Smartphone ZTE nubia Z18 mini and Z18 - advantages and disadvantages

ZTE nubia is embarking on a journey of creating smartphones designed to change the world. On September 5 this year, the ZTE nubia Z18 smartphone was introduced to the general public. In terms of technical characteristics, this device is a whole step higher than its predecessors and competitors. The design decision makes you hold your breath when looking at the novelty.

An unusual, perhaps ahead of time, layout of navigation buttons, a Super Amoled screen, a front camera system with optical stabilization and a powerful stuffing.

Smartphone of the middle price segment. Bright. Stylish. Productive.

Smartphone ZTE Nubia Z18 Mini was introduced six months ago as a harbinger of the release of the flagship model.It's time to compare how the two brothers differ, except for the format case made of 2.5D glass.

Equipment

Z18 mini

From the usual stylish box is extracted:

• • Smartphone;
  • Charger 2A/5V;
  • USB Type-c cable;
  • Clip for removing SIM cards;
  • Documentation.

Packed Z18

Same set:

• • • Smartphone;
    • Charger;
    • USB cable, about a meter long, Type-c;
    • Clip for removing SIM cards;
    • Documentation.

Design and display

Design

Like the previous model, the Z18 and Z18 mini are as different from each other as metal and glass.

Bright, formatted, advanced glass Z18 mini and classic, stylish, elegant metal Z18 oppose each other like two generations of the same family. Very revealing and clear.

Z18 mini is available in five colors. White, black and pink are complemented by blue and light purple. This time, the manufacturers even moved away from the usual white color of the packaging box, replacing it with the colors corresponding to the phones.

ZTE nubia Z18 is available in three colors. Classic black and red plus Van Gogh's Starry Night. The design of the packaging boxes also correspond to the chosen colors, which was an undeniably unusual, but a pleasant surprise from the phone manufacturer.

The ZTE nubia Z18 measures 148.58 x 72.54 x 8.55 mm and weighs 172 grams.

Just like the mini, the nubia Z18 has an extremely chic design. The minimal cutout for the selfie camera allowed 91% of the display surface to work. By the way, in Z18 mini this figure is 80%. Thus, the manufacturers managed to reduce the area of ​​the screen frames to a minimum. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 covers the screen for an unforgettable experience. The oleophobic coating on both devices keeps that experience intact.

The fingerprint scanner on the back cover has become familiar.

For the Z18 mini, the glass case, of course, combines a lot of advantages and is characterized by some disadvantages of this material, but the elegance of the design is worth it.

Both smartphones are comfortable and secure in the hand, fingerprints are easily removed, although, of course, you should be more careful in handling these models.

The red edging of the cameras and navigation buttons has become familiar to fans of this manufacturer.

The upper face is equipped with an additional microphone.

On the bottom of the gadget there is a 3.5 mm audio jack, an external speaker and a USB cable connector.

The left side is equipped with a Dual sim slot for two SIM cards and a navigation button.

Dimensions Z18 mini: 148 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm and 153 grams also impress the buyer.

Display

Z18 mini

Diagonal display Z18 mini 5.7 inches with sides 148/70.6 with Full HD resolution of 2160x1080 pixels. 80.2% of the display is occupied by a 16 million color screen in NTSC space.

The developers have expanded the workspace due to the edges of the display. Low-temperature LTPS technology has become the basis of the display matrix, which allows you to maximize viewing angles.

ZTE nubia Z18

The performance of the ZTE nubia Z18 display is not very different from the mini counterpart: 148.58 / 72.54 mm IPS matrix, 2160x1080 pixels resolution, 5.99 inches diagonal and the same 16 million colors. But this time, the developers have expanded the working space of the display to 91% of the surface.

The extended range of contrast, brightness and color saturation takes the display of the new gadget to a new level of attractiveness. The unimaginable detailing of the image will impress even the most discerning and fastidious customer.

