Nubia Flip 5G review: a low-cost Galaxy Z Flip alternative

The best folding phones are typically pricey gadgets, but the Nubia Flip 5G on review here is one of the lowest-cost flip phones available that's made of glass and metal. It also packs a Samsiung Galaxy Z Flip 6-beating battery size, a more solid-feeling hinge than the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, as well as a nifty circular cover screen. 

Costing half the price of Motorola's latest flip phone, the Razr 50 Ultra, it's clearly the choice for anyone on a budget. But what compromises did Nubia need to make to undercut the foldable establishment?

Arguably, the most significant feature to take a hit is durability: the Flip 5G is not IP rated, so it can't be dunked or even officially splashed - though I've used my review device in the rain and it's held up. 

Then there's the cameras: flip phones typically have weak ones, but the Nubia Flip 5G's single camera takes this compromise further than most.

Then there's the question of power: the Flip 5G's spec is pared-back more than the flagship flip phone competition, and when it comes to software, Nubia isn't known for Samsung-grade long-term support. 

But if you're happy with the compromises, and want a flip phone at a fraction of the price with a larger cover screen than even some year-old alternatives, the Nubia Flip 5G could fit the bill. 

Nubia Flip 5G: price & availability

The Nubia Flip 5G costs £499/$499, roughly AU$945, which undercuts all its current-gen foldable competition. That said, you can get a 2023 Motorola Razr 40 for around the same price, or a past-gen Galaxy Z Flip 3. Neither of those phones pack a cover screen that can best the Nubia Flip 5G's, though, and the main display of the Flip 5G has a less pronounced crease than Samsung's 2022 flagship Z Flip.

So, while Nubia's flip phone costs less than the competition, there are still alternatives from better-known phone makers at a similar price, albeit with compromises of their own. That's part and parcel of buying any folding phone though. 

Nubia Flip 5G: design & display

The Nubia Flip 5G exceeded my expectations when I first got it in my hands, as it's made of glass and metal and sports a relatively smooth hinge mechanism. It may look a little uninspired when set against pricier phones like the Motorola Razr 50, but it does the job.

When folded, the Nubia Flip 5G is 15mm thick. While this is chunky compared to traditional phones, it's actually slimmer than the Z Flip 5 and Razr 50, though Nubia's foldable is significantly heavier than both, at 214g.

The frosted glass around the front and back is colour-matched to the metal frame, with Cosmic Black, Flowering Lilac and Sunshine Gold options available. By being matte, the Nubia Flip 5G is excellent at fending off fingerprints, and the only reflective element is a simple trim surrounding the cover screen.

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The circular cover screen is novel, surrounded by a thick black border housing the cameras, and its watch face vibe is charming. It's bright enough to use outdoors, and the interface is very simple, making it easy to navigate until you have to open up your Nubia Flip 5G.

A red power button and fingerprint scanner combo are on the right side along with a volume rocker. A USB-C port for data and charging is at the base alongside a loudspeaker, and the dual-SIM slot is on the left side.

With flat sides, the Nubia Flip 5G is easy to grip whether open or closed, the hinge does a good job of locking in place between about 40º and 120º - so you can part-fold the phone and watch content or take photos with some flexibility.

The Flip 5G's flexible display measures 6.9-inches and has a Full HD resolution. That means plenty of room to type and swipe on it and a crisp picture with 439 pixels-per-inch of screen, matching its key competition.

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With a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, Nubia gives users more choice when setting custom refresh rates, with options including 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, or Auto. A 90Hz display can be a great middle ground between smooth visuals and power-saving benefits, while a locked 120Hz display maxes out power consumption while ensuring everything flows extra smoothly across your screen.

Unfolded, the Nubia Flip 5G is easy to see in moderately bright environments. I tested it in a Great British Summer, so the sunlight was strong but never eye-searing (there was probably a downpour of rain or two, too). The screen also supports HDR10, though it isn't Netflix HDR-certified (this means that while it plays back Netflix content in Full HD resolution, it video won't display in HDR).

It's also worth noting that the screen crease of the Nubia Flip 5G is relatively modest, especially compared to older Galaxy Z Flip smartphones. It's more visible than the new Motorola Razr 50 Ultra's one, especially when the screen is off. You can feel a bump when swiping over it, though it didn't significantly detract from my experience using the phone - whether gaming, watching, or swiping through social apps.

Nubia Flip 5G: performance & battery life

Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset, the Nubia Flip 5G's pared-back internals may stop it from running games at high graphics settings, but won't hold it back from delivering a smooth experience in the day-to-day tasks.

Scoring 3010 multi-core and 1062 single-core on the Geekbench benchmark, it falls behind the Google Pixel 8a and Poco F6 Pro - two more powerful (non-flip) phones at a similar price. However, it also matches other similarly-priced (also non-folding) alternatives like the Oppo Reno 12 Pro.

Available in two storage options - 256GB+8GB RAM or 512GB+12GB RAM - there's plenty of room for your content, plus a dual-SIM slot and space for two SIM cards, although there's no eSIM support here.

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Running Android 13, the Nubia Flip 5G is behind the times when it comes to its operating system version, with Android 14 being what we would expect from a 2024 phone - and with Android 15 just around the corner, too. 

