Nubia is actively advancing its camera technology, specifically the under-display camera system. The Nubia Z60 Ultra series, known for its advanced photography capabilities, and the Red Magic 9S Pro, designed for enhanced performance, both feature this innovative module. Reports indicate that the upcoming Nubia Z70 Ultra smartphone will debut the sixth-generation under-screen front camera technology. Additionally, this device is expected to incorporate a one-inch main camera sensor paired with a 35mm main lens, promising an impressive photographic experience. Nubia’s camera phones stand out from conventional offerings in the market. Notably, the main camera in the Nubia Z series boasts a 35mm focal length, whereas most other smartphones typically utilize a 24mm focal length for their primary modules. Furthermore, the brand’s smartphones are equipped with an under-screen front camera, which is continuously evolving to enhance image quality and support higher-quality display modules. This area is poised for significant advancements with the next-generation Nubia Z70 Ultra smartphone.
New under-screen camera of Nubia Z70 Ultra
The Nubia Z70 Ultra is set to be launched in the latter half of 2024. The sixth generation of its under-screen front camera will support displays with a resolution of up to 1.5K. This advancement addresses a significant challenge that has hindered the widespread adoption of under-screen cameras: the small and densely packed pixels allow insufficient light to pass through for high-quality imaging. Nevertheless, ZTE has made further progress in enhancing under-screen camera technology. As of now, there have been no released examples of photographs taken with the Nubia Z70 Ultra.
The main idea behind the under-screen camera is to free up space and make the display monolithic, without “cutouts” or “bangs”.
New Nubia Z70 Ultra Main Camera: 1 inch and 35mm
Also, one of the insiders reported that ZTE is currently testing an updated main camera of the Nubia smartphone. We are talking about an inch sensor. If this innovation is implemented, the new Nubia Z70 Ultra smartphone will receive one of the most advanced technical solutions on the mobile device market.
However, with the introduction of inch sensors, manufacturers have only received additional problems. In many cases, their resolution requires a much larger lens than the standard optics installed on smartphones.
However, traditionally Nubia equips the main camera module with 35mm optics. The source reports that the new smartphone will also “maintain high recognition .” Potentially, this may mean maintaining the trend for a 35mm lens in smartphone cameras, but such optics with an inch sensor can give a significant increase in the protrusion of the main block.
Potentially, we may be talking about a “pancake lens” in place of the main camera module (see the image in the title of the news). How convenient such a technological implementation will be in modern smartphone usage scenarios is a big question.
Huawei, in its latest product, the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, nevertheless managed to achieve a high result using a 1-inch sensor. As a result, this smartphone topped the DxOMark rating.
At the time of publication, this smartphone still ranks first in the ranking. Moreover, it is five points ahead of the second place (Honor Magic6 Pro). The gap from the iPhone 15 Pro Max is 9 points.
New Nubia Z70 Ultra Chip
However, ZTE’s focus on developing cameras for its Nubia brand smartphones is becoming increasingly clear. The company is likely to create a truly strong competitor in the camera phone market. Moreover, one of the sources claims that the new Nubia Z70 Ultra will work with a new generation chip – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 .
This processor will also be received by other expected flagships: Xiaomi 15 Pro , Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and others.
In particular, the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip will enable the installation of ultra-fast LPDDR5T standard RAM. Its throughput is up to 9600 MB/s. Such an improvement will also affect the performance and hardware capabilities of the new generation of smartphones.
In addition, the chip will provide increased performance, as well as software processing of images to achieve better quality.
The price and exact date of the announcement of the Nubia Z70 Ultra smartphone have not yet been disclosed. The estimated release date of the new product is the second half of 2024. That is, in the midst of a new stage of the camera phone race.