Nubia Z60S Pro review: Not to be overlooked

At a glance

Expert’s Rating

Pros

• Wonderful performance
• Great camera for the price
• Lightning-fast charging
• All-day battery life

Cons

• Some software issues
• No water or dust resistance

Our Verdict

If you’re looking for a killer camera phone, the photography chops of the Nubia Z60S can’t be understated at this price point. It’s a perfectly balanced (and professional) smartphone that can do it all, with only a few software issues keeping it from greatness.

With its imposing camera array and tempting shortcut slider, the only big question against Nubia’s mid-ranger is whether or not the 2022 chipset can power its ambitions.

And after using it as my main phone for an extended period of time, I have plenty of thoughts on how it compares to key rivals around this price point.

Design & Build

• Large and satisfyingly weighty
• No water or dust resistance rating
• Programmable switch for launching apps

At 220g, the Nubia Z60S Pro is a weighty device – an aspect you’ll sooner attribute to its enormous plate-like camera system than its overall build. And that’s fair: it is rather large.

Smooth metal edges also contribute to the heft, but its delicately textured plastic back balances the load while aiding in durability by avoiding the anxiety-inducing effect of glass. What it doesn’t do is aid your grip – despite opting for plastic rather than glass, this is still a slippery phone.

On the right side is the device’s entire cluster of buttons and switches. You’ll find a textured copper-coloured power button for bringing the device (and Google Assistant) to life, the usual volume rocker and, more interestingly, a programmable toggle switch.

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Its default use as a camera quick-start switch proved invaluable in my testing as a shutterbug, but you’re free to have it fire up your email app, music, or even your favourite on-the-go game if you’d prefer.

The underside hides a central USB-C charging port, with the dual-SIM tray flanking the left, and a six-piece speaker grill on the right. There’s no sign of a second speaker array on the opposite short edge of the device for balanced sound, though.

There’s a tiny hole-punch selfie camera and snappy optical under-screen fingerprint sensor where you’d expect them. The device comes with a thin screen protector pre-installed, with a hard plastic case in the box ready to snap on for an extra layer of protection.

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Curiously, the case only covers the short sides of the device, keeping the edges completely open to the elements. There’s a SIM card ejection tool in there,  as well as its powerful charger and matching cable. Outside of some plastic inserts, it’s relatively green packaging that you can easily recycle.

Screen & Speakers

• Seamless edge-to-edge AMOLED display
• Smooth 120Hz refresh rate
• So-so speakers

The large 6.78-inch, 1260 x 2800 AMOLED display is flush, vibrant, and ultrawide, conditions that make it great for watching cinematic content on the go. As an LCD panel, you won’t get the energy efficiency benefits of an OLED’s individually lit pixels, but it’s hardly an issue with its generous battery. Unless you need an always-on alarm clock, that is.

120Hz refresh rate support isn’t surprising in this price bracket, but still nothing you should take for granted. Unlike budget devices sporting similar screen tech, you can rest easy knowing the chip inside is capable of delivering that smooth scrolling potential. However, it’s not LTPO, so can’t automatically go below 60Hz to save battery life.

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

A theoretical peak of 1,200 nits brightness also means the Z60S Pro stays easily visible in direct summer sunlight, with reflections kept to a minimum. Watching some YouTube out on the decking is no problem, while reading on the beach with Reader Mode enabled makes it easy on the eyes.

Sadly, a single downward-firing speaker, even while backed up with another under the screen by the earpiece, doesn’t quite round out the experience. At average volumes, vocals lack warmth and music and movies are bereft of any real punch in the low end.

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

That’s not to say it’s a washout – content is still largely enjoyable – but there’s room for improvement. It can get loud enough to rise above busier scenarios like packed city streets without distorting too heavily, but it’s a harsher sound that isn’t too pleasing to the ears in close spaces. While it’s not the perfect car cinema package, top-quality headphones can bridge the gap.

Specs & Performance

• Same chip as previous generation
• Still stellar speed
• 12GB of memory as standard in most region

A Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC powers the Nubia Z60S Pro. It’s a 4nm chip that was released back in 2022 and was even the brain of last year’s Z50S Pro. However, there was no need for an upgrade – it’s still a powerhouse of a processor.