Main technical characteristics

Memory

ZTE Nubia Z18 has two versions of the combination of built-in and additional memory 6 + 64 GB and 8 + 128 GB.

Probably, the consumer expects a 1TB internal storage option from ZTE, but so far the manufacturer has not departed from the usual range of memory cards. In addition, the slot for an additional memory card is still combined with a SIM card slot.

CPU

The processor at the Z18 Snapdragon 845, which is the most optimal platform today. 8 cores of the processor are overclocked to 3 GHz,
Android 8.0 and Adreno 630 video processor complete the software.

The Nubia Z18 mini processor is equipped with an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor instead of a heart. Four of its Kryo 260 cores operate at a frequency of 1.8 GHz, and four more Kryo 280 cores at a frequency of 2.2 GHz. Add to this the Adreno 512 graphics accelerator, and you can have an ultra-modern device in your hands.

Performance

Thanks to the maximum settings, the processors of both devices give an impressive response speed, allowing you to enjoy not only excellent color reproduction and soundtrack for videos, but also dynamic graphics of modern game screensavers. Not only that, this Z18 mini processor has features for working with neural networks.

There were no overheating or freezing during the tests. Gadgets worked smartly, responded adequately to commands, giving maximum performance

Battery

Autonomy Nubia Z18

It is achieved due to a non-removable lithium battery with a capacity of 3450 mAh. The fact that the smartphone has a fast charging function is already nice, although wireless charging would be an even more pleasant bonus for those who love to spend more than 7 hours playing games.

Nubia Z18 mini

The 3900 mAh battery capacity of the Nubia Z18 mini is enough for several days of work in a gentle mode and for up to 8 hours of playing.The device also does not have wireless charging, but the fast charging function is present.

Camera

It is gratifying to note that the developers have endowed both gadgets with LED flashes and autofocus and optical stabilization functions.

Nubia Z18

The resolution of the rear camera system of 16 and 24 megapixels allows you to take pictures with a size of 2160 x 1080 pixels and Full HD quality video.

The 13 megapixel resolution on the front camera will allow selfie lovers to indulge in nothing.

Nubia Z18 mini

The main 24 and 5-megapixel cameras can compete with the most modern camera phones in the quality of pictures, both during the day and in low-light night landscapes. The color rendition and sharpness of pictures does not suffer in any range of shooting, which produces high-quality bright photos and videos in Full HD quality. Focusing and stabilization work excellently, allowing you to create high-quality competitive shots.

There are also quite a few compliments to be said about the 16-megapixel front camera, but it's always better to see for yourself.

Operating system

Android 8, on top is the proprietary nubia UI 6.0 firmware, although this is precisely the circumstance that bothers most users, since the imperfection of these smartphones lies in the mismatch of operating systems.

Safety

Both devices protect information about the user and settings on the Internet with the Virtual Private Network system. If the fingerprint scanner in reality copes with the function of unlocking the device quite satisfactorily, then no one can handle the protection of the device better than him.

It also provides the ability to close your data from surveillance on the network using the Tor web browser and other similar programs.

Wireless interfaces Bluetooth 5 and Wi-Fi 5 GHz, GPS A-GPS and GLONASS will not allow the owner of this gadget to get lost in the troubled sea of ​​everyday life.

Nubia Z18 mini does not have only NFC.

Useful Features

Nubia Z18 mini

• With all its features, this gadget has undeniable properties. A separate button is allocated for the voice assistant, which allows you to quickly navigate the navigation system of the device;
• The six-lens optics of the rear camera system allows you to use the aperture of the main camera up to f / 1.7 nits;
• AI-algorithms used in the processing of images, give them a truly flagship quality in the end;
• Hardware Qualcomm Snapdragon 660;
• 6 GB of RAM and 64/128 GB of internal memory;
• Wireless interfaces are again designed to make the user's life unforgettable and varied;
• At the bottom, there are two ports: USB Type-C and a 3.5 mm headphone jack for surround sound.

