Nubia Z11 mini: New entrant with good camera experience (Tech Review)

If you haven't seen a nubia device yet, this is the time to do so. Earlier part of the Chinese multinational telecommunications company ZTE Corporation, nubia has now gone stand-alone with its first mid-budget phone for Indian consumers.

Priced at Rs 14,500, nubia Z11 mini packs a 16 MP primary (rear) camera with Sony IMX298 sensor and an F2 aperture -- a delight for camera enthusiasts. With some high-end specifications, the 5-inch device with full HD display with slim bezels may prove a tough contender for existing brands like Vivo V3 or Oppo F1 in the sub-Rs 15,000 category.

Let us see what works for the device.

The first interaction with nubia Z11 mini camera will give you a DSLR-like feel as it supports the Neovision 6.0 DSLR photography system for sharper and richer photos.

Coming with LED flash, phase-detection, autofocus and 3D noise reduction, the premium-look, comfortable handset sports an 8MP front camera for selfie lovers. We found pictures coming nice and clean in day and moderate light conditions.

It supports latest connectivity features like dual sim, 4G, connectivity, Wi-Fi with hotspot, Bluetooth, GPS and USB, microSD slot for storage expansion (up to 200GB), Android 5.1 and a built-in 2800 mAh battery.

We had a smooth daylong operation with one charge.

As a new entrant, nubia is riding on core patented technologies such as separate light metering, separate focus and independent white balance.

The company is the first to integrate smartphone photo shooting functions, including electronic aperture, slow shutter and live bulb exposure, and claims fool-proof camera operations like "one-click star trail shooting" and light painting.

What stands out is nubia's patented Frame Interactive Technology (FiT) or nubia FiT that redefines user interaction and allows them to re-imagine the way they control mobile devices, bringing endless interactive freedom.

The phone also has Light and Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Compass, Fingerprint ID and Gyroscope.

The fingerprint sensor at the back was quick to unlock the device.

nubia Z11 mini features 2.5D Arc Glass design, 64-bit Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor, 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM.

With two consecutive, rapid clenches, we were able to either take a screenshot or activate one-handed mode. One simple clench directly unlocked the screen.

What does not work.

There was a little shutter lag as it took us some time to click and save photos. Also, a little issue with photos in low-light conditions.

Conclusion: In Rs 14,500, nubia Z11 mini is set to become a new camera phone -- thus throwing a direct competition to camera phone giants like OPPO. In the nutshell, Nubia Z11 mini is a new choice for camera lovers.

(Sourabh Kulesh can be contacted at sourabh.k@ians.in)

--IANS

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