In today’s smartphone landscape, where uniformity reigns, major manufacturers are turning their attention to the new trend of folding screens. As consumer demands for both aesthetics and functionality rise, manufacturers are innovating relentlessly to distinguish themselves in the competitive market.
IDC’s report for the fourth quarter of 2023, the Chinese market witnessed a significant surge in the shipment of folding screen mobile phones, totaling around 2.771 million units—a staggering 149.6% increase compared to the previous year. Throughout 2023, approximately 7.007 million folding-screen mobile phones were shipped in China alone.
As a prominent member of the China Cool Alliance, ZTE, long considered an industry stalwart, made headlines with the launch of its inaugural small foldable phone. Beyond its enticing starting price of 2,999, what truly sets this device apart in terms of design and functionality?
In contrast to the widespread horizontal folding screens, the vertical folding screen, with its compact half-fold design, offers a sleeker and more portable option, particularly appealing to female users. Consequently, various manufacturers have entered the arena of small foldable phones, targeting the female demographic with refined aesthetics and elegant designs.
However, Nubia’s Fold takes a bold approach with its right-angled frame on the small fold—a departure from the prevailing trends. In the realm of small foldable, it stands out as a striking anomaly amidst sleek counterparts, perhaps signaling a shift towards a vertical fold tailored for male users. With this perspective in mind, let’s delve into the performance of Nubia’s pioneering small foldable, the Nubia Flip.
Design
Judging from the exquisiteness of the packaging box and the combination of suede feel and hot stamping technology, the Nubia Flip’s actual texture far surpasses mere adequacy.
The package includes a 33W charger, data cable, protective case, card pins, instructions, and other accessories. It’s noteworthy that the data cable provided is C-to-C, a practical addition.
Upon handling the Nubia Flip, the first noticeable aspect is its lightweight nature, weighing in at about 209g. This weight pleasantly surprised someone accustomed to heavier phones. 
Available in three colors: milk tea, caramel, and taro, the Nubia Flip’s color choices may evoke thoughts of a beverage lineup. Opting for the milk tea variant, the AG frosted glass back cover exudes warmth and smoothness.
Despite its right-angled frame, the rounded edges enhance the grip, a notable departure from traditional boxy designs. The secondary screen at the back, reminiscent of a vinyl record player, adds a unique touch. 
On the side, the power fingerprint 2-in-1 button, adorned in a vibrant red hue, adds to the device’s visual appeal. Finally, let’s discuss its display specifications.
Sporting a 6.9-inch screen with a 21:9 movie-level ratio and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, the Nubia Flip provides a smooth visual experience. The incorporation of 2160Hz PWM dimming technology not only enhances visual clarity but also prioritizes user eye safety by reducing screen flicker.
External Screen
Nubia Flip doesn’t just focus on enhancing beauty in obvious aspects like its appearance; it also incorporates numerous subtle innovations, especially in areas like the outer screen, which you may only notice after using it for a while.
Now, let me share my experience with the external screen of the Nubia Flip. Unlike the current mainstream vertical folding devices, the external screen isn’t meant to handle all your tasks when folded. Instead, it aims to address the convenience of accessing messages in the folded state.
You’ll find handy features like weather updates, music controls, a calendar, and an itinerary displayed on the outer screen in a card-style layout. Switching between different apps is as simple as swiping left or right, eliminating the need for constant back-and-forth. Moreover, rearranging cards on the external screen is as easy as pressing and holding them to drag and reorder.
Nubia Flip also supports the display of some third-party apps on the external screen. Currently, apps like Kuaishou and Bilibili for video playback are compatible. However, due to the small size of the vertically folding external screen, the experience of browsing videos isn’t optimal. It’s akin to watching videos on a smartwatch – not ideal. So, promise me, unfold the screen when watching videos to avoid straining the external display.
Despite its limitations for browsing information feeds, the external screen excels in tasks like nurturing adorable virtual pets. Nubia Flip offers a selection of eight cute pet wallpapers in both realistic and anime styles, giving you the freedom to choose what suits your taste.
Furthermore, one of the traditional advantages of folding screens is the inclusion of a rear selfie camera. The performance of the external screen doesn’t disappoint in this aspect either. Not only can you zoom in to inspect photos on the outer display, but the color accuracy matches that of the internal screen seamlessly.
Cameras
In terms of imaging, the Nubia Flip employs a dual-camera setup, featuring a 50-megapixel OIS anti-shake main camera paired with an independent 2-megapixel depth-of-field lens.
Under favorable lighting conditions, the Nubia Flip exhibits remarkable color performance and detail rendition for a folding screen within this price range. Additionally, the 26mm main focal length facilitates easier picture composition.
Despite not boasting top-tier hardware, the 50-megapixel main camera delivers quite accurate color reproduction across various scenarios. Even in dusk or evening settings with significant light variations, there’s no observable overexposure or abrupt contrast shifts between light and shadow.
