerprint sensor works fine, no complaints. The phone, unfortunately, is not water resistant. There is no moisture protection. Therefore, it is not advisable for him to get wet in the rain.

ZTE has always had its own nuances and unpleasant disadvantages, albeit not large ones. Hopefully they will fix this in the future. Still, for such a sum, I don't really want to get an under-flagship, albeit a high-quality one. And like top manufacturers, they will listen to feedback.