The nubia Neo 5 series is the latest iteration of the brand’s budget gaming lineup, succeeding the Neo 3 family. Out of the two models that made it to our shores, the Neo 5 GT serves as the fancier, more capable variant. Or should I say fan-cier?
Among the upgrades, the most obvious is a built-in cooling fan, a feature typically reserved for higher-end devices. Other highlights include a more powerful chipset and a bigger battery. This all paints a picture of a phone that promises to punch above its weight. Whether or not that is the case, well, that’s what we’re here to find out.
Specifications
Looks and Functionality
As a gaming smartphone, the nubia Neo 5 GT very much looks the part. The rear panel is adorned with details that give off a futuristic vibe. If you’re familiar with its precursor, however, you may notice that this model isn’t quite as flashy. The design is a touch subtler, especially in the case of this Phantom Black model. It’s decked out in black and grey hues, although you get a spot of colour with the textured power button, which is red. Of course, the customisable RGB lights will arm the phone with the power of the rainbow, so perhaps less is more.
There are two design elements that need to be addressed, and both of them were borrowed from the Redmagic phones. The first is the completely flat build with no camera bumps, which lets the handset lie flat on your desk. The other is the cooling fan. According to nubia, the Neo 5 GT is the first in its class to have this feature. These choices certainly help the device stand out among its peers, both in terms of functionality and appearance.
Moving beyond looks, the device feels nice to hold, though the smooth back panel may feel a bit slippery. I do recommend a case if you worry about getting a good grip, but for the most part, this doesn’t seem to be an issue. That said, the back panel does pick up smudges fairly easily.
Overall, the phone is tough and sturdy, with a big and bright screen. It can be a bit unwieldy when you’re using it one-handed, but that’s not too surprising with its size. And if you’re using it to game (which you should, by the way), you’ll be needing both hands anyway.
Speaking of which, holding the device in landscape mode is pretty comfortable too. There are no camera bumps getting in the way of your fingers, and the capacitive triggers are easily within reach. If I do have one thing to complain about, it’s the placement of the air ducts, since it’s quite easy to cover them by accident. The fan itself is relatively quiet, but it does emit a high-pitched whine that can get a bit annoying to hear after some time.
At this point, no modern phone is complete without its own AI assistant, and in this case, you get AI Copilot Demi 2.0. Or just Demi for short. Demi has a face to go with the name, taking the form of a blue-haired girl that responds to your tapping. Overall, the design is somewhat reminiscent of a modern VTuber model.
In terms of functions, Demi can hang out on your homescreen if you so choose. It can also serve as your alarm clock. I’m personally not too fond of the stilted delivery of the wake-up lines (or the other dialogues, for that matter), but to each their own.
Some may be more motivated to start the day when they see a cute anime girl. Beyond that, you can chat with Demi and get gaming-related advice, though the tips I’ve been getting are pretty general and simplistic. In fact, the bot itself says as much and tells you to consult proper guides. What’s more, the information provided is not necessarily accurate.
Also worth noting that Demi defaults to calling the user “My Duo”. And while I did manage to get it to use a different name, I couldn’t get said name to stick. The bot would simply revert back to “My Duo” the next time I opened the app.
Performance and Battery
At the core of the Neo 5 GT is a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 SoC, which is a midrange chip. It performs just fine for your day-to-day basic tasks like messaging and mindlessly scrolling through social media for hours on end. But that’s to be expected, and the real question is how the phone fares with gaming.
Overall, it’s a mixed bag depending on what you’re playing. There’s enough stuttering and lagging in Warframe to make executing parkour manoeuvres consistently a challenge. Meanwhile, Arknights: Endfield runs without any hiccups even with the settings bumped up as high as they can go. Granted, the game won’t let you go above medium graphics settings, and you’ll probably be getting frame rates of around 45fps or so. Still, gaming feels consistent even after a few hours have passed.
Other than that, the shoulder triggers are pretty sensitive and responsive, registering touches with ease. Meanwhile, the fan keeps things nice and chill. I’d argue that the fan is the highlight of the phone, since it does its job pretty well. The device only starts getting really toasty after a few hours of play. It also stayed pretty cool while I was running the benchmarks, rather than turning into a mini furnace.
So far, there’s a lot to like about the phone. But if there’s one drawback, I would have to say it’s the battery life. Granted, it gets a fairly hefty 6,210mAh cell, but it does have to power the lights and the fan. Running the video loop test, the phone lasted just shy of 16 hours. As a daily driver, it can stay alive for a day or so with moderate use. Of course, if your routine includes gaming sessions, then you will need to reach for the charger before the day ends.
Camera
It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that the imaging setup isn’t all that impressive. Gaming phones typically don’t prioritise camera hardware, and this is especially true for the Neo 5 GT. Its all-flat design isn’t made to accommodate bulky equipment. In any case, you get a single 50MP rear camera that’s paired with a 2MP depth sensor.
Predictably, the phone does well enough with ample light. Pictures turn out clear with balanced colours, though you do lose some of the finer details like clothing textures and animal fur. A steady hand is recommended for best results, of course. The camera isn’t particularly forgiving when it comes to taking quick candid snaps. Meanwhile, low-light performance is decent at best. Similarly, video quality is pretty middling. The phone supports 4K recording at 30fps, and good lighting is a must if you want passable footage.
For what it’s worth, it takes pretty enough portraits, and the 16MP selfie snapper ain’t half bad either. Again, you’re not getting hyper-realistic images that capture every detail with extreme precision. But given that this is a gaming phone, a good set of cameras is more of a bonus than a requirement.
More Images
Competition
Infinix GT 50 Pro
Gaming smartphones are a rare breed, and most models aren’t what one would call “budget-friendly”. But nubia is not the only one to offer affordable options. The newly launched Infinix GT 50 Pro is a touch more expensive, with a starting price of RM1,899. In exchange, you get a MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultimate chipset and a liquid cooling system.
Beyond that, it comes with a 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 4,500 nits of peak brightness. Keeping the device powered is a 6,500mAh battery with 45W charging. As for imaging, it gets a dual camera setup comprising a 50MP main shooter and an 8MP ultra-wide lens.
Conclusion
The nubia Neo 5 GT sets out to offer a powerful gaming experience without breaking your bank. And for the most part, it performs well enough for this purpose. Of course, it can’t really run games at the highest settings, but its practical features make up for the shortcomings. The flat form makes the phone comfortable to use, while the built-in fan helps it maintain a steady performance.
@lowyatnet Today, we unboxed and took a quick look at the nubia Neo 5 GT. The gaming phone is available for pre-orders with a starting price of RM1,799. #nubiaNeo5GT #nubiaMalaysia #GamingPhone
Overall, the handset is a good pick for those looking to dip their toes into mobile gaming. That said, the Neo 5 GT is no generalist, so it does make some concessions in certain aspects like the camera.
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