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This year several affordable valve phones started entering the Malaysian market with mid-range processors and lower specifications. Are affordable valve devices capable of offering the same experience as flagship models? This is my flash review for the Nubia Flip 5G.
Specifications
Nubia Flip 5G
6.9″ OLED screen, FHD+, 120Hz
1.43″ OLED, 60Hz
Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor (4nm)
1x 2.54 GHz Cortex-A710
3x 2.36 GHz Cortex-A710
4x 1.8 GHz Cortex-A510
Adreno 644 Graphics Chip
RAM 8 GB LPDDR4X
12 GB Virtual
256 GB UFS 3.1 storage
Primary Camera 50MP, f/1.8, OIS (Wide Angle)
2MP (Depth)
16MP Front Camera
4310 mAh battery
33W (Wired)
5G Dual-SIM Sim/Telephony
Stereo Speaker Audio
WiFi 6e network,
Bluetooth 5.2
NFC
Infrared None
Waterproof None
Side Fingerprint Scan System
Face scan
Sale Price RM2499 (8/256 GB)
Screen
The internal screen is 6.9″ OLED with a 120Hz refresh rate. It's bright, displays colors well and more importantly can display content even under a bit of sunlight. There is still a noticeable fold effect, especially after using the Flip for more than two weeks.
The screen when folded closes tightly without a cavity hole between the screen like the early models of the Galaxy Z Flip. When opening and closing no strange noise can be heard from the hinge part.
The folding effect is similar to the Z Flip3 with the feeling of the mechanism folding down the screen when the finger is moved. But I have to admit after six years of using a foldable screen device, this is nothing short of terrifying.
The 1.43″ OLED outer screen is round which makes it not very practical when compared to the Z Flip or Mix Flip secondary screen. There is AOD mode and also access several applications such as calendar, camera, music player, pedometer, timer and audio recording applications.
Biometrics
The fingerprint scanner system is placed on the side and it operates at a satisfactory speed. It is faster than the facial scanning system that can also be used. I'm still waiting for a Flip-type device that supports direct on-screen scanning like the Vivo X Fold3 which includes on-screen scanning on the outer screen as well as on the inner folding screen.
Design
The design is the same as the Tecno Phantom V Flip and Z Flip6. In fact all valve devices on the market share 90% of the external design. A sturdy logo frame surrounds the body with the device transforming into a square when in the closed position. The back panel is made of a smooth plastic material. It does not trap dirt easily and this is a positive thing.
The finish used makes the device feel premium in the hand and the weight also feels satisfying. The audio and power buttons on the right side are made of metal and feel premium. On the left side there is also a tray for two nano SIMs. Finally, below there is a speaker grill and a USB-C charging port.
Surrounding the circular outer screen is surrounded by a large hump that is not very high. On the large screen bezel is placed a 50MP wide-angle lens and another 2MP depth lens. The flash is placed on the top left jack outside the camera hump circle.
What makes the Flip 5G a mid-range device is that it doesn't have waterproof capabilities at all. So be careful when using the device outside because there is no guarantee that damage will not occur if exposed to rainwater.
Usage – MyOS 13
What most shows Flip 5G is a mid-range device is the use of the MyOS 13 operating system which is based on Android 13. It is unforgivable that devices sold in 2024 still use Android 13. At the time the article was written several devices with Android 15 had already been launched.
MyOS 13 I can say is an operating system that still has many interesting functions even though it is quite old. The interface is easy to understand and uses elements consistent with Material Design. I am very thankful that the era of Chinese Android device manufacturers with very strange interfaces is over.
There are basic features like AOD, gesture control, one-handed mode, and changing the order of apps on the front screen. The Z-POP feature is like Assistive Touch on the iPhone with shortcuts to launch the light, restart the device, take a screenshot and access an already opened application by pressing the floating round button. I personally don't find this feature useful but I agree that some people do love features like Z-POP.
We are now in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) devices so it is quite surprising that the Flip 5G does not come with any AI features. No help typing, generating images or deleting objects in pictures. For those who are anti-AI, this is the valve device for you.
