nubia Neo 5 GT Review | Geek Lifestyle

After releasing the V80 Max earlier this year, nubia has now launched the Neo 5 GT in the Philippines, a gaming smartphone that’s still on the affordable side.

To be exact, nubia launched three new smartphones in the Neo 5 Series, which also features the base Neo 5 and a Pro model. Of the three, the GT that we got to test is the highest-end variant, and it promises to deliver the best gaming performance, especially over a long gaming session. This is thanks not only to its promising chipset, but also because it packs a built-in fan, which should help keep temperatures down even when under heavy load. Along with the fan, the phone also features remappable shoulder triggers on the right side, which give gamers more control options.

When it comes to its gaming capabilities, the Neo 5 GT is no doubt a promising smartphone. And based on our experience with the previous generation Neo 3, we expected this phone to deliver on its promise on the gaming side. But what about for photography and general use? Does this nubia smartphone also deliver? That’s what we’re here to find out.

Geek-sthetic

Before we get into performance, let’s first talk about the phone’s design. The nubia Neo 5 GT comes in brighter color options like yellow, but what we got our hands on was the black colorway. For most phones, the black option is usually quite sleek and low-profile. On the flip side, the Neo 5 GT, even in black, is very much an eye-catching phone.

While it still looks fairly sleek, the Neo 5 GT has an aggressive overall look, thanks to the gamer-style patterns and design elements all over the glossy back. It even has an exposed chip below the cameras, adding extra flair.

What will no doubt catch the most attention is the light strip. The Neo 5 GT has lights in the middle of the camera module (where the fan is located), as well as on the eye-like pattern on the upper right side of the phone’s back.

By default, these lights only turn on when you’re gaming, though you can set them to be on all the time; battery life will be shorter if you choose to do so. Whichever lighting mode you select, you can choose the LED color (at least for the lights on the eye part) as well as what kind of lighting effect you want. While you only have a couple of preset colors to choose from, the light strip offers a good amount of customization options overall.

While the phone’s design at the back is definitely more eye-catching than most mid-range phones, for users who prefer a slightly more subdued look, the phone does have a translucent case packed inside the box. This won’t hide the light strip, but it does give the phone a subtler look.

As for how it feels in the hand, the Neo 5 GT feels hefty in a good way. It’s also nice to know that the flat edges have a grippy feel, meaning you won’t have to worry about the phone slipping from your hands during an intense gaming session. One thing worth noting is that, because of the triggers on the right side, the power button is located a bit lower than where you’d typically find it.

Moving to the front, you’ll see the phone’s 6.8-inch AMOLED screen. We like how slim the bezels are here, not to mention that the screen looks quite big. As such, the Neo 5 GT should satisfy users who want a phone with a larger display, whether for gaming or binge-watching purposes.

Binge-Watching Factor

As mentioned above, the Neo 5 GT has a large 6.8-inch AMOLED screen. This display also has a 1224 x 2720 resolution, with up to 4,500 nits of peak brightness. Thanks to this, the phone is definitely a good partner for watching movies and shows. Thanks to the AMOLED display, colors are vibrant, complete with deep blacks. Plus, the resolution makes content look sharp, while the max brightness ensures that you get a good view of what’s on screen even when outdoors when the sun’s out.

When it comes to audio though, this new nubia mid-ranger is just okay. Even though the phone has stereo speakers, the audio does sound a bit tinny when at max volume. Because of this, it’s better to keep the volume at around 80% or so. Even then, the low end is also a bit lacking. Of course, audio isn’t bad; it’s just that you would want headphones or external speakers for a better binge-watching experience. Note that, sadly, this phone does not have a headphone jack, meaning you’ll need a wireless audio device.

Gaming Performance

The nubia Neo 5 GT is powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 7400 chipset paired with 12GB of RAM. As with previous nubia phones, this one also has a game settings menu called AI Game Space, where you can select which power mode to use, as well as access useful options for notifications, fan use, display refresh rate, and more. We liked how many options you get when swiping to the AI Game Space, though it could still use a bit of polish, as the English translations can seem a bit awkward.

