Nubia Z17 Lite Review: A Step In The Right Direction

Amid rumors about a flagship with 8GB RAM and dual cameras, ZTE has launched the Nubia Z17 Lite as perfect camera-centric smartphone having all the capabilities of performance oriented device, at CNY 2,499 (roughly Rs. 24,700).

ZTE has been on the roll of the last couple of years, looking to establish its own standings among other Chinese competitors like Xiaomi, Honor, Oppo, and Vivo who have been coming up with some of the best VFM packages if not flagship killers.

With the Nubia N2 and Nubia Z11 Mini S, ZTE has already shown its capabilities and now with the Nubia Z17 Lite, the company is back to achieve the ultimate goal, which is becoming a best seller. With dual-cameras, 6GB of RAM and a mid-budget price, Nubia Z17 Lite seems to be a very well packed smartphone but will it be enough for the ‘everything for less’ demand? Let’s see!!

Nubia Z17 Lite Specifications

• 5.5-inch (1080×1920) Full-HD TFT edge-to-edge display with Gorilla Glass protection, offering 401 ppi
• 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 SoC coupled with Adreno 510 GPU.
• 4GB LPDDR3 RAM and 64GB of inbuilt storage without the option of expandable memory.
• Android 7.1 Nougat based Nubia UI 5.0 skin
• 13MP dual main camera setup with dual Sony IMX258 sensors where one of them in RGB with a f/2.2 aperture and the other is monochrome, PDAF hybrid phase focus, 5P lens protected by Sapphire glass and dual-LED (dual tone) flash
• 16MP front camera with Samsung imaging sensor of f/2.0 aperture, an 80-degree wide angle 5P lens.
• 3200mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 fast-charging
• Fingerprint sensor at the rear and dual SIM connectivity
• DTS sound support for better audio playback
• 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.2 with BLE support, GPS, NFC and 3.5mm Audio Jack
• Nubia Z17 measures 152.8×72.55×7.95 mm and weighs 169 grams.
• Color Options: Gold, Blue, and Black

What we like about the Nubia Z17 Lite

• Since it is a torn down version of Nubia Z17, the curved edges and sleek design are still present in the Nubia Z17 Lite, making it an easy to handle and operate the smartphone, while also looking as premium as its big brother.

• Android Nougat comes out of the box and the Nubia UI 5.0 easy to operate as it doesn’t come with a lot of bloatware.

• The 16MP front camera offers work of the art results both outdoors and under low lighting conditions.

• The dual rear cameras, while not being the best, are the simplest to operate and offers ample of inputs to further improve the image quality. Although the images come out a little shaky, but if you know how to handle the smartphone, it becomes a walk in the park.

• The 5.5-inch edge to edge display offers great viewing angles and color production.

• As for the performance speakers, they might underestimate the SD 653 SoC but the 6GB of RAM is enough to leave their inner gamer and multitasking tasking freak satisfied, without the worry of frame drops and lags.

What we didn’t like about the Nubia Z17 Lite

• No optical image stabilization (IOS)

• Thanks to the edge to edge display, the thick bezels, at the top and bottom of Nubia Z17 Lite’s screen, are not eye pleasing.

• There is no word about an Android Oreo Update

• With this much of hardware, the 3200mAh battery seems a little bit underpowered, however, it can easily provide enough juice for a full day of moderate usage.

• No option of expandable memory.

Verdict

If Nubia Z17 Lite was to be an all new smartphone, things couldn’t have worked out well for ZTE but since it is the lighter version of Nubia Z17, it comes with a legacy and for those who couldn’t get their hands on the premium version but are ready to compromise on some bells and whistles, Nubia Z17 Lite offers a great deal.

As for the Indian market, there is no word about Nubia Z17 Lite’s availability but if it does manage a touch down in the country, it has to be with a lower price tag, if ZTE wants Nubia Z17 Lite to become a best seller.