Benchmark
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chip is a mid-range chip equipped with four Cortex-A710 and Cortex-A510 cores paired with an Adreno 644 GPU. I compared this chip with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 (Realme 13+5G), Dimensity 7300 (CMF Phone 1 ), Dimensity 7020 (Infinix Note 40 Pro) and Dimensity 8200 Ultimate (Infinix GT 20 Pro).
AnTuTu 3D
Nubia Flip 5G – 510,410
Realme 13+ 5G – 741,709
Realme 13 Pro+ 5G – 613,504
CMF Phone 1 – 644,913
Infinix Note 40 Pro – 450,320
Infinix GT 20 Pro – 933,015
Geekbench 6
Nubia Flip 5G –1001/3051
Realme 13+ 5G – 921/2127
Realme 13 Pro+ 5G – 899/2763
CMF Phone 1 – 1044/2927
Infinix Note 40 Pro – 1120/3338
Infinix GT 20 Pro – 1244/3516
Geekbench AI
Nubia Flip 5G – 877/870/2034
Realme 13+ 5G – 621/594/1095
Realme 13 Pro+ 5G – 327/342/699
CMF Phone 1 – N/A
Infinix Note 40 Pro – N/A
Infinix GT 20 Pro – N/A
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
Nubia Flip 5G –826
Realme 13+ 5G – 855
Realme 13 Pro+ 5G – 809
CMF Phone 1 – 851
Infinix Note 40 Pro – N/A
Infinix GT 20 Pro – 1736
The performance of running common applications is very satisfactory as they can be opened quickly but sometimes the device interface feels a little stuck. This only happens when outside the app. Are there optimization issues with MyOS? Maybe it's because the Flip 5G has no problem running games like COD Mobile, PUBG and MLBB at medium-high settings.
There are no heating issues and the first app feels like it's running on a powerful mid-range device. Only the Antutu 3D score above we feel is anomalous because zero is given to 3D graphics capabilities. The initial experience of the Flip 5G is better than the previously reviewed Realme 13+5G.
Camera
A 50MP wide-angle lens is paired with a 2MP depth sensor on the back and a 16MP camera is used for the selfie camera. No OIS system is included. Based on the pictures below, it can be seen that the camera's capabilities are not satisfactory. The resolution is not vivid enough, the image is not sharp enough and the HDR is not satisfactory. Even in good lighting situations the image looks soft. In darker situations the situation becomes increasingly unsatisfactory due to the lack of OIS.
Certain color selection mode only
Audio
A pair of speakers is included but the bottom speakers sound louder. The same issue faced with the Z Flip6 also occurs on the Flip 5G. Clearly even in two different price categories, Flip-type devices have the same unbalanced audio problem. Audio is satisfactory in that it's clear but honestly I'd say it's better to use earphones if you want equally loud audio in both ears.
Battery
The 4310mAh battery is quite small so it cannot last all day in moderate use. On average around 7-8pm the battery needs to be charged if the charger is unplugged at 7am. This is about 2-3 hours lower than the battery life of the devices I usually use. The 33W charger is able to recharge the battery in about 60 minutes which I feel is satisfactory.
What's In The Box
Here are the components included with each purchase.
1x Nubia Flip 5G
1x Protective frame
1x USB-C to USB-C Cable.
1x 33W Charger
1x Handbook and safety.
1x SIM Pin
Conclusion
The experience of using the Nubia Flip 5G is not as good as the Z Flip6 in my opinion. The software is not very smooth despite being equipped with a relatively powerful mid-range processor. The biggest sin of this device is that it still uses the Android 13 operating system.
The user experience is not smooth but the gaming performance is very good. MyOS 13 has an issue of not smoothing when apps are not in use. Camera performance is also just average when compared to other valve devices. The secondary screen outside is also not very practical due to its small size.
The strength lies only in the affordable price of RM2499. But without update support information, when it will receive Android 14 and the software is not smooth I feel it is better to buy a slightly more expensive valve device like Z Flip5 which has software supported for longer period and camera performance is much better.
PRO
A compact valve device that is comfortable to use.
First run performance is good.
Affordable prices for valve devices.
Various useful widgets on the secondary screen.
CONS
Camera capabilities are not satisfactory.
Still running Android 13.
No AI features.
There is no information about update support.