In the case of Nubia Z18

manufacturers are even talking about a waterproof case. Well, let's wait and see. In the meantime, even without it, when creating a gadget, the developers spared no effort.

What are worth only:

•  OLED panel with 4K resolution;
• Qualcomm platform;
• Two modifications 8/128 GB and 10/256 GB;
• Support for memory cards up to 256 GB;
• New generation fast charging;
• Bluetooth 5.0;
• Dual 24MP rear camera;
• Selfie camera 12 MP;
• 4500 mAh battery;
• Android 8.0 Oreo;
• It's almost a dream, but coupled with incredible gaming power, it's just a fairy tale dream come true for a gamer.

dual sim system

Both smartphones support nano-SIM cards in the dual sim system, while the combined slot can become the basis for microSD memory cards.

Smartphones support the GSM range of all Russian operators, without extraneous noise and disruptions.

Price

In all online markets, the choice by price will vary, which is natural, but the cost has been set by the manufacturer so far:

for ZTE nubia Z18

In black and red, the 6/64 GB version will cost $410.

For the version of 8/128 GB of memory, respectively, you will have to pay $ 480 at best.

For the version with "Starry sky" and 8/128 GB of memory, the price is set from $526.

Thus, the average price is 470 dollars or within 50 thousand rubles.

Smartphone ZTE Nubia Z18 mini

Selling for $286 for the 6/64GB version and $334 for the 8/128GB version.

On average, Nubia Z18 mini can be bought for an amount within $ 300 or 20 thousand rubles.

AliExpress and E-Katalog, Yandex.Market, CITILINK, GearBest and many other electronic markets offer these gadgets, competing among themselves where it is more profitable to buy a product.

Advantages and disadvantages

Nubia Z18 mini

• Really aesthetic;
• Fits comfortably in the palm of your hand, easy to operate with one hand, even with its dimensions;
• Stylish;
• A real "tank track" or a real gaming machine;
• Takes great pictures both during the day and at night;
• Functional;
• Reliable;
• Productive;
• The stereo sound of the external speaker and the wide range of sound in the headphones are amazing.

• Glass. Alas, with all its advantages and advantages of design, it has one big disadvantage - the fragility of the device. And it’s a pity to lose such an apparatus, especially since spare parts cannot be found;
• Lack of wireless charging;
• Again, the Android 8 operating system, combined with the proprietary nubia UI 6.0 firmware, is a little straining;
• The lack of a branded headset has become a somewhat boring minus;
• For music lovers, of course, the absence of a radio will be a disappointment.

About the advantages and disadvantages of Nubia Z18

It's too early to talk, and listing the already known problems with the previous version is not very productive. Very soon we will find out how much he was created for games, we will see firsthand how he photographs under the moon and in the sun, we will find out how Chopin sounds in his reproduction, if Van Gogh looks wonderful on him.

It's too early to talk about classifying this device as an inexpensive and budget model, but it's most likely a smart, productive, technologically advanced and convenient novelty. In the ranking of quality products from the best manufacturers, popular models for active games, photo and video shooting, for watching large-format films and listening to bright voluminous music news, the smartphone will certainly secure a place for itself.

conclusions

In 2018, Nubia technology seems to have decided to declare its comprehensive work on past mistakes by releasing a definitely flagship and truly sensual device.

The abilities of ZTE nubia Z18 mini and ZTE nubia Z18 will appeal to everyone who likes to talk on the phone, take pictures from any angle with all the cameras of the gadget, listen to music, drive in tanks and play videos, as well as do all this while chatting on social networks using the function of opening multiple windows at the same time.

Nubia smartphones are very popular in Russia, so the release of each new product becomes a highlight among fans of this manufacturer's devices.

Since until now the selection criteria used by each consumer imply not just a specific brand, but also many technical characteristics, as well as reviews of owners who have already become owners of new products, and reviews of professionals testing new devices, each potential buyer has the opportunity and the right to choose the best model at the best price.