Last Saturday (March 28, 2026), nubia Philippines finally unveiled their nubia Neo 5 Series to the public. The lineup consists of three phones: the Neo 5 5G, Neo 5 Pro 5G, and the Neo 5 GT 5G. Although there seems to be one phone missing from the lineup, the massive Neo 5 Max that nubia showed off in their MWC 2026 booth.
For a gaming phone, the three phones are priced decently, however, their biggest threat already launched a few weeks ago. I’m talking of course about the POCO X8 Pro Series, which launched at a ridiculous entry price of ₱15,499. Of course, there is more to the story than meets the eye.
What’s New?
Before we dive in further, let’s take a look at the specs of each phone in the Neo 5 Series.
nubia Neo 5 5G
- Display: 6.8-inch HD+ IPS LCD display with 120Hz refresh rate
- Processor: UNISOC T9300
- RAM & ROM: 8GB/128GB
- Camera: 13 + 2 MP rear | 16 MP front
- Battery & Charging: 6050 mAh, 45W with support for bypass charging
- Price: ₱11,999
nubia Neo 5 Pro 5G
- Display: 6.8-inch OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate
- Processor: UNISOC T9100
- RAM & ROM: 12GB/256GB
- Camera: 50 + 2 MP rear | 16 MP front
- Battery & Charging: 6000 mAh, 80W with support for bypass charging
- Price: ₱14,999
nubia Neo 5 GT 5G
- Display: 6.8-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate
- Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 7400
- RAM & ROM: 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage
- Camera: 50 + 2 MP rear | 16 MP front
- Battery & Charging: 6210 mAh, 80W with support for bypass charging
- Price: ₱17,999 (12/256GB) | ₱19,999 (12/512GB)
As you can see, the Neo 5 Series received changes across the board. But the most glaring change from the Neo 3 Series is the use of a MediaTek chipset in the Neo 5 GT 5G. Historically, nubia only used UNISOC in all of their entry-level to mid-range phones.
I for one welcome this improvement, I mean it’s not that the UNISOC chips of yesteryear was abysmal, it’s just that when it comes to optimization, UNISOC chips are still a work in progress. Still, the base Neo 5 and the mid-tier Neo 5 Pro performs quite good for the package.
Could It Perform Against the POCO X8 Pro Series?
If you’re just looking at it from a raw performance perspective, then I would say no, it can’t. But like I’ve alluded to earlier, there’s a lot more that the nubia Neo 5 Series (especially the Neo 5 GT 5G…) can offer.
What the nubia Neo 5 Series loses out in performance, they gain in gaming-focused features like the Neo Triggers 5.0, Bypass Charging, and a 144Hz refresh rate. Okay, sure, the Infinix GT 30/GT 30 Pro also has those. But what they don’t have is the built-in active cooling fan that you only see in REDMAGIC phones which costs double than what the Neo 5 GT retails for.
Well Then, Who’s It For?
At the end of the day, it all depends on what you’re looking for because by the time you’re reading this, the early bird discount that lowered the price of the X8 Pro to ₱15,499 has already ended. Although the X8 Pro’s regular price doesn’t differ far from the Neo 5 GT’s SRP of ₱17,999.
If you’re someone who values gaming-focused features like the ones plus the pro-gaming aesthetic, then the nubia Neo 5 GT 5G could be the right one for you. But if you’re just in it for the raw power, then you’ll be better off with the POCO X8 Pro.