While it would’ve been nice to see the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, opting for last year’s chip makes it possible to include its improved camera system and screen without ballooning the price.

What we see in testing is the Nubia Z60S Pro powering through typical tests like Geekbench 6 and the GFXBench Car Chase, which test CPU and GPU performance respectively.

Overall system stability is rock-solid, with home screen swiping remaining smooth and apps firing without delay. Taps are satisfyingly responsive and accurate, which should also impress gamers.

It doesn’t quite close the gap against 8 Gen 3-equipped devices like Nubia’s own Redmagic 9S Pro, but they’re devices specifically built with gaming in mind. 

Even still, games will still boot with Nubia’s ‘Energy Cube’ gaming overlay, giving you access to recordings, system statistics and memory support, plus slide-over apps for guides, streams, and email.

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

The Nubia Z60S can tackle graphically intensive titles such as Honkai Star Rail and Diablo Immortal at rock-solid frame rates at high resolutions. Today’s open-world adventures like Wuthering Waves and Genshin Impact also play very well.

Backing up the Snapdragon chipset is an amount of memory that depends on your chosen storage amount. Our 256GB model is paired with 12GB of memory, but UK shoppers can score 16GB by pushing for the 512GB or 1TB versions.

Either option sports snappy UFS 4.0 storage, with very marginal improvements to be expected on the 16GB model in terms of efficient multi-tasking and heavy workloads.

You can opt to use surplus storage space as slower system memory, which can alleviate some concerns, but it’s not recommended if longevity is a concern. It’s something to consider if you see yourself as a heavy (or light) user, but what’s on offer can vary by region.  

Nubia Z60S Pro benchmarks

Cameras

• Excellent 50Mp main sensor
• Image processing can take time
• Great zoom capabilities in most scenarios

The camera is the crowning achievement of the Nubia Z60S Pro. Taking up a third of the rear chassis and obstructing its ability to lay flat, the 50Mp main sensor is flanked by three others of varying specs, pushing the flash into the top corner.

With the four lenses, you’re able to switch between 13, 24, 35, 50, and 80mm focal lengths, punching in or pulling out to get the view you’re after. Things start to resemble hazy CCTV footage if you attempt to push it (around 170mm), but it’s par for the course with digital zoom.

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Switching between the sensors isn’t as smooth as the mainstream brands out there. Rather than overlay a preview of another lens within the viewfinder (as is the case on the iPhone, for example), you’ll see a delay and blurring as you switch from one to the next, almost as if you’re at the opticians.

And even with that powerful Snapdragon chipset, there’s typically a pause after taking basic shots as they process, save, and post-process – regardless of lighting conditions. It’ll identify these scenes automatically, but you’ll need to dive into the settings to tweak things like watermarks, focus tracking, and your preferred default lens.

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

That’s all on the default setting typically associated with point-and-shoot photography. For moving subjects like giddy children, outdoor action, or clingy pets, the Street preset tends to solve the problem. It’s just a shame you can’t set this to be the default, given the speed you’re able to bring up the camera app with the hardware slider.

Zoom capabilities are also very good. You’re able to get legible snaps of subjects at the other end of the street or up in the sky, and the ultrawide potential is great for capturing the moment along sweeping vistas or squeezing in multiple people in a tight space or crowded spot.

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Choose the right preset, and the resulting photographs are absolutely sublime. Colours are life-like (although maybe on the warm side for some) and brimming with detail, while night time shots retain good detail and avoid looking over-processed.

If you get far too into using portrait mode to snapshots of your pets, you’ll welcome how it finds every minuscule edge of their naturally fuzzy little outlines, resulting in a strong and natural bokeh.

See more camera samples in the gallery below:

Battery Life & Charging

• Ultra-fast charging
• Large 5000mAh cell
• Standby time needs work

The Nubia Z60S Pro comes with a rapid 80W charger and a suitably thick, flexible, and detachable red USB-C cable for charging and rapid data transfer. 

