Nubia Z50S Pro is touted to go beyond 1-inch mobile photography on launch

ZTE's Nubia Z50S Pro is its first Android smartphone to sport the new Leading Version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. It drives a 6.78-inch 1.5K/120Hz/1,200-nit AMOLED display that, while it has 100% DCI-P3 coverage, DC dimming and a touch-sampling rate estimated at 1,000Hz, reverts to the punch-hole selfie camera of its predecessor.

The Z50S Pro is also the latest top-end mobile device to get in on the trend of looking as much like a classic camera as its industrial design will allow it. The central feature of this well-hyped switch to a midline-oriented camera circle is a main sensor with a 35mm lens, a Nubia specialty updated with a "1G+6P" (where G is glass and P plastic) composition and enhanced with OIS.

However, for all the OEM's talk of going "beyond 1 inch" with this module, it houses a Sony IMX800 rather than the IMX989 that would be required for the larger, in-demand footprint. Nevertheless, Nubia asserts that the Z50S Pro can compete in terms of light-sensitivity thanks to a f/1.59 aperture and a physical focal length measured at 8.29mm and, thus, apparently equivalent to that of a dedicated 1-inch camera.

Nubia's new take on the round raised camera hump has a backdrop of "calfskin"-effect glass rear panels, finished in Black Coffee, Khaki or Pick Up the Light color options. The first two SKUs have base-model 12GB RAM/256GB internal storage configurations priced at 3699 yuan (~US$515) - more interestingly, the same 2 colorways have 1TB storage options with either 12GB or 16GB of RAM, priced at 3999 to 4399 yuan (~US$557-613).

A Z50S Pro in Pick Up the Light is also offered in 12GB/1TB form, although it is more expensive at 4099 yuan (~US$571), whereas its top-end 16GB/1TB version is 4499 yuan (~US$627) . All of these options are now available to pre-order via Nubia in China, with a regrettable lack of mention of availability in other markets to date.

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