ZTE took the covers off its Nubia Neo 2 5G MWC 2024unveiling a gaming phone that costs just $199.
Like its predecessor, the ZTE Nubia Neo 5G, the Neo 2 is designed to offer solid gaming phone specs to those who don’t have the money to splash out on high-end gaming phones like the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro.
Despite the relatively affordable price, the Nubia Neo 2 has some decent gaming specs. There’s a 6.72-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, and a large 6,000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. ZTE hasn’t provided any details on the chipset the phone will use, but it will have an 8-core CPU with a clock speed of up to 2.7 GHz.
The Neo 2 also has up to 20GB of what Nubia calls dynamic RAM – ZTE hasn’t explained what this is, but if it functions the same as the previous Neo, this could mean 10GB of physical RAM, which is then expanded by using internal storage act as virtual RAM.
As a gaming phone, the Neo 2 also includes built-in shoulder triggers for precise control when holding the phone in landscape orientation. And these can be adjusted for different game actions; think of the familiar tapping of the right trigger to shoot, and the left to throw a grenade into shooters.
The overall shape and design of the Neo 2 doesn’t appear to have changed much from its predecessor. It has a similar sci-fi, mech-inspired design and looks like it will be available in the same black and yellow colorways. However, the camera system seems to have changed to an octagonal camera module at the rear.
The rest of the specifications, such as the camera type of display, are not yet known. But the phone’s main attraction will be its low price of $199, significantly lower than many of the top gaming phones and most mid-range phones.
The Neo 2 also features the latest version of the Game Space software, found on some Redmagic gaming phones. It allows users to customize the gaming experience, including choosing between three performance modes and adjusting audio and notification settings.
Overall, the Nubia Neo 2 looks like it has the specs and features to be an intriguing budget gaming phone, although it will be interesting to see what compromises have been made to allow ZTE to compete against such to offer a low price.