Foldable smartphones are generally high-priced and quite difficult to afford.
However, the nubia Fold, the first foldable smartphone from nubia, is an ambitious product that lowers the list price to the upper 100,000 (around 650 USD) yen range.
Furthermore, by using campaigns and other offers, it is possible to purchase it for as low as the 20,000 yen range, making it a product that can be recommended to those who want to make their foldable smartphone debut.
A Regular Smartphone When Closed
The nubia Fold adopts Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite as its chipset.
Since it is a flagship chip from a year ago, it still boasts sufficiently high performance even now.
It demonstrates excellent performance not only in gameplay but also in generative AI processing.
With the body closed, a 6.43-inch, 2748 x 1172 pixel display can be used.
Since the aspect ratio is 21:9, the display area does not feel narrow even in this state, and it is perfectly suitable for daily use.
Three cameras are lined up on the back, including:
- Wide-angle camera: 50 megapixels
- Ultra-wide-angle camera: 50 megapixels
- Macro camera: 5 megapixels
While the lack of a telephoto lens is a bit disappointing, the performance is sufficient for everyday use.
The design around the cameras is also distinctive.
The weight of the body is 248g.
Compared to foldable smartphones currently sold in Japan, it feels significantly heavier than the 215g of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold7.
On the other hand, Google's Pixel 10 Pro Fold is 258g, so it feels light compared to that.
Compared to Samsung, the weight is equivalent to a model from two years ago, but since the price is low, it is thought that this weight will be acceptable to users.
The body size when closed is 160 x 73 x 11.1mm.
The Galaxy Z Fold7 is 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9mm, making the length and width almost equivalent.
The thinness is admittedly quite different, but since the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is 155.2 x 76.3 x 10.8mm, it is almost equivalent to that in terms of thickness.
There is no impression of it being extremely thick or large.
An 8-Inch Screen Can Be Used When Opened
When you open the body of the nubia Fold, a nearly square display appears.
The size is 8 inches, the same as the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
The resolution is 2480 x 2200 pixels, which is higher resolution than the models from Samsung and Google.
It can display photos, videos, and other content with finer detail.
The difference will likely be apparent in the display of fine text and similar areas.
The size in the opened state is 160.0 x 144.0 x 5.4mm, which again makes the length and width almost equivalent to the Galaxy Z Fold7.
While the Galaxy Z Fold7 is quite thin at 4.2mm, considering that the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is 5.2mm, this is at a sufficiently acceptable level.
Additionally, the battery is 6560mAh, which is a larger capacity than other companies' products.
It also supports fast charging at 55W.
Can Be Used for as Low as the 20,000 Yen Range with a Y!mobile Contract
Now let's check the price.
The body price of the nubia Fold is 178,560 yen (approx. 1,136 USD).
If you use the selling carrier Y!mobile's Shin Toku-suru Support (A), the remaining balance is waived by paying in 48 installments and returning the device in the 25th month.
Adding MNP from another company and subscribing to Simple 2 M/L, the discounted price becomes 156,960 yen (approx. 1019 USD), and if returned in the 25th month, the total installment payment amount becomes 67,680 yen (approx. 440 USD).
Furthermore, since you can win up to 45,000 yen (approx. 292 USD) worth of PayPay points in the launch commemoration campaign, if you win that, you can effectively use it for two years in the 20,000 yen (approx. 130 USD) range.
With it being this cheap, the sense of value is so high that one might think there is no reason not to buy it.
Hinge Movement Is Also Smooth
The most concerning thing about a foldable smartphone is the state and movement of the hinge opening and closing.
The nubia Fold can maintain its folded state even when the body is partially closed.
When opening and closing the hinge, there is a sensation of a spring slightly returning to the opposite side when opened, but it can be said that there is no problem in practical use.
This movement feels slightly older in design compared to the Galaxy Z Fold7, where the hinge stops precisely at any angle.
However, as mentioned before, considering the low price, worrying about it would be missing the point.
When the body is opened in an L-shape, the camera app supports flex mode, where the display is split between the top and bottom.
This can be said to be a convenient function for taking photos when placing the body on a desk.
A major advantage of foldable smartphones is this ability to take photos without a tripod.
Furthermore, the front cameras are 20 megapixels on both the main screen and the outer screen. It is convenient to use this style during video calls as well.
Split Display Is Also Possible on the Large Square Screen
The greatest feature of a foldable smartphone is the ability to display content at double the size of a typical smartphone.
In the case of playing games, fields that felt narrow in the vertical direction can be displayed without feeling restricted on a foldable smartphone.
The wide screen can also be effectively utilized for daily browsers and SNS apps.
Simultaneous Use of Two Apps with Split Screen
The nubia Fold also supports simultaneous display of two apps.
This means you can perform multiple actions simultaneously, such as looking at SNS while gaming, or looking at a map while browsing.
In addition to that, it is also possible to display apps like a calculator in a small popup window.
The width of the apps can be set to 1/3 + 2/3 size, so it is possible to have a display where the main content is wide and sub-information is narrow.
Becomes a Text-Writing Machine in a Laptop-Style Form
When inputting text with the body slightly bent, if you display a QWERTY keyboard on the lower side, you can use it with a feeling like an ultra-small laptop.
Flick input on the closed outer screen is fine, but with this style, you can think about and input sentences while seeing the whole thing on a wide screen.
I also actually often use this style when writing manuscripts on a foldable smartphone.
The Wide-Angle Camera Is Sufficient, the Ultra-Wide Is a Bit Regrettable
I took some photos, and I think it can be used sufficiently for everyday shooting.
It also captured night scenes quite beautifully.
One thing that concerned me was the image quality of the ultra-wide-angle camera, as the image quality is slightly inferior to the 50-megapixel wide-angle camera under cloudy skies or indoors.
I think it is due to a difference in sensors, but it might be best to operate with the wide-angle camera normally and only switch to ultra-wide when wide shooting is absolutely necessary.
Also, there is a macro camera, but because the image quality is low at 5 megapixels, for things like shooting meals indoors, it is better to get as close as possible with the wide-angle lens.
The following are photos actually taken.
For People Who Seek a Large Screen Over Features in a Smartphone
While the nubia Fold is equipped with a high-performance chipset, the camera is equipped with necessary and sufficient performance.
If you open the body, you can use a large 8-inch screen, and you will be able to enjoy watching videos more.
Although pen input is not supported, the display of office data can also be made sufficiently wide.
Both entertainment and work can be used surprisingly conveniently.
And the greatest feature is that the price is low for a foldable model.
Therefore, it seems to be a product suitable for users who find the screen size of the smartphone they usually use insufficient, or who want to try switching to a foldable smartphone soon.
Even though it involves two years of use and return, there is no other foldable smartphone with a chance to be purchased at a lowest price in the 20,000 yen range.
Foldable smartphones, which were for niche users, are likely to greatly expand their user base with the arrival of the nubia Fold.
▼Photo & Written by Yamane Yasuhiro
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