The nubia Z50 Ultra is a flagship phone that nubia announced in China on March 7, 2023. Sales in China started on March 14, 2023. It was the first nubia phone to carry the Ultra name. Its China launch price was CNY 3,999 for the 8GB + 256GB version. The phone was sold only in China, and it is now discontinued. Its successor is the nubia Z60 Ultra.
Design and display
The front is a flat 6.8-inch OLED panel with a 2480 x 1116 resolution and about 400 ppi. It runs at up to 120Hz and reaches a rated peak brightness of 1,500 nits. There is no notch or punch hole, because the selfie camera sits under the display.
The back is glass, and the side has a slider switch that users can assign to different actions. The phone measures 169.9 x 76.3 x 8.3 mm and weighs 228 g. We could not confirm an official water resistance rating.
The standard colors are Black and Grey. The Starry Night edition has a back inspired by the Van Gogh painting. It came only as a 12GB + 512GB model. In May 2023, nubia added a Photographer Edition in Black Coffee and Khaki. It has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. All of these were sold in China.
Performance
The phone runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It comes with 8GB, 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Storage options are 256GB, 512GB and 1TB of UFS 4.0, and there is no microSD slot. nubia also fitted a large vapor chamber for cooling.
Cameras
The rear camera setup follows two classic focal lengths. The main camera uses a 64MP Sony IMX787 sensor with a 35 mm equivalent lens and optical stabilization. A 64MP periscope telephoto camera covers an 85 mm equivalent focal length. It uses a 1/2-inch sensor and also has optical stabilization.
The third camera is a 50MP ultrawide with a 14 mm equivalent lens. It doubles as a macro camera. On the front, a 16MP under-display camera handles selfies and video calls. nubia says this fourth-generation design lets 30% more light reach the sensor.
Battery and charging
A 5,000 mAh battery powers the phone. It supports 80W wired charging, and an 80W charger came in the box in China. Wireless charging is not supported.
Software and updates
The Z50 Ultra launched with MyOS 13 based on Android 13. nubia lets users remove most of the preinstalled apps. The company did not publish a promise for OS or security updates. The phone shipped with Chinese firmware, so buyers outside China used imported units.
Should you buy the nubia Z50 Ultra?
The Z50 Ultra is no longer produced, and it was never sold officially outside China. It suits buyers who want a screen without any camera cutout and fixed 35 mm and 85 mm lenses. It also offers stereo speakers, an IR blaster and fast USB-C 3.x. However, it lacks wireless charging and a confirmed water resistance rating. Most buyers should look at the nubia Z60 Ultra instead, which nubia also sells in Europe and other markets.
