New smartphone designed for photography. The Chinese brand Nubia recently unveiled its premium model, the Nubia Z70S Ultra. It features a 35 mm f/1.7 main lens and will be accompanied by a retro-futuristic-looking photo kit including a leather case with integrated grip and shutter release.
Nubia Z70S Ultra, the only smartphone with a 35 mm lens
Little known in Western markets, the Nubia brand is a subsidiary of the Chinese group ZTE. With its Z70S Ultra, the manufacturer aims to compete with the most premium models from Xiaomi, Vivo, or Oppo. This Android smartphone features a 6.85-inch AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and a (huge) 6600mAh battery.
On the photo side, we find:
- A 50 MP main sensor, 1/1.3-inch type (1.2 µm pixels), stabilized 35 mm lens with f/1.7 aperture, phase-detection AF
- A 50 MP sensor, 1/2.88-inch type, 13 mm ultra wide-angle lens, f/2.0 aperture, multi-directional AF
- A 64 MP sensor, 1/2-inch type, stabilized 70 mm telephoto lens, f/2.5 aperture, multi-directional AF
The Nubia Z70S Ultra thus stands out as the only smartphone on the market to offer a 35 mm focal length for the main lens—instead of a 24 or 26 mm equivalent like all of its competitors. A point likely to appeal to fans of street photography or documentary work.
A very “inspired” photo kit
Additionally, Nubia is preparing to release a rather original photo kit. In concept, it recalls the one offered with the Xiaomi 15 Ultra.
This kit includes a leather case with built-in grip. On the top panel, we find 2 dials, a soft shutter release, a zoom control, and an accessory shoe. All of which gives the grip a rangefinder look. Especially with the addition of a small red dot and the “Retro” inscription—reminiscent of a certain German brand…
Nubia also includes an adapter for 67 mm circular filters. Moreover, the brand may offer screw-on lenses for the main sensor (fisheye, macro, 139 mm or 400 mm telephoto) designed with accessories maker Fotorgear… who likely designed the Nubia Z70S Ultra photo kit, as the brand already offers a similar kit for the iPhone 16 Pro.
Price and availability of the Nubia Z70S Ultra
The Nubia Z70S Ultra is available for pre-order starting at €769 on the Chinese brand’s website.
Our first impressions of the Nubia Z70S Ultra
As we know, smartphone manufacturers heavily rely on photography to set themselves apart from competitors. However, Nubia is pushing things a little further with a 35 mm focal length never seen on a smartphone… since the iPhone 4S. Admittedly, the rear sensor layout isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing in our view, but the photo kit is a fine tribute to rangefinder-style cameras.