Plugged in from empty, you can expect a good 63% charge of the 5000mAh battery in 30 minutes. And that’s at the default 45W output. Hop into the battery settings to let the phone heat up a little more to enable full 80W charging from the same plug.

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

While active and running at an unnecessary 120fps the notoriously battery-hungry location game, Pokemon Go, only sipped 2% of that massive battery in 10 minutes. Simply put, running on fumes needn’t be a concern.

If you happen to get battery anxiety at lunchtime, a host of battery-saving efforts can help see you through a couple of days of careful use. Plug it in and you’ll barely get through your morning shower before it’s juiced up and ready to go. Wireless charging, however, is missing.

Unfortunately, standby time is a little disappointing – the Z60S Pro often lost several per cent without being used. Not low enough to be a problem, but noticeable next to other handsets in its price range. You’ll want to plug in during your morning shower just to be safe.

Software & Apps

• Custom Nubia MyOS software over Android 14
• Fresh, unique tweaks
• Three years of system updates

The Z60S Pro runs Nubia’s own MyOS 14 skin over Android 14, but it’s better than you might expect.

App bloat is kept to a surprising, but not minimum, degree on the Nubia Z60S Pro. It comes equipped with the usual full suite of Google apps expected from an Android device, including YouTube Music and Google TV. Then again, even those shouldn’t be taken for granted. Articles via Google Discover are just a swipe away, too.

As for Nubia-exclusive takes on classic or essential apps, they’re limited to four that appear on the home screen by default.

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Josh Brown / Foundry

Contacts, Messages, a proprietary browser (with sponsored bookmarks), and the camera app are all positioned there. Thankfully, Chrome is within that Google folder, so you’re only one drag and drop away from a comfortable home screen and near-stock experience.

Swipe left and you will spot a shortcut to a travel booking app on the second home screen at launch, but that’s about it.

Powered by Android 14, the MyOS 14 skin on top is clean and sleek. The flush display gives it a sort of toy-like printed look that’s still impressive to think back on. There’s some choice use of English scattered around the Settings screen and in apps like Camera that could certainly be worded better, but nothing too egregious overall.

In terms of software support, Nubia only commits to up to three years of system updates. It’s not clear how many major versions of Android it’ll get, or how long you’ll have to wait for Android 15 to arrive.

Compared to many other mid-range phones, this is a little disappointing.

Price & Availability

In the UK, the Nubia Z60S Pro starts at £499 when buying outright. That gets you the model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage reviewed here, but there are also 16/512GB (£599) and 16GB/1TB (£699) versions.

It’s available to buy directly from the Nubia UK website and via Amazon. But nowhere is offering the phone on contract, so you’ll have to get it outright and pair with a SIM-only deal. See the top options below:

However, the phone isn’t available in the US in any capacity.

That UK price puts it up there with the best mid-range phones you can buy, but competition is strong. In particular, the Poco F6 Pro (from £499.90) is a great alternative, while the Nubia Redmagic 9S Pro (from £579) delivers better performance for only slightly more money.

Should you buy the Nubia Z60S Pro?

Nubia Z60S offers a compelling value proposition that’s big on both screen and performance, with a battery capable of backing up its brawn. But its mighty impressive (and massive) camera remains its focal point. 

It’s beautifully balanced if you’re after an all-rounder, but there are enough niggles to mean you might be better off with a similarly-priced alternative, especially if software support is a top priority. In isolation, though, it’s a very impressive phone.

Specs

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset  
• 12/16GB LPDDR5X RAM  
• 256GB/512GB/1TB UFS 4.0 storage  
• 6.78-inch, 1260 x 2800 AMOLED display, 120Hz 
• 50Mp, f/1.6 main camera with OIS  
• 8Mp, f/2.4 telephoto camera  
• 50Mp, f/2.4 ultrawide camera 
• 16Mp, f/2.5 selfie camera 
• 5100mAh battery  
• 80W wired charging  
• 5G  
• Dual stereo speakers  
• Wi-Fi 6E  
• Bluetooth 5.3 
• NFC  
• Nubia MyOS over Android 14  
• 163.6 x 76 x 8.7mm  
• 220g