Google how many mobile phones are sold per day, and you get “over 4.14 million” (for both basic phones and smartphones). But more than just highlighting how saturated the market is, this also points to the for major players to be different to stand out from the rest.
And here, nubia Music Pro easily comes to mind.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Receiving the nubia Music Pro is… a delight. Mainly because the company stepped up with the packaging – i.e. instead of receiving a small(ish) rectangular box containing the unit, you, instead, receive a package of two boxes.
One box contains the unit, charger, SIM card ejector, and free case. The other box contains extra accessories, including an extra plastic case, as well as a mini speaker.
nubia Music Pro is 6.7-inch big, so it’s at par with most units out in the market now. Thankfully, it isn’t heavy at 202 grams, so you can handle this for long periods of time using just one hand.
Now… the unit itself has a blast-from-the-past look. Think Pop Art, like the works of Roy Lichtenstein, and you get what this unit is going for.
The sides have the usual buttons – e.g. volume buttons and fingerprint scanner embedded in the power button at the right side; and SIM card holders and microSDXC card slot at the left side; and charging port, 3.5mm jack and mic at the bottom.
At the back is the gigantic 2.1-channel audio system with three full-range speakers. From the back, this looks like a Walkman… presented in a much classier way, of course.
INITIAL PERFORMANCE
Setting up the nubia Music Pro was quick, actually, and – TBH – it had to do with the non-inclusion of those pesky steps where you are asked to fill-in stuff before you can proceed to the next steps. The “skip” option in Nubia Music Pro helped, acknowledging that you can always do these steps via the Settings much, much later.
If there’s one issue for me (or call this a glitch?), it’s the connecting to the available internet connection. During the setting up, I kept getting this message that connection wasn’t possible due to “slow connection”. But – get this – when I connected after setting up, it didn’t even take 2-3 seconds to do so.
The panels of the unit OOTB didn’t look overwhelming since it didn’t dump all existing apps. Let me state that I’ve reviewed units that, annoyingly, forced unwanted apps to users – i.e. you open a new phone, and it’s already there; worse, it can’t even be deleted. This unit, thank heavens, don’t do that. Instead, it created folders on “recommended” apps that you may or may not want to DL. Nothing is forced (not necessarily), just presented as an option.
The “pale” look of the screen is apparent, nonetheless. This paleness is interesting for me because when you look at the available wallpaper photos, these are actually very vibrant. Here are some screenshots of wallpapers in the phone.
Thankfully, there’s no lag, I’d say thanks to its 12nm Unisoc T7200 octa-core processor, complemented with an Arm-Mali-G57 MP2 GPU. Running on Android U OS, it has 128GB ROM and up to 8GB dynamic RAM (4+4).
CAM CONCERNS
The unit has 50MP AI rear camera with f/1.8 large aperture, and 5MP front camera.
There are add-ons, so to speak – e.g. AI Magic Eraser, Blur, Sky, Dehaze, AI Photo Search, and Magic Editor.
While – from the get-go – the nubia Music Pro has been marketed as a speaker-centric unit, keep in mind that this isn’t just a music player, but is also a phone that can be used to take pics. So yeah… we checked the cam capabilities of the unit.
Don’t expect much, truth be told, and you won’t get disappointed. Don’t nitpick since you get okay pics even if: 1. The color is malabnaw (pale); 2. Distant shots were sabog (pixelated); and 3. You can’t zoom out (to .5, for instance) even if you can zoom in (though pixelation happens when you get too close). The Bokeh effect when going close-up was better-than-okay, nonetheless; and the outputs are acceptable naman, particularly if you’re using filters.
SOUND, BIG SOUND
But the main selling point of this particular unit is in its name – i.e. “music”. So yeah, you should always go back to that. Because, truly, this one doesn’t disappoint sound-wise.
Listening to Maria Callas (e.g. Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro”), her words were distinct, and it wasn’t tunog lata (didn’t sound like a tin can). Watching Meat Loaf’s music video for “I’d do anything for love (But I won’t do that)” in YouTube was almost akin to seeing it on a bigger screen, largely thanks to the tugtog that didn’t sound basag (literally, broken; though also, cracked sound). Listening to Queen’s remastered “Bohemian Rhapsody” was almost like a theatrical experience, so much so that a nephew who happened to pass by while this was being played said. “Akala ko laptop (I thought it’s your laptop playing).” And Francois K.’s remix of Nina Simone’s “Here Comes the Sun” sounded more “alive”, more encompassing.
I’d say that THAT DTS:X logo at the bigger-than-the-cameras speaker at the back of the unit is worth it, providing surround sound that make listening more immersive.
POWER ON
nubia Music Pro has a 5,000mAh capacity battery (paired with 10W fast charging), which is – yet again – at par with most of the units out in the market now. This is more than enough to last you for one day of, yes, listening to good music or going through social media or surfing online or… you get the point.
IN THE END…
But you always go back to the main lures of nubia Music Pro – i.e. that Pop Art look of a big-sounding smartphone. You want to stand out? Consider this. You want better-than-okay sounds? Definitely include this in your list. You don’t want to empty your bank account? Yes, consider this one, too.
It’s always great knowing that while the mobile phone market may already be saturated, now and then you find good surprises. This one, the nubia Music Pro, is one.
NUBIA MUSIC PRO SPECIFICATIONS
DESIGN
6.7-inch HD+ display, 120Hz refresh rate
Live Island 2.0: interactive dynamic notifications panel (calls, music, timers, etc.)
Inspired by classic vinyl record players
Two bold styles:
-Pop Art: retro-modern geometric colors
-Melody Wave: soundwave gradient pattern
LED ring light around the speaker area, music-synced visuals
AUDIO
2.1-channel audio system with three full-range speakers
600% volume increase, peaking at 95dB output
DTS:X Ultra surround sound support
BT Loudspeaker mode: turns the phone into a Bluetooth speaker
FM Loudspeaker Playback: listen to radio without internet
Head-tracked Spatial Audio for immersive 3D listening
AI Melody Breathing Light: 7-color LED syncs with music and alerts
Touch-to-Share Music within nubia Music Smartphones & NFC Playback by Tag
CAMERA
50MP AI rear camera with f/1.8 large aperture
5MP front camera
Neovision AI Suite:
Lightning-fast capture
AI Magic Eraser, Blur, Sky, Dehaze
AI Photo Search & Magic Editor
PERFORMANCE & HARDWARE
5000mAh battery, 10W charge
128GB ROM + up to 8GB dynamic RAM (4+4)
Unisoc T7200 Octa-core 1.6GHz processor
Android U OS
CONNECTIVITY
Type-C + 3.5mm headphone jack
Dual Nano SIM + MicroSD (TF) support
NFC Door Unlocking
GPS, WiFi (2.4/5GHz), BT 5.2, VOLTE, Fingerprint sensor
COLOR VARIANTS
Melody Wave
Pop Art
