Nubia Z70S Ultra Photographer Edition Smartphone Looks Like a Real Leica Camera

Nubia Z70S Ultra grabs attention with a slick, retro vibe that just screams classic Leica camera. Its dual-tone glass back nails a leather-like feel, matched with metal accents that ooze vintage rangefinder cool. The rear panel, etched with a 3D micro-texture, feels like a premium camera grip, fooling your fingers into thinking you’re holding something straight out of a 1960s darkroom. Available in black and light brown vegan leather options, it’s accented by a red-ringed camera module stamped with “Neovision,” Nubia’s nod to its imaging prowess.

Weighing 228 grams and measuring 164.3 x 77.1 x 8.6mm, it’s a hefty slab, but the squared-off aluminum frame with chamfered corners feels reassuringly solid. A dedicated two-stage shutter button on the right side—half-press to focus, full-press to snap—adds a tactile thrill, mimicking a DSLR’s click. There’s even a customizable slider on the left for quick access to the camera, flashlight, or sound modes, a feature that feels delightfully analog in a touch-screen world. With IP68 and IP69 ratings, it’s ready for underwater photography, a rare treat for a phone that doesn’t skimp on durability.

The 6.85-inch BOE Q9+ OLED display is a stunner, boasting a 1.5K resolution (2688 x 1216), a 144Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 2000 nits. It’s vibrant, smooth, and unmarred by notches or punch-holes, thanks to Nubia’s seventh-generation under-display camera (UDC) tech. The 1.25mm bezels and 95.3% screen-to-body ratio create an immersive canvas, whether you’re framing a shot or binge-watching. The 10-bit panel covers 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut, delivering colors that pop without oversaturation. High-frequency PWM dimming at 2592Hz keeps eye strain at bay, and Gorilla Glass 7i adds a layer of toughness.


Nubia’s Neo Vision camera system is the Z70S Ultra’s soul, built around a 35mm focal length that mirrors human vision—a favorite among street photographers. The 50MP main camera, powered by a 1/1.3-inch OmniVision Light Fusion 900 sensor with an f/1.7 aperture, captures vibrant, detailed shots with natural bokeh. Unlike its predecessor, the Z70 Ultra, which flaunted a variable aperture (f/1.59-f/4.0), this model opts for a fixed f/1.7 for simplicity, prioritizing low-light performance. Optical image stabilization (OIS) keeps things steady, and the dual-stage shutter button makes every shot feel ceremonial.


The 50MP ultra-wide lens (13mm, f/2.0, 122° field of view) doubles as a macro shooter, focusing as close as 2.5cm for intricate details. The 64MP periscope telephoto (70mm, f/2.48, OIS) offers 2.7x optical zoom and up to 50x hybrid zoom, delivering sharp portraits with pleasing depth. The camera UI is intuitive, with modes like Street (for a 1990s Fujifilm vibe) and Pro, which displays focal lengths instead of zoom ratios for a photographer-friendly experience. Photos are sharp, color-accurate, and punchy, though Nubia’s default tuning leans slightly saturated for that film-like aesthetic.


The 16MP under-display front camera is the weak link, producing softer selfies due to the UDC’s pixel-sharing with the display. It’s a trade-off for that uninterrupted screen, but if selfies are your jam, you might lean on the rear cameras with a mirror. The optional photography kit—complete with a grip, 67mm filter adapter, and clip-on 135mm or 400mm lenses—transforms the Z70S Ultra into a retro-futuristic compact camera, perfect for enthusiasts who want to geek out over optics.


Under the hood, the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, paired with up to 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage, ensures blistering performance. Whether you’re editing 4K video, playing Genshin Impact at max settings, or multitasking, this phone doesn’t flinch. In a 30-minute Wuthering Waves test, it averaged 60 FPS with minimal throttling, thanks to a 3062mm² vapor chamber and five-layer graphene cooling. The MyOS 15 software, based on Android 15, is clean and bloat-free, with Nebula AIOS adding smart features like real-time translation and voice-activated navigation. It’s not perfect—some translations feel clunky—but it’s a fluid, photographer-friendly interface.


The 6600mAh battery is a beast, outpacing most flagships. It easily lasts two days of moderate use, and even heavy shooters will struggle to drain it in one. The 80W wired charging fills it up fast, though the lack of wireless charging is a minor bummer.


No phone is flawless, and the Z70S Ultra has its quirks. The under-display selfie camera sacrifices sharpness for screen real estate, and the lack of wireless charging feels like a missed opportunity at this price point ($779 for 12GB/256GB, $869 for 16GB/512GB).
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