Smartphone ZTE Nubia Z20 - advantages and disadvantages

A terrible stereotype that has never played into the hands of China is low-quality products. The honor of technology has been stained for more than one year, and it seemed that nothing would save the rapidly dying market. However, the unknown company ZTE responded to the call for help, having managed to dispel the myth of the poor quality of its products in the minds of millions in just three years, simultaneously getting into the top 10 in the field of telecommunications around the world!

The brand took acceleration at the start, giving odds even to the brainchild of Steve Jobs. The creators have nothing to hide, which is confirmed by numerous videos from factories, where smartphones are either hitting the wall or frozen. The price-performance ratio is so stunning that America, having first imposed sanctions on the Chinese brand, disgracefully retreated two months later, realizing the scale of the losses.

The Nubia line of smartphones is rightfully considered not to be killed after sophisticated test drives. Oh, these Asians, some stereotypes still cannot be eradicated!

In early August, the flagship ZTE nubia Z20 was presented. In the commercial, the phone doesn’t even eliminate the alien invasion, it’s so good.

Why is a smartphone at a record price of 35 thousand rubles already called the revolution of mobile photography? And is it worth paying attention to?

Appearance

The company is determined to wipe its nose into the 21st century, and with nothing more than screens of hot new products. Nubia Z20 is endowed with two displays at once, which is not a discovery on the market, but still a rarity. At first glance, the device deserves a price tag of at least $ 1000, taking into account the functionality. With its dimensions (6.4 inches), it does not look like an awkward brick, and the materials do not turn the phone into a portable dumbbell (it weighs 186 grams). The model is available in three colors: black, blue and red.

During unboxing, the Z20 will literally seem like a guest from the future. Instant response, high sensitivity of the frames to the fingerprint and the absence of any buttons. Following Xiaomi, the brand picked up the fashion for a molded case, killing in the bud the idea of ​​backlash and cheap squeak. The main part consists of tempered glass, on the sides there are inserts made of durable metal.

The main screen has no borders, which vaguely resembles the IPhone X. The rear screen is smaller (5.1 inches) due to the built-in three-module camera. Its functions are quite primitive: viewing the weather, time, messages, as well as photographing.

The lack of a front-facing camera on the back of the phone is compensated for by an additional display. The developers, in pursuit of trends, propose to replace the usual two-megapixel selfies with widescreen art in 4k HD quality. There is no more need to break your hands to get a juicy photo, just turn the phone over and smile at all 48 megapixels.

There is a legitimate question: how long will this phone live without a case? There are still people outside of social networks, but there are so few of them. Most will have to choose between narcissism and tenacious hands. Active use will wear out the device in a year and only one name will remain from the luxury shine on the tiles.

Equipment

The product is carefully packed in a small matte box, in addition to the device itself, it is attached:

• Charger and adapter;
• Clip for SIM card slot;
• USB cable (3.5 mm);
• Warranty card, instructions;

Specifications

Screen

The Nubia Z20 displays are an incredible kinesthetic and visual paradise. It is worth starting with the fact that tempered glass is equipped with a single-crystal coating, although it is more often called "oleophobic". The essence of this procedure lies in the name: spraying as if repels dirt and greasy fingerprints. Thanks to this, the glazed Z20 can be cleaned with one stroke of microfiber (or T-shirts) + additionally protected from scratches.

The flagship is quite massive, and in small palms it strives to slip away. In this case, the manufacturers have added two symmetrical panels on the edges of the phone for reading the fingerprint, which makes the gadget easy to unlock in any position, and the age-old problem of pressed buttons disappears altogether.

The main feature that prevents Nubia from being placed in the segment of budget devices is the AMOLED matrix. This strange word means that the screen is dotted with thousands of LEDs, due to which the color rendition, if not accurate, is as close as possible to the colors of the real world. The display is capable of displaying the deep blacks from expensive TV advertisements, even in sunny weather.