When it comes to performance though, the Neo 5 GT did not disappoint. Even though it’s priced at well below PHP 20k, this new nubia phone handles popular MOBAs and FPS titles like Wild Rift and Delta Force with no issues. You can crank the settings to High and enjoy fast 60 FPS gaming, or you can tweak the settings a bit to take advantage of the phone’s 144Hz refresh rate screen. Yes, this phone’s display has a higher refresh rate than most other phones in the market.

Even though it’s still a mid-range phone, the Neo 5 GT is capable of running even more demanding games like Genshin Impact. While the game defaulted to the Lowest graphics quality preset, you can bump it up to Low and get a playable frame rate. Of course, if you want a smoother experience, you may want to tweak the settings to get a higher average framerate.

What’s nice about the phone is that the fan isn’t just for show. It does help the phone sustain its gaming performance, even when playing for over an hour. Plus, we like the addition of the programmable shoulder triggers, as these can give you a more console-like experience when playing shooters. Note that there is a bit of a learning curve to using these, but they’re quite helpful when you get used to them.

Geek Photoshoot Capabilities

The new Neo 5 GT packs a 50MP main camera that’s supported by another shooter, though nubia doesn’t exactly state what this other camera does. As such, you can think of this phone as having a single rear shooter in terms of function. At the front, you get a 16MP selfie camera.

For daytime shots and indoor photos with ample lighting, the Neo 5 GT’s main rear shooter works well. Images are bright and detailed, all while having fairly accurate colors. Considering its price point, the camera works well.

At night, you can use Night Mode for brighter photos, though the colors can look a bit punched up. For casual social media sharing, though, the results with the Night Mode should be satisfactory for most users. If you’re shooting indoors with not a lot of light, Auto Mode can sometimes turn out good results, but we still recommend going with Night Mode in these cases.

For selfies, the Neo 5 GT’s front camera takes good photos, though you’d want to shoot in daylight for the best results. When shooting indoors, selfies can look a tad washed out, but they do retain a good amount of detail.

Everyday Reliability

As a daily driver, the nubia Neo 5 GT does not disappoint, at least when it comes to performance. This phone’s processor and 12GB of RAM mean it can handle everyday tasks with ease, while still having enough power for some more demanding workloads like video editing.

When using the phone for these apps, you can turn on the fan so that temperatures are lower, though we don’t recommend turning on the fan all the time. Aside from draining the battery a bit faster, the fan’s sound can be a bit distracting. It’s not because the fan is loud; it’s just that the slightly high-pitched sound is a bit noticeable when you’re reading something or scrolling through apps. Thankfully, you won’t notice the fan noise much while gaming, whether you’re using headphones or the phone’s speakers.

Finally, let’s talk battery life. The Neo 5 GT’s large 6,210mAh battery means it can last for a full day of use with ease, even when gaming. Of course, you can drain the phone faster, especially if you keep the light strip and fan on all the time. But if you use the phone for only a couple of hours of gaming in a day, you can end the day with around 30% charge to spare.

For charging, the phone has a fast 80W charger, meaning you can get up to 100% in well under an hour. What we also like is that the phone has a bypass charge feature. With this, the phone can draw power from an outlet without charging the battery. This is great for long gaming sessions, especially because the battery isn’t being charged, and the phone’s temperature doesn’t get as high.

Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict

If you’re in the market for a dedicated smartphone in the mid-range, the nubia Neo 5 GT is a worthy option. This is thanks to its pretty good gaming performance, as well as its dedicated fan to keep temps manageable. It also helps that the battery life is quite good, while the AMOLED screen is a great match for gaming and binge-watching.

Now, if you want a phone that offers flexible photography capabilities, that’s not the Neo 5 GT’s specialty. So, this phone is very much recommended for users who prioritize gaming above all else.

nubia Neo 5 GT specs: