MWC 2024: Nubia's First Folding Phone Could Be The Budget Boost The Segment Needs

When it comes to flip-style foldables, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series reigns supreme and is often the first name that comes to mind whenever there's a discussion about foldable phones. However, with prices starting at $999 for the base model, the latest Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a true flagship device. Budget-conscious users in the U.S. seeking a similar form factor only have one realistic option — the latest Motorola Razr, which is available at $499.

Aside from these two models from mainstream brands, the average U.S. consumer doesn't have too many options if they decide to get themselves a flip-style device. Unlike the U.S. market, however, the rest of the world certainly has more choices, especially with flip-style phones. We have seen companies like OPPO, Tecno, and Huawei come up with their own iterations of flip-style devices. At MWC 2023 — currently underway in Barcelona, Spain — Chinese smartphone maker Nubia has unveiled a new flip-styled device called the Nubia Flip 5G. The phone has also been announced for the Japanese market where it is sold as the ZTE Libero Flip.

With a starting price of $599, Nubia isn't positioning the Flip 5G as a Galaxy Z Fold rival. Even though its pricing and hardware are more in line with the Motorola Razr, these two devices are unlikely to be direct competitors given the different geographies in which they are made available. 

The Nubia Flip 5G shares the same design cues as the existing crop of flip phones, albeit with some characteristics of its own. The main 6.9-inch foldable internal display supports a 120Hz refresh rate and boasts a resolution of 1,188 x 2,790 pixels. Then there is the smaller circular external display that is only 1.43 inches across, which makes it good enough only to be used as a media controller and perform simple tasks like taking selfies (by using it as a viewfinder) and checking notifications.

The camera setup on the device includes twin 50MP rear-facing cameras and a 16MP front-facing camera. The folding nature of the phone endows it with the capability to take multi-angle shots using the front camera.

Here it is, nubia Flip in all its glory ✨#nubiaFlip #MWC #MWC24 pic.twitter.com/SWt0eTg7og

— nubia Smartphone (@nubiasmartphone) February 26, 2024

The Nubia Flip 5G doesn't have any flagship ambitions and comes powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chip, which is the same chipset used on the current generation Motorola Razr. The phone also suffers from the same issues as its other flip-styled brethren, with the most notable one being the lower-than-average battery capacity, which on this device stands at 4310mAh. The phone supports 33W fast charging as well.

As already mentioned, pricing for the Nubia Flip 5G starts at $599. With Nubia's parent company, ZTE banned in the U.S., the chances of this device officially making it to the U.S. remain slim.