Nubia N2 has been launched in India with a price tag of Rs 15,999 and like any other Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Nubia is trying to make its mark in the Indian market. While last month, Nubia launched the Z17 Mini at Rs 19,999, the Nubia N2 is an attempt to enter a more competitive yet the biggest segment of mid-budget smartphones that is ruled by the likes of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, Moto G5 Plus, Asus ZenFone 3 and Honor 6X.
Nubia N2 comes with a hardcore processor as well as a 5000mAh battery, a combination that not many can boast of and while Nubia has been launched some of the well-packed smartphones, Nubia N2 is what they needed and it has come out to be a definitive game changer on the segment.
However, a perfect smartphone is a myth and the presence of Nubia N2 is a proof of that because while the company ticked all the right boxes when it comes to specifications, there a MediaTek SoC under the hood instead of a Snapdragon processor for better battery backup. But the one thing that is hard to understand here is, wouldn’t the 5000mAh cell be enough to support an SD SoC.
Having said that, Nubia N2 is still one of the best launched of the year in the mid-budget segment, but will it be able to stand out in the competition? Let’s see!!
Nubia N2 Specifications
- 5.5-inch (1280 x 720) HD AMOLED display with 2.5D curved glass and On-Cell lamination, offering 267 ppi
- 1.5GHz Octa-Core MediaTek MT6750 SoC coupled with Mali T860 GPU
- 4GB LPDDR3 RAM and 64GB of internal storage, expandable up to 128GB via microSD
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Nubia UI 4.0
- 13MP rear camera with SONY IMX 258 sensor, PDAF, f2.2 aperture and LED flash support
- 16MP front camera with fixed focus, Samsung 3P3ST sensor, f2.0 aperture and 80° Wide Angle for group selfies and videos
- Fingerprint scanner embedded in the home button
- 5000mAh battery with Quick Charge support
- 4G VoLTE, dual SIM (nano+nano) dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, GPS/ A-GPS, Bluetooth v4.0, 3.5mm audio jack, and USB Type-C port.
What we like about Nubia N2
Nubia N2 comes with a fresh design that has been missing from the segment and despite the fact that there are thick bezels present at the front, it still looks good from every angle, thanks to a curved body.
The 3D noise reduction, low-light image enhancement, and hand-held image stabilization help the Nubia N2 in producing DSLR quality digital imaging.
As expected the 5000mAh battery is a spec to match as it delivers 60 hours of talk time as well as 3 days of standby.
MediaTek MT6750 SoC, Mali T860 GPU, 4GB LPDDR3 RAM and 64GB of internal storage constitute one of the most ‘underrated’ hardware packages. While it is not the best, the lags, as well as frame drops, will also get unnoticed, even in the case of heavy users.
What we miss in Nubia N2
While the 5.5-inch (1280 x 720) HD AMOLED display is easy on the eyes and offers great colors, it’s still not the brightest one.
A Snapdragon processor could have made an instant mark.
While the heavy Nubia UI 4.0 comes with a lot of bloatware, the absence of Android Nougat adds to Nubia N2’s disadvantages.
Verdict
When it comes to the best VFM smartphone in the competition, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 still leads from the front, however, Nubia N2 comes as a breath of fresh air in an already competitive mid-budget segment and stands out with its camera capabilities as well as battery.