ZTE have decided that there’s probably still a market for budget games phone. So they are updating the Nubia line with upcoming ZTE Nubia Neo 3 and Nubia Neo 3 GT. So let’s get right into it.
For those who are not aware, ZTE tried to bring gaming focused phones to the lower mid-range market with the Nubia Neo and the Nubia Neo 2 in 2023 and 2024 respectively. This move didn’t really gain a lot of traction here, at least not until Itel tried to jump on the bandwagon with the Itel RS4.
It didn’t take long for everyone else to abandon that gimmick and move on to their usual shenanigans. ZTE however have not given up and instead have proceeded to refresh the Nubia Neo gaming line up with two more phones: The Nubia Neo 3 and the Nubia Neo 3 GT.
The ZTE Nubia Neo 3 and Nubia Neo 3 GT are two lower mid-range smartphones that are gaming focused and are targeted at the mobile gaming crowd.
ZTE, their parent company, is very well known for their world class Red Magic series of gaming phones and this has brought a lot of hype for these budget gaming devices.
So let’s actually examine these phones and see if they’re worth the hype or at the very least, an improvement on the older Nubia Neo 2.
See also:
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Nubia Neo 3 and Nubia Neo 3 GT Specs
| Specs | Nubia Neo 3 | Nubia Neo 3 GT |
|---|---|---|
| Body | plastic frame & back, IP54, gaming triggers, RGB lighting | plastic frame & back, IP54, gaming triggers, RGB lighting |
| SoC | Unisoc T8300 | Unisoc T9100 |
| RAM | 8GB (LPDDR4X) | 12GB (LPDDR4X) |
| Storage | 256GB (UFS 3.1) | 256GB (UFS 3.1) |
| Software | Android 15 | Android 15 |
| Display | 6.8″ FHD+ (1080p) AMOLED, 120Hz, 386ppi, 1300nit | 6.8″ FHD+ (1080p) AMOLED, 120Hz, 386ppi, 1300nit |
| Camera (rear) |
|
|
| Selfie | 16MP, 1080p@30fps | 16MP, 1080p@30fps |
| Video | 1080@30fps | 1080@30fps |
| Battery | 5000mAh, 33W fast charge | 5000mAh, 80W fast charge |
| Audio | Stereo speakers | Stereo speakers |
| Comms | 3G, 4G LTE, 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, WiFi 5, USB-C | 3G, 4G LTE, 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, WiFi 5, USB-C |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass, proximity | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass, proximity |
| AnTuTu | 2,035,700 | 2,843,431 |
Body:
The Nubia Neo 3 and the Nubia Neo 3 GT share a lot of similarities which includes:
- being roughly the same size,
- made with a plastic frame and back,
- having IP54 dust and water splash protection
- Gaming triggers
- RGB lights on the back
These bells and trinkets are sure to entice a lot of mobile gamers who want to play their favourite games on a budget and look cool whilst doing it too.
However beyond that, these are the typical specs that you should be expecting from a budget or lower mid-range device.
Display:
Both phones share an identical display. The display in question is a 6.8″ 1080p (FHD) AMOLED with support for 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1300nits.
This is an upgrade over the smaller 6.72″ IPS-LCD on the older Nubia Neo 2 with a caveat. Both displays have a resolution of 1080p, so spreading that 1080p on a larger display size would cause you to lose some sharpness. Thus the display on the older Nubia Neo 2 has a pixel density of 392ppi while the newer Neo 3 and Neo 3 GT have a pixel density of 386 ppi.
The good news is that unless you’re a pixel peeper like me, you won’t spot the difference at all. Overall the display is okay for this level.
Performance and OS:
Well finally, let’s talk about the section I love the most, performance.
The Neo 3 is equipped with the Unisoc T8300 whilst the Neo 3 GT is armed with the Unisoc T9100. The Unisoc T8300 is quite new but the Unisoc T9100 is not. It is a repackaged Unisoc T820, the exact same processor that is on the Nubia Neo and the Nubia Neo 2.
What this means is that you’ll be getting the exact same level of performance from the last two years. That doesn’t seem like much of an improvement to me.
The Unisoc T820 masquerading as the Unisoc T9100 on the Neo 3 GT has a performance of 536,559 on AnTuTu. The newer Unisoc T8300 on the vanilla Neo 3 is slightly weaker with a performance of 510,000 on AnTuTu.
This generally translates to lower mid-range performance. This put these SoCs in the bracket of SoCs like:
- Snapdragon 6s Gen 3
- Dimensity 7020
- Dimensity 6400
- Unisoc T9100/T820
- Snapdragon 4 Gen 2
- Dimensity 6300
- Unisoc T8300
- Dimensity 6080
- Helio G100/G99
Both phones ship with Android 15 right out of the box and ZTE hasn’t talked about how long they will be supporting them.
Cameras:
Both phones are rumoured to be coming with a 50MP main camera and a supporting 2MP depth sensor as well as an extra camera for the Neo 3 GT. They’ll also both be sharing a 16MP selfie.
For photos, I wouldn’t be expecting much from these devices. Here’s why.
- These phones are gaming focused and gaming focused games usually have weak cameras.
- ZTE are terrible with cameras and cameras software on their gaming phones. In fact, they have a history of it. The cameras on the flagship Redmagic fall below expectations too.
- They’re using Unisoc SoCs. Enough said.
These cameras all record 1080p videos at 60fps.
Sound:
They both have stereo speakers.
Comms/features:
Both phones are similar here in every way. They both have WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, NFC and USB C. They also support both Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass and proximity sensors.
Battery/charging:
Both phones seem to come with either a 5000mAh or 6000mAh battery depending on which region you find yourself.
The Nubia Neo 3 supports 33W fast charge whilst the Nubia Neo 3 GT supports 80W fast charge. Both phones support bypass charge though so that’s something to note.
Pricing:
The Nubia Neo 3 starts at around $200 while the Nubia Neo 3 GT begins at $250.
Summary/verdict
The Nubia Neo 3 and Nubia Neo 3 GT bring some improvements like:
- A slight increase in size
- Bigger and better display
- Under-display fingerprint sensors
- Faster charging (Neo 3 GT)
However they are still essentially last years phone in the area where it really matters, performance.
If you have a Neo 2 already or any other smartphone with an AnTuTu score around 470k and above, you probably should ignore this one for your gaming needs.
On the other hand, if you use a weaker budget device with a G85 for example or any other SoC around the 200-280k AnTuTu score range, you should probably aim for this one.
Remember these phone are performance or gaming focused phones. The cameras aren’t the best and you probably won’t be getting top notch images or videos from them.
That’s my take. Have a great evening.
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