nubia Neo 5 5G Review

가성비 게이밍 폰은 이미 꽤 오랫동안 존재해 왔으며, nubia 가 여전히 이 카테고리에서 새로운 폰을 출시하고 있다는 점은 반갑습니다.

최근 출시된 nubia Neo 5 5G 중 하나는 문서상으로도 게임과 일상 작업을 모두 잘 처리하는 것으로 보입니다.

하지만 우리가 모두 알다시피, 스펙만으로는 전체적인 이야기를 다 전달하지는 못합니다. 따라서 이번 리뷰에서는 실제 사용 환경에서 어떻게 작동하는지 확인하기 위해 이 제품을 치밀하게 테스트해 보겠습니다.

시작해 보겠습니다.

디자인 및 건설

그것은 세련되려고 하지 않으며, 게이밍에 중점을 둔 기기로서 이는 오히려 장점으로 작용합니다.

여기서 돋보이는 요소 중 하나는 후면 카메라 근처의 RGB 조명입니다. 이는 게임 세션 중이거나 알림이 도착할 때 특히 폰에 개성을 더합니다. I

모두가 필요로 하는 것은 아니지만, 그것이 추구하는 사이버 미학을 강화하는 데 도움이 됩니다.

그러나 광택 마감의 특성상 뒷면 패널은 지문 자국이 잘 남는 편입니다.

I/O 포트로 넘어가면, 오른쪽에는 빨간색 포인트가 있는 전원 버튼과 어깨 트립거가 있으며, 왼쪽에는 볼륨 버튼과 microSD 카드 슬롯이 포함된 하이브리드 SIM 트레이가 있습니다.

흥미롭게도 이 기기의 하단에는 3.5 mm 이어폰 잭이 USB-C 포트, 마이크, 스피커 그릴과 함께 위치해 있습니다. 상단에는 마이크만 있지만, 이어피스는 두 번째 라우드스피커로도 작동합니다.

적응이 필요한 점 중 하나는 볼륨 버튼의 위치입니다. 대부분의 Android 스마트폰이 오른쪽에 컨트롤을 배치하는 데 익숙하다면, 여기서는 약간의 학습 곡선이 필요합니다. 큰 문제는 아니지만 일상 사용에서는 무시하기 어렵다고 생각합니다.

디스플레이, 멀티미디어 및 생체 인식

화면에서 움직이는 nubia NEO 5는 6.8인치 IPS LCD를 탑재했으며 HD+ 해상도와 120Hz 주사율을 지원합니다. 화면 크기에 비해 해상도가 가장 선명하지는 않지만, 일상적인 작업에는 여전히 사용하기에 충분합니다.

120Hz 의 리프레시 레이트는 앱 탐색이나 메뉴 전환 시 모든 것이 더 매끄럽게 느껴지도록 도와줍니다.

비디오 시청의 경우 경험은 괜찮습니다. 색상은 허용 가능한 수준이며 AMOLED 패널만큼 깊은 명암비를 보여주지는 않지만 스트리밍 콘텐츠에 대해 충분히 만족스러운 경험을 제공합니다.

유튜브, 숏폼 비디오 또는 영화를 시청하든 주요 문제 없이 제 역할을 잘 수행합니다. 다만 Widevine L3 인증을 받았음을 참고해 주시되, 이는 HD+ 화면이므로 큰 문제는 없습니다.

밝기 수준은 실내 사용과 적당한 야외 환경에 충분합니다. 직사광선 아래에서는 가시성이 다소 떨어질 수 있지만, 약간의 조정으로 여전히 사용할 수 있습니다.

오디오 측면에서 스피커는 동영상 시청이나 게임 플레이에 충분히 큰 소리를 내지만, 제 생각에는 음질이 평균 수준입니다. 대화와 효과음은 명확하게 들리지만 베이스가 다소 부족해 몰입감이 떨어집니다.

장시간 사용 시 눈의 피로를 줄여주는 리드 모드 (Read Mode), 다크 모드 (Dark Mode) 및 아이 컴포트 (Eye Comfort) 기능이 탑재되어 있습니다. 이 기능들은 기기를 통해 독서나 게임을 많이 하는 분들에게 유용합니다.

As for biometrics, the phone supports face unlock and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Both works reliably, but I'd always suggest using the fingerprint sensor instead as it's more secure.

Cameras

The camera setup on the nubia NEO 5 is fairly basic and in real-world use, it shows its limitations.

It comes with a 13-megapixel main camera paired with a 2-megapixel secondary sensor, and a 16-megapixel selfie shooter up front.

One problem I encountered is focusing. The camera can struggle to lock onto subjects at times, especially in less than ideal lighting conditions. There are moments where you need to take multiple shots just to get one usable image.

When it does capture properly, the results are decent, but there’s a tendency for images to look over-exposed and slightly softened. This gives photos a more processed look rather than looking more natural.

In well-lit environments, the camera performs noticeably better. Details are more visible and the phone is capable enough of capturing decent shots for quick social media posts.

Colors are handled fairly well, although skin tones can sometimes appear a bit pale. Dynamic range seems limited so highlights can get blown out in certain scenes. Background and subject separation are also just okay.

In low light, the camera struggles more. Noise becomes more noticeable, and the phone tends to overcompensate by brightening the image, which can reduce overall detail.

Night shots are usable but not particularly impressive and you may need to manually adjust settings if you want a more balanced result.

nubia Neo 5 5G sample photos

Tuesday, Mar 24

The front camera performs similarly. It’s fine for casual selfies and video calls but don’t expect high levels of detail or sharpness.

For the most part, the camera feels like it’s designed for convenience rather than quality. It works best in bright conditions and for quick snaps, but it’s not gonna be its strongest suit.

