ZTE nubia Neo 5G: Best gaming phone under 10k?

Can you buy a gaming smartphone for under 10K? Perhaps ZTE nubia Neo 5G is meant for you and your budget.

Gaming phones usually start at 15K and they are not yet the top tier; more powerful models can go up to 100K. So, ZTE wants to break that barrier with an offering of below 10K. It’s ZTE nubia Neo 5G equipped with gaming-related features. But is it the best under 10K? Let’s find out.

Key Specifications

ZTE nubia Neo 5G is all about gaming on a budget, which explains its limited specifications. The company behind it prioritized the basic requirements for mobile gaming and traded off other things, including the camera.

As shown above, the phone’s chipset isn’t so powerful but is enough for smooth operation and most gaming titles on the Play Store. The RAM is adequate for multitasking while the battery is so-so for all-day use.

To deliver excellent gaming performance, ZTE nubia Neo 5G got a few tweaks and tricks up its sleeves. First, the Unisoc T820 octa-core CPU has a clock speed of 2.7GHz, which should work for various mobile games.

The next is the display screen that boasts a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, useful for first-person shooting games. The refresh rate may suggest up to 240Hz of touch sampling rate, which is acceptable for these games.

The display can also deliver vivid colors and crisp visuals to immerse mobile gamers with its full HD resolution. But the real deal about this device is composed of multiple features.

Game Space

The Game Space is a hub of options for mobile gaming, including some that are still uncommon these days, especially at lower price ranges.

On top of the usuals like brightness, video recording, and screenshots, the phone’s Game Space includes performance presets.

Let’s explain a bit more about these three and use cases. The Balance mode is for casual gaming where you don’t have to worry about power and performance. The phone will save battery and use resources based on your gaming demand.

Want to farm loots or essential gear? Choose the Eco mode and combine it with the Game Space’s screen lock to extend your farming time. Your character can AFK longer because this mode lowers the demand on the chipset, decreasing consumption on the battery.

The Rise mode is for maximum gaming performance to cut down lags, eliminate stuttering, and maintain smoothness. 

Gaming Tools

ZTE nubia Neo 5G features a set of handy tools called “auxiliary functions.” Here’s some of them.

The Auxiliary Line is more applicable on MOBAs because it gives a rough estimate of the distance between you and what’s around you. It may help estimate basic attack range, tower attack range, and even spell/skill ranges of enemies.

The Stopwatch is mainly for speedruns. You may also use it as a timer for anything in-game.

The Crosshair function is something FPS players will want since certain titles don’t enable them. Plus, the one from ZTE nubia Neo 5G is adjustable to improve your accuracy when shooting.

Next-Level 5G Experience

5G connectivity is case by case since not every region or city has the towers. But if your area has an excellent 5G connection, then ZTE nubia Neo 5G’s dual 5G SIM support is a welcome feature.

This lets the device use two 5G-enabled SIM cards at the same time. When one of the two drops or goes unstable, the smartphone shifts to the other SIM for better connection.

Gaming Like on a Console

ZTE nubia Neo 5G comes with bypass charging to let you use it without worrying about battery life. In simple terms, bypass charging directs the power from the charging brick to the many parts of the phone, except the battery. This greatly reduces heat generation when the phone is running demanding apps and games.

Moreover, the CPU and GPU can go full force because the power is unlimited. Play games continuously and even enable Rise mode for maximum performance. Bypass charging also works when the phone is plugged via the USB port of your computer, powerbank, and other power sources.

Bypass charging is found in Game Space.

Downsides

The Unisoc T820 is relatively new, announced in November 2022, and sports a six-nanometer process. However, the process itself is just a part of the puzzle in balancing heat, battery life, and performance.

Unisoc T820 is configured with one performance core plus three cores plus four more cores for a total of eight cores. According to the ZTE nubia Neo 5G’s official website, this processor scored 422,384 on AnTuTu. So, let’s put just two other processors on the board.

Notice the clock speeds of Unisoc T820 on all cores? They range from 2.1 to 2.7GHz. Higher clock speeds generally mean faster performance, but a CPU on constantly higher clock speeds generates more heat as per Intel.

Among the three samples, Snapdragon 845 has the highest and lowest clock speeds as an effort to balance heat and performance. So, why didn’t ZTE choose Dimensity 810 having the same process? What about the old Snapdragon 845? We can only guess.

Other downsides of ZTE nubia Neo 5G include:

• A bit “slow” fast-charging rate of 22.5 watts only.
• Slightly smaller battery capacity of 4500mAh, where many are at 5000. 
• Single, downward-firing speaker which is easy to block when gaming.
• Hit-or-miss camera; but this isn’t a key feature.

Verdict

If you’re a casual gamer and usually play a few hours at a time, there are better alternatives out there. However, if you’re a gamer who:

• Has a strict budget of below 10k? 
• Plays games for hours with little breaks in between?
• Wants to farm your character or account via AFK for hours or overnight?

Then, the ZTE nubia Neo 5G is your best bet. This is because bypass charging is difficult to find at such a price point. Not to mention the 5G dual-SIM support.

You can plug the phone like a console, turn on bypass charging in Game Space, and play without a care. No need to worry about excessive heating since the battery isn’t bothered. Sleep tight at night while your character AFK its way to more loot and chances to get rare items.

Check out our specs for ZTE nubia Neo 5G below.