nubia Air Unboxing, First Impressions, Camera Samples - Affordable Premium Thinness
We recently received the newly announced nubia Air, the latest and one of the most affordable smartphones with a super slim design.
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| nubia Air |
To recap, the new nubia Air is impressively thin at 6.7mm at its thickest point and weighs 172 grams.
This arrived with a 6.78-inch OLED screen with a 2720 x 1224 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Alongside are the UNISOC T8300 octa-core processor, Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, 8GB RAM, and 256GB internal storage.
Despite its slimness, the company managed to fit a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging via USB-C.
It also has a 50MP main rear camera and a 16MP front-facing camera. Other features include an In-Display fingerprint scanner and a single speaker.
In the Philippines, the nubia Air is priced at PHP 12,999 only.
Let's take a look at it.
Unboxing/Accessories
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| nubia Air packaging |
Like recent nubia smartphones, it comes in a unique packaging. In this case, it is a render of the side view of the nubia Air, which emphasizes its thinness.
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| nubia Air box inclusions |
Inside the box are the nubia Air, bumper case, USB-C to USB-C cable, Wall charger, SIM ejector tool, and documentation.
Unfortunately, like most modern smartphones, the box does not include earphones.
Build Quality/Design
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| nubia Air rear design |
At first glance, the phone is reminiscent of other super-thin phones that may have been announced in the past few months.
5.9mm to 6.7mm thin!
The frame is made of an aluminum alloy with a glossy finish. The front is a flat glass panel, while the back is a micro-curved glass. Both are protected by Gorilla Glass 7i.
The phone is IP68 and IP69 dust and water-resistant rated. This means it can be submerged in water for up to 1.5m deep for 30 minutes.
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| nubia Air's display |
In front is the 6.78-inch flat OLED screen with a 2720 x 1224 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, a 240Hz touch sampling rate, and a 4,500 nits peak brightness. It covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
Around the panel are asymmetrical slim bezels, with the chin bezel being the thickest.
On the upper part of the display is the punch hole with the selfie camera. On top of that, and hidden in the bezels, is the hidden earpiece.
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| nubia Air top and bottom |
On top is the first microphone port, while at the bottom are the speaker grill, USB-C port, microphone port, and a SIM tray.
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| nubia Air SIM tray |
The SIM tray accommodates up to two nano SIM cards. There is a red rubber gasket that confirms the IP rating.
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| nubia Air left and right sides |
On the left is a smooth surface, while on the right are the volume rocker and the red power button. Both have a nice resistance when pressed.
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| nubia Air's rear camera module |
At the back are the 50MP f/1.6 main camera and the 2MP f/2.4 depth camera, and a 0.8MP auxiliary lens with an LED flash.
In front is the 20MP f/2.0 selfie camera found in the punch hole on the display.
Both the front and rear-facing cameras can record up to 1080p at 30fps.
The stock camera app includes Photo, Video, Sport, 50M, Night, Portrait, Time-lapse, Pro, Document, Panorama, Multi-exposure, Dual-capture, Monocolor, and VLOG.
The Pro mode allows for controls of ISO (100-6400), Shutter Speed (1/5000 - 1 secs), EV (+- 3), Focus, Metering (Spot, Center-Weighted, Average), and White Balance.
First Camera Samples
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| nubia Air rear camera 1x daylight |
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| nubia Air rear camera 2x daylight |
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| nubia Air rear camera 1x daylight |
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| nubia Air rear camera 2x daylight |
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| nubia selfie daylight |
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| nubia selfie portrait |
nubia Air's cameras take decently sharp images out of the box. However, our early shots tend to be overexposed and grainy even in daylight. Unfortunately, that is not a good sign.
There is no ultra-wide camera as well.
Powering the phone is either a 5,000mAh battery with 33W Fast Charging and Bypass Charging via USB-C.
Inside is the 6nm UNISOC T8300 octa-core processor and a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU.
Alongside the processor are the 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage.
The phone comes with a single speaker, and it supports dual nano SIMs.
Other features include NFC, Bluetooth 5.4, WiFi 5, 4G, 5G, GPS, and a mono speaker with DTS X Ultra.
nubia Air Specs
Display: 6.8-inch OLED screen w/ 120Hz refresh rate, 2720 x 1224 resolution at 386 ppi
CPU: 2.2GHz 6nm UNISOC T8300 octa-core processor
GPU: Mali-G57 MC2
RAM: 8GB
ROM: 256GB
Back Camera: 50MP f/1.6 w/ PDAF + 2MP f/2.4 depth + 0.08MP auxiliary lens + LED flash
Selfie Camera: 16MP
Battery: 5,000mAh w/ 33W Fast Charging, Bypass Charging
OS: Android 15
Connectivity: WiFi (2.4GHz/5GHz), 5G SA/NSA, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.4, OTG, NFC, GPS, dual SIM
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers, DTS:X Ultra, USB-C, Colors: Titanium Black, Titanium Desert
Dimensions: 164.2 x 76.6 x 5.9 mm
Price: PHP 12,999
Quick thoughts
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| nubia Air web surfing |
The new nubia Air looks stunning because of its 5.9mm to 6.7mm thickness while carrying a 5,000mAh battery. Besides being thin, the nubia Air is made with an aluminum frame and a glass front and rear panel. Both panels are protected by Gorilla Glass 7i.
The screen is also a delight because of its 120Hz refresh rate, 2720 x 1224 resolution, and 4,500 nits peak brightness. The body is rated for IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance as well.
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| nubia Air AnTuTu and GeekBench results |
At the back is a 50MP + 2MP + 0.08MP rear camera setup and a 20MP selfie camera. The first camera samples are easily overexposed.
The camera tuning and the lack of an ultra-wide sensor may be the only concerns for most people.
We will also be taking more photos with the phone and running our usual battery of tests.
So far, if you're after iPhone Air-inspired slimness, 5G support, and a more accessible price point, the nubia Air might be worth a look.
What do you guys think?
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