Rear camera video:

Front camera video:

Performance

Powering the NEO 5 is the UNISOC T9300 5G chipset. It gets paired with 8GB of RAM along with 256GB of storage.

For everyday use, performance is generally smooth. Tasks like messaging, browsing, and scrolling through social media run without major issues.

App launches are reasonably quick, and multitasking is manageable, though you may notice occasional slowdowns when pushing multiple apps at once.

Looking at the benchmarks:

These results place the phone in the entry-level gaming category. In actual gameplay, the phone performs best with lighter titles.

In Pokémon Unite, it runs smoothly at the highest settings. Frame rates stay stable and the experience feels responsive, especially during team fights and fast movements.

The shoulder triggers also work well here, activating right on time with each tap. Although, I'm pretty sure many would find this additional level of control useful for shooter games like Call of Duty Mobile.

When moving to more demanding games like Wuthering Waves, the limitations become more obvious.

The game defaults to the lowest settings and, even then, the game is barely playable. Frame drops can happen during heavier scenes especially when multiple effects are happening at once.

Despite the fact, thermals are handled fairly well. The phone gets warm during gaming, but it doesn’t reach uncomfortable levels or become too hot to hold. And even during extended sessions, at least for lighter games, the temperature remained manageable.

Overall, performance is reliable for daily use and casual games but it clearly struggles with more demanding titles. But that's to be expected since this is a budget phone after all.

OS, UI, and Apps

Software-wise, the nubia Neo 5 runs on MyOS 16 based on Android 16, offering a mix of standard Android features and nubia’s own quirks.

The interface is generally smooth and easy to navigate. It supports split-screen multitasking which is useful for running two apps at once though it lacks a floating window option.

There are also several nubia AI features including AI Writing, Google Translate, Live Translator, AI Transcript, AI Memory, AI Filter and AI Notepad among others.

These tools are useful for productivity and quick tasks though how often you use them will depend on your workflow.

One of nubia's additions is Demi, an interactive AI chatbot. It can provide gaming-related information, real-time updates and even auto-reply to messages, which adds a bit more functionality for gamers.

There are also a number of pre-installed apps, though most of them are grouped into folders to keep the home screen cleaner.

Many of these apps come from nubia itself, such as ZTE Cares, Private Safe, Phone Switch and nubia linkfree. They use a consistent icon style so it’s easy to tell which ones are first-party apps.

While they’re not necessarily intrusive, some users may still find them unnecessary.

The phone also includes Game Space 5.0 which centralizes gaming tools and allows you to adjust performance settings and manage notifications while playing.

Haptics are decent overall. The vibration feedback works as expected during normal use, but when it comes to gaming, especially with the shoulder triggers, the vibration can feel a isn't that strong or distracting over time. It’s responsive, but not subtle for the most part.

Connectivity and Battery Life

Next up, let's talk about the battery life.

The nubia Neo 5 is equipped with a 6050mAh unit paired with 45W of wired charging.

Looking at our PCMark battery life test, the phone lasted 12 hours and 6 minutes, which translates decently into our real-world usage.

With typical use, it can comfortably get through a full day with a mix of gaming, social media, video streaming and general browsing.

When the battery does run low, the 45W charging refills it from zero to 100% in over an hour.

And since this is a gaming-focused phone, it also supports bypass charging. This lets us set a certain battery threshold, say up to 90%. After it charges to that level, the phone would then start to draw power from the charger itself instead of the battery.

This means it's healthier for the battery as it won't contribute to battery decay.

For connectivity, the phone includes 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack which remains practical for those who prefer a wired listening experience.

Verdict

Before we move on to our verdict, I want you all to know that we don't have the pricing info just yet for the nubia Neo 5 5G. But for some context, last year's nubia Neo 3 5G retailed for 9,999 pesos.

So, we could expect the newer model to be priced around the same price range.

Now, let's finally talk about our verdict.

Based on what we've experience so far, the nubia NEO 5 5G remains one of the more reliable contenders when it comes to budget gaming phones. Features like the shoulder triggers, large battery capacity, and other gaming tools make it suitable for most people.

Sure, its performance won't be enough for graphic-intensive games, the IPS LCD screen is a bit of a downside, and the cameras are decent at best.

But, it's surely good enough for popular titles in the Philippines. MOBAs like Mobile Legends and first-person shooters like Call of Duty Mobile ran smoothly on this phone. And especially with those shoulder triggers, you get some extra console-level controls, giving a little bit of edge to playing these games.

Bottom line, if you're looking to play lighter games and having some extra controls, then nubia NEO 5 5G makes sense to get. Plus, for everything else, it definitely works as intended.

What we like:
-Shoulder triggers work decently
-Supports bypass charging
-Has 3.5mm headphone jack + microSD card slot
-Decent processing power for everyday use and light, casual gaming

What we didn't like:
-Inconsistent camera performance
-Smudge-prone glossy back

nubia Neo 5 5G specs:
6.8-inch HD+ IPS display
1940 x 900 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 317 PPI
UNISOC T9300 5G
6nm, octa-core, up to 2.4GHz
Mali-G57 MC2 GPU
8GB RAM (+12GB virtual RAM)
256GB storage
microSD card expansion (hybrid SIM slot)
Dual rear cameras:
– 13MP f/1.8 main, AF
– 2MP f/2.4 secondary
16MP f/2.05 front camera
Dual nano-SIM (hybrid)
5G, 4G LTE
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
GPS
NFC
USB Type-C
3.5mm headphone jack
Stereo speakers
Neo Triggers 5.0
Game Space 5.0
20,000 mm² cooling system
MyOS 16, Android 16
6050mAh battery
45W fast charging
Bypass charging
Black, Yellow (colorways)