Given the absence of a dedicated telephoto lens, the Nubia Flip relies on cropping the 50mm focal length from its main camera. This performance remains commendable considering its price point. It’s a reminder that in the age of AI, the algorithm often trumps hardware in mobile photography.
The Nubia Flip’s algorithm can still deliver a decent experience in average light conditions, provided your hand remains steady. However, in dimly lit environments, the Nubia Flip’s shutter speed may decrease slightly.
Nubia has garnered a following among photography enthusiasts due to its camera innovations. As Nubia’s inaugural small foldable device, the Nubia Flip inherits many features from its camera-centric lineage. I appreciate the single-point color-picking function, which adds a cinematic flair to each photo.
Moreover, thanks to the novel water drop hinge, the Nubia Flip supports various hover shots and can even transform into a retro DV player, enabling spontaneous recording of life’s moments.
Performance
Benchmark Testing
Nubia Flip, utilizing the first-generation Snapdragon 7 and embracing Samsung’s 4nm manufacturing process, achieves a score of 645471 points on AnTuTu. Positioned as a compact foldable device emphasizing style, slimness, and affordability, Nubia Flip performs admirably at this level. From a personal standpoint, I find it quite satisfactory. Its overall performance can be likened to that of the Snapdragon 778G. While it may not claim the top spot, considering its price point, one can only be forgiving!
AI Testing
The promotional page on Nubia Flip’s official website boldly proclaims its AI capabilities, prompting us to delve into its performance through AnTuTu. In the AnTuTu AI test, Nubia Flip achieves a score of 377569 points. Given its price, I find this performance acceptable. Quite satisfactory, indeed.
Nubia Flip not only integrates extensive language models into its voice assistants but also implements various operations such as generative question-and-answer and text-based diagrams. Moreover, it promises to eliminate OTA magic AI in the future, enabling translation through the external screen without the need to unfold the phone—an impressive AI translation function in the making.
Game Testing
For the gaming assessment, we opted for “Peace Elite,” a highly representative mobile game capable of showcasing a device’s true performance under medium to low loads. The testing environment simulated an office setup with a room temperature of 24 degrees Celsius.
During the test, we maintained the screen brightness at 50% and disabled automatic brightness adjustment to ensure test accuracy. Employing the highest image quality and frame rate settings in the game, we meticulously recorded frame rates, temperatures, and power consumption.
In “Peace Elite,” running on smooth image quality with extreme frame rates, the average frame rate remains consistently stable at 60 frames per second, exhibiting a remarkably linear performance curve. Such performance prowess implies that the Red Devils have truly excelled in catering to the demands of avid gamers.
Under these screen settings, Nubia Flip exhibits an average power consumption of 3.6W, coupled with commendable temperature control. The front registers a maximum temperature of 40.4 degrees Celsius, while the back maintains a relatively cooler 37.3 degrees Celsius.
Battery
Nubia Flip features 33W fast charging and a 4310mAh battery capacity. Using the original 33W charger, it charges from 1% to 100%: 10 minutes for 20%, 30 minutes for 65%, and approximately 60 minutes for a full charge. While slower compared to higher-wattage mid-range phones, it remains above average in the small foldable category.
We employed the professional battery life testing tool, Battery Dog, developed by Kuai Technology, for an accurate assessment.
Testing various aspects including CPU performance, AI usage, media consumption, and web browsing, we simulated real-world scenarios to mirror actual user experiences.
After the Battery Dog test, the battery depleted from 100% to 20% over 6 hours and 23 minutes. For everyday moderate usage, a single charge per day is typically sufficient.
Verdict
Today, Nubia once again proves its market strategy’s consistency and the brand’s consistent style with the Nubia Flip. This phone doesn’t just start at an affordable price of 2,999 yuan; it also successfully combines an exquisite small folding form with a typical folding screen experience.
Moreover, in the past, if you wanted a folding screen for 3,000 yuan, your only option was almost to open Xianyu. But now, Nubia offers another possibility. Although its SOC is slightly weak due to the price, fortunately, with the technical advantages of its younger brother Red Magic, you won’t notice obvious frame drops in daily use, especially in terms of long-term and stable gaming experience.
With its compact body of 209g and rounded chamfers, you won’t feel sore even if you hold it horizontally for a long time. Additionally, in terms of imaging capabilities, thanks to the Taishan AI imaging algorithm and the multi-angle hover shooting brought about by vertical folding, it can also bring you an unprecedented shooting experience.
The launch of Nubia Flip aims not only to enrich the diversity of the market but also to introduce new user groups to the small folding screen market. As folding screens are gradually becoming the main phone, Nubia’s ambition to launch this small folding phone is evident.
If you have a limited budget and want to experience a vertical folding screen, then the price of Nubia Flip at 2999 yuan is something you cannot ignore.
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