Of course, the matrix has disadvantages, these are:

• PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). Screen flickering at low brightness. This fact has a detrimental effect on vision, since high brightness presses on the eyes, and low brightness makes them strain due to frequent flickering;
• Blue. It is not so difficult to cope with this, because smartphones of the new generation have a reading mode;

Both displays support HD quality at a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels, delivering images that are as good as powerful gaming laptops, even with strong deflection.

operating system

The penultimate version of Android 9.0 is installed on the native firmware (not the last because it was also released in 2019). The interface is not overloaded, the application icons are of a nice color, the processes are thoroughly stabilized so that even under extreme conditions (Sahara Desert + 8 open applications) the picture moves smoothly and does not freeze.

Switching between screens is not a problem. In addition, the back panel operates in Always-on Display mode, to some extent replacing the electronic clock.

Performance

The star of this release is the nimble Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor. How many flattering words were said only during the 3-day presentation. According to the developers, phones with the support of this equipment will create a new generation, but here's why:

• 5G. Next-generation networks are bursting into a vast world, allowing the Nubia Z20 to download gigabytes of memory in seconds. It's another matter that in the post-Soviet space 4G works with difficulty, and for real speed you will have to fly to Hong Kong;
• Neural networks. And if it's simpler, the phone becomes a mini-robot due to the embedded artificial intelligence. He will not enslave the world, but he perfectly organizes work with applications and photos;
• The power of the graphics chip is increased by 20%. For clarity, 3 hours of active gameplay at ultra settings will seem like an easy warm-up to this processor.

Test results:

Antutu ~ 437114.Giving out such an indicator, the Z20 bypasses new products from Xiaomi, Meizu and even Asus.

Autonomy

The flagship is equipped with a powerful 4000 mAh battery.

Isn't the capacity small for such a bully? No, and there can be no doubt.

The production of batteries with this value is put on the conveyor and is widely used for devices in both the budget and luxury segment.

When working with the use of the Internet, social networks and messenger, the energy will be enough for one full day. Games are another matter entirely. Even a sensational processor is unlikely to stabilize the situation here. The company assures that heavy programs will land a smartphone in 10-15 hours, but in fact 6 hours will be enough for a knockout.

• Standby time 6-7 days;
• Working hours in normal mode 2-3 days;
• Working time with constant use 10-12 hours;
• Talk time 30 hours;

If the battery fails, the company suggests using the fast charging function. That is, already at the assembly stage, a USB 3.0 port (superfast) is installed in the phone and a powerful 5-watt power supply is applied. An extended cord will be a nice addition.

Camera

Finally, the turn came to revolutionary photos. The presentation of the flagship both began and ended with a discussion of the newest camera. How will the apparatus manifest itself at night and during the day in practice?

First, the camera consists of three modules. Why so many? Let's explain now.

• The main camera is 48 MP. Perfect for photography + there are many modes inside (portrait, landscape, fireworks, Super night). It is worth paying attention to the latter, because the diffuse flash will cover the next 4 meters without compromising quality. In addition to standard effects, the phone has a built-in editor with color correction, blur, brushes to hide flaws;
• The optional 16MP wide-angle sensor turns amateur video into a Hollywood movie with automatic brightness and wide viewing angles. Do not get tired of repeating the headlines that the Nubia Z20 shoots videos in 8k quality. This is really a curiosity for 2019, as HD consumes a lot of memory (external memory up to 512 GB);
• The third sensor is an 8MP 3x optical zoom for macro shooting. A dual LED flash complements the overall picture;

Examples of photos:

Where to buy a smartphone

At the moment, the smartphone can be bought only in Chinese online stores, the average price is 4,500 yuan (34,500 rubles).

Pros and cons of ZTE Nubia Z20

• Oleophobic coating;
• AMOLED matrix and good color rendering;
• Powerful processor for gaming;
• Videos and photos in 4-8k HD quality;
• Fast charging function;
• 5G (a dubious plus, but it's impossible to ignore the availability);

• Lack of a cover;
• Marked display;
• PWM effect;
• Rapid charge reduction at high load;

As a result, the Nubia Z20 was named the smartphone of the future not for advertising purposes at all. Manufacturers have seriously worried about the technical component of the flagship, having introduced the most advanced equipment (while the phone is considered budgetary). We can say with confidence that in the extravagance of appearance and characteristics, the Z20 will not have serious competitors until the end of the year, and neither will its owners!