The phone is still Google Gemini ready, though, and materiallyspeaking you probably won't notice a difference between Android versions, given the skin Nubia applies with its MyOS interface. That said, if you plan on using the Flip 5G for more than three years, the software update promise might turn you off. Specifically, Nubia commits to three years of security updates, with no commitment regarding major OS updates. As a result, we have no guarantees this phone will even get Android 14, let alone beyond.

Flip phone features are limited to tools like voice recording, media controls, weather, calendar and timer. Unlike the competition, you can't run apps on the cover screen (nor would you want to - as it's far too small). You can see and clear notifications, though no quick settings toggling is available.

The relatively large 4,310mAh comfortably made it through a full day in my time using the Nubia Flip 5G, and with support for 33W charging, it powers up fully in under an hour. All of which is respectable for the price - and in the flip phone category it's super-budget.

Nubia Flip 5G: cameras

The Flip 5G's camera is a major area where Nubia scales things back to undercut the competition. The 50-megapixel camera misses out on staples like optical image stabilisation (OIS), while the secondary camera doesn't take photos at all - it's there to help the portrait mode out. On the plus, it's a Samsung JN1 sensor, which can still take a decent photo with the right processing.

Give the Nubia Flip 5G enough light and a relatively steady hand, and you'll have the best chance of success. However, when there's a lot of sky or bright light sources in the scene, it can struggle to balance everything. But, generally speaking, exposure is decent, contrast and saturation aren't through the roof, and the phone takes a slightly flat but perfectly respectable shot.

Scenes with a lot of browns, greys and blacks can look a bit muddy, with shadow detail present, but clumsily salvaged at times. Bright colours are picked up nicely, and because Nubia doesn't go crazy with over-processing, photos from the Flip 5G are easy to boost with an edit.

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Despite no optical zoom, the Nubia Flip 5G can get you a three-times zoomed-in shot that has a decent amount of detail. Where the zoom experience can struggle is with white balance across a zoom range – see the photos of the plaque below – and ultra-wide photo with lots of browns looks dull with the plaque looking blue, while the zoomed-in photo recolours the plaque completely, making it brown. 

For the best results, I'd suggest pinching in slightly and getting a tight shot of your subject so the phone can expose and set the white balance for it rather than whatever's in the background.

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You can take photos or videos with the Nubia Flip 5G part-folded, and the interface will adjust to accommodate, making it easy to place it on a surface for steadied capture. The camera also supports the camcorder grip every flip phone maker seems to be jumping on for part-folded video recording.

With the cover display, you can take selfies and vlog-style video with the phone closed, and the Nubia Flip 5G records at up to 4K resolution (30fps) and Full HD (60fps). Stabilisation is hit or miss, and I found it seemed better when not using the front display. I therefore wouldn't call the Flip 5G a great outdoor vlogging cam.

Another reason it isn't an all-purpose camera is because video struggles when the lights drop. Nubia's night mode kicks in nicely for photos, or you can manually fire it up, and if you can get the phone on a surface then it can take solid shots even in dimly-lit scenes. Snapping handheld at night produces usable pictures, but the Flip 5G definitely isn't best-in-class.

Nubia Flip 5G: verdict

For the price, it's hard to not be impressed with the Nubia Flip 5G. This year, Samsung is asking for over four-figures for its Z Flip 6, while Moto sits in the middle with its Razr 50 and Razr 50 Ultra, leaving Nubia to swoop in at the entry-level.

If you're indifferent to it being a flip phone, it goes without saying you can get plenty more for your money if you look to alternatives that don't bend. But if you desperately want a flip phone but can't justify spending mega money, the Nubia Flip 5G is better than I thought it would be.

Is it perfect? Absolutely not. The hinge isn't as premium-feeling as pricier alternatives; the single camera, lack of OIS and Nubia's image processing mean it isn't a photo or video champ; and running last-year's Android with a limited OS and software update guarantee means it isn't as future-proofed - either hardware or software-wise. 

Day-to-day, though, when using the Nubia Flip 5G, it was easy to forget its drawbacks and enjoy this relatively budget flip phone for what it is - the only relatively mainstream £499/$499 current-gen foldable on the scene. 

Also consider

If you want a foldable, there are a handful of options depending on where you are in the world. The Oppo Find N3 Flip is available in Southeast Asia, while the Galaxy Z Flip series and Motorola Razr series can be had globally. Below, you can see the Nubia Flip 5G alongside the latest from all those flip phone makers.

For Nubia Flip 5G money, you could look to a Galaxy Z Flip 3, which is a few years old and has a less practical cover display and a significantly more pronounced screen crease. However, it's also more durable on paper, has more power, and has wireless charging.

Alternatively, the new Motorola Razr 50 is a great shout. It runs the latest version of Android and packs a more powerful cover screen and a fuller feature set - though those extras cost more.

Finally, you could skip flip phones this generation and pick up a Google Pixel 8a or Poco F6 Pro instead - two similarly-priced alternatives that excel at different tasks. The Google is a winning all-rounder, and the Poco packs enough power and screen quality for superb gaming performance.