Nubia Z50 launches as China's cheapest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered Android smartphone

The Motorola Moto X40 is now officially no longer the world's most affordable new Android smartphone with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform, now that Nubia has unveiled its Z50 flagship in full.

Then again, the X40 retains the higher display refresh rate of the 2 at 165Hz, with the newer model lagging behind - albeit not by much, at 144Hz in a market where 120Hz is still the norm.

The screen in question is a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel with 10-bit color and a 1,000-nit peak brightness - much the same as the preceding Z40S Pro, in other words, except the Z50 switches to a curved panel rather than flat.

Then again, the device clearly intends to uphold Nubia's mobile photography ambitions, even though its camera hump has become distinctly conventional compared to that of the Z40 series.

Then again, it distinguishes itself with a CNC-milled "luxurious red circle" to highlight the OEM's new purpose-made 7-piece, f/1.6 aperture, anti-glare 35mm lens.

Its resolution is still 64MP, however, although Nubia claims that the combination of its updated optics and this "customized" Sony IMX787 can capture more light than a mobile 1-inch sensor.

The Z50 looks like it has 3 rear cameras in total - however, the 'lens' in the smaller circle surrounded by the "4-part" LED flash is in fact a "multi-channel spectral sensor" to help fill a given scene with yet more light and get the best shooting angles.

The new flagship is a dual-shooter smartphone, therefore, and it is just as well as the second 50MP sensor covers 116° wide-angle with auto-focus and 2cm macro functions.

Then again, it lacks the OIS of the main sensor. Nubia has also kitted the Z50 out with a 5,000mAh battery that charges at a decent 80W.

Those specs are combined with cutting-edge RAM and storage specs, which start in configurations of 8/128GB for just 2,999 yuan (~US$430), rising to 3,399 yuan for one with 256GB. There are more expensive options, however; for example, those who want their Nubia Z50 in top-end 16/1TB form will have to pay 5,999 yuan (~US$860) for it.

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