The newest addition to the nubia Neo series is here. Recently launched in the Philippines, the nubia Neo 2 5G improves the capabilities of its predecessor, the nubia Neo 5G, with new and upgraded features.
Designed for mobile gamers, this P9,999 smartphone offers an enhanced gaming experience at an affordable price. It boasts a large battery, a sizable display, and ample RAM for better performance. There are also gaming-specific features like the customizable shoulder triggers, a multi-layer heat dissipation system, and the new Game Space 2.0.
We can’t deny that all these are great on paper. But does the nubia Neo 2 5G truly deliver on its promise? Let’s find out.
Design & construction
The nubia Neo 2 5G’s packaging screams “gaming” with a futuristic design that reflects the device’s features.
The package includes a frosted hard case, a 33W charging brick, and a USB-C cable, ensuring you’re ready to start gaming immediately. A spiral-head ejector pin and standard documents are also included.
Then there’s the nubia Neo 2 5G unit. We got the Storm Gray colorway as a review unit; other colors available are Frost Silver and Sunfire Yellow.
The back of the phone showcases the Bionic Mecha Design, emphasizing its gaming theme. Design elements include dual octagon camera modules, a metal-like finish, and the Hero Eye Design.
On the left side, we find the SIM tray that can accommodate two nano SIM cards. There’s no slot for a MicroSD on the tray, but this shouldn’t be an issue given the nubia Neo 2 5 G’s 256GB internal storage. Also on the left side are the volume controls, which feel solid and responsive.
On the right side, we spot the power button that doubles as the fingerprint scanner. It’s very noticeable and highlighted in red.
A special gaming feature is also located on the right side of the nubia Neo 2 5G: the customizable Dual Gaming Shoulder Triggers. These controllers are marked by five arrow heads on each end and add to the device’s gamer aesthetic. Plus, they can be configured to specific commands for specific games. At the bottom, you’ll find the USB-C port and the loudspeaker.
Display & multimedia
The nubia Neo 2 5G has a large 6.72-inch FHD+ IPS display at the front with a punch hole that houses the front camera.
The IPS panel delivers a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. It also features a high dynamic refresh rate of 120Hz, which helps the gaming experience be smooth. You can toggle the refresh rates on the notification bar to Intelligent adjustment, 60Hz, and 120Hz.
One thing we noticed is that the colors on the screen lack vibrancy with the default display settings. They are decent, but the images don’t pop as much compared to other IPS screens in this price range that we’ve reviewed before. Don’t worry, though. Similar to many smartphones, there’s an option to adjust the screen’s color temperature to your liking.
Truthfully, we hoped that the nubia Neo 2 5G would come with a better screen for a more enhanced gaming experience. But given the price point, the screen is already good enough.
The screen also features a Live Island Interactive design, which many new devices now adopt. The top part of the screen is used for quick access to various notifications, reminders, and real-time activities.
For a more immersive experience, the nubia Neo 2 5G has dual stereo speakers with DTS: X Ultra. The sound quality is good overall, although using earphones is more recommended.
Camera
The Neo 2 5G sports a dual rear camera setup composed of a 50-megapixel primary shooter with an f/1.8 aperture and a 2MP depth sensor. In front, a 16MP snapper does all the work if you need to capture self-portraits and make video calls.
The main camera captures decent-quality photos. When taken under bright conditions, the images appear sharp and boast real-like colors. However, it struggles to capture details in low-light conditions.
It’s the same experience on the selfie camera; it can deliver decent results in a well-lit surroundings but struggle significantly in low-light environments.
At its price point and how it is designed, this phone focuses primarily on mobile gaming. However, the camera performance should be enough for casual and day-to-day photography and social media use.
Hardware & performance
The nubia Neo 2 5G is powered by the Unisoc T820 processor with an advanced 6nm EUV process (up to 2.7GHz octa-core) paired with 8GB RAM (up to 20GB Dynamic RAM) and 256GB of internal storage under the hood.
We tested the phone’s capabilities with different games and had a satisfactory gaming experience. Call of Duty: Mobile ran smoothly on the highest settings. However, the phone started heating up after 10 minutes.
PUBG Mobile also played smoothly, but only on lower graphics settings. There were minimal lags at this setting, but they were not a major issue.
We also had similar experiences with Genshin Impact, CarX Street, and Asphalt 9. There were some struggles and frame drops, but overall, it was manageable.
The nubia Neo 2 5G features a multi-layer heat dissipation system that should help cool the device while playing games. We also recommend adjusting the graphics settings to medium or lower levels to keep the phone from overheating. Overall, the gaming experience is decent, and for its price point, it delivers.
Speaking of games, the Dual Gaming Shoulder Triggers are useful, particularly in FPS titles like PUBG Mobile and CODM. You can customize the triggers to specific game commands when you single-tap, long-press, rapid-fire, etc, on the keys.
There’s also the updated Game Space 2.0 app, which serves as a centralized hub for all the games on the phone where users can tweak and optimize game settings. It’s also in Game Space where they can customize the shoulder triggers to designate specific actions for the left and right triggers.
Game Space even shows the device’s current CPU and GPU performance, and it lets users switch between three performance modes: Eco, Balance, and Rise.
There are actually a lot of functionalities inside the app that one can explore and tweak to further optimize their gaming experience.
Battery & charging
The nubia Neo 2 has a massive 6000mAh battery. We put it to the test for a whole day of typical mobile tasks like social media, quick photos, streaming videos, and, of course, gaming—and the nubia Neo 2 5G gave us around 15 hours of usage.
While this is generally great, we were expecting a longer battery life. We’ve reviewed phones with lower battery capacity before, and they lasted a few hours longer while doing the same set of tasks. This may improve if ZTE releases a software update, but as far as current testing goes, we had the same or better results from 4500mAh to 5500mAh smartphones.
What’s good is the charging performance. The 33W adapter reached 25% in 20 minutes of charging, and a full charge takes about 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Speed says
The nubia Neo 2 5G entices mobile gamers on a budget with its range of gaming-centric features, head-turning design, and a price under P10K. Overall, the performance, battery life, and display are decent, with some room for improvement.
The nubia neo 2 5G is now available for at local ZTE Device Philippines stores and on Shopee.
