ZTE nubia Neo 5 5G vs nubia Air
62
out of 100
VS
60
out of 100
Here we compared two mid-range smartphones: the 6.8-inch ZTE nubia Neo 5 5G (with Unisoc T9300) that was released on March 3, 2026, against the ZTE nubia Air, which is powered by Unisoc T8300 and came out 6 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Key differences
Reasons to consider the ZTE nubia Neo 5 5G
- Comes with 1050 mAh larger battery capacity: 6050 vs 5000 mAh
- Expandable storage via MicroSD card
- Ability to record video in 4K resolution
- Stereo speakers
- More recent OS version: Android 16 versus 15
- Supports higher wattage charging (45W versus 33W)
Reasons to consider the ZTE nubia Air
- 40% higher pixel density (440 vs 314 PPI)
- Waterproof body (IP69 classification)
- AMOLED display (versus competitor's IPS LCD)
- Weighs 38 grams less
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Scores with a red asterisk (*) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate NanoReview Score
Value for money (Beta)
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | IPS LCD | AMOLED |
| Size | 6.8 inches | 6.78 inches |
| Resolution | 900 x 1940 pixels | 1224 x 2720 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.5:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 314 ppi | 440 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes (60-120 Hz) | Yes (60-120 Hz) |
| Max rated brightness | 1000 nits | - |
| Max rated brightness in HDR | - | 4500 nits |
| HDR support | No | Yes, HDR10 |
| Touch sampling rate | 550 Hz | - |
| Screen protection | Tempered glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 7i |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 86.7% | 88.3% |
| Display features | - | - DCI-P3 |
Design and build
| Height | 166.1 mm (6.54 inches) | 164.2 mm (6.46 inches) |
| Width | 78.8 mm (3.1 inches) | 76.6 mm (3.02 inches) |
| Thickness | 8.5 mm (0.33 inches) | 6.7 mm (0.26 inches) |
| Weight | 210 g (7.41 oz) | 172 g (6.07 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP64 | IP69 |
| Rear material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | White, Black, Yellow | Black, Gray |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-button | Yes, in-display |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Unisoc T9300 | Unisoc T8300 |
| Max clock | 2400 MHz | 2200 MHz |
| CPU cores | - | 8 (2 + 6) |
| Architecture | - | - 6 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 2 cores at 2.2 GHz: Cortex-A78 |
| Manufacturing | - | TSMC |
| Lithography process | - | 6 nanometers |
| Neural processor (NPU) | - | Yes |
| Graphics | Mali-G57 MP2 | Mali-G57 MP2 |
| GPU shading units | - | 64 |
| GPU clock | - | 950 MHz |
| FLOPS | - | ~121.6 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Compute Score (GPU)
| Compute Score (GPU) | 1844 | 1590 |
| Single-core score | 940 | 866 |
| Multi-core score | 2140 | 2042 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 269205 | 275820 |
| GPU | 47559 | 44290 |
| Memory | 155184 | 137870 |
| UX | 222435 | 210340 |
| Total score | 694383 | 668320 |
| Samples | Less than 3 | Less than 3 |
AnTuTu 11 Ranking List (#11th place)
Memory
| RAM size | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | 2133 MHz | 2133 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 3.1 | UFS 2.2 |
| Memory card | MicroSD | No |
Software
| Operating system | Android 16 | Android 15 |
| ROM | MyOS 16 | - |
| OS updates | 2 years | 3 years |
| Security updates | 5 years | 3 years |
Battery
| Capacity | 6050 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Max charge power | 45 W | 33 W |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | Yes | No |
| Bypass charging | Yes | No |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Main camera
| Matrix | 50 megapixels | 50 megapixels |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 30FPS | No |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 50 MP 2) Depth |
1) Standard: 50 MP 2) Depth: 2 MP |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Image resolution | 50 MP | 50 MP |
| Aperture | - | f/1.6 |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus | Phase autofocus |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 16 megapixels | 20 megapixels |
| Aperture | f/2.0 | - |
| Sensor | CMOS | - |
| Autofocus | No | No |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
| Depth sensor (TOF 3D) | No | No |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| Bluetooth features | LE | LE |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 2 | 2 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support* | Yes | No |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Mono |
| Headphone audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| Dolby Atmos | No | No |
Other
| Category | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Announced | March 2026 | September 2025 |
| Release date | April 2026 | September 2025 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $299 | $220 |
| Sensors | - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
| Bundled charger | Yes, 45 W | Not included |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
If the performance, gaming, battery life, software, and sound are more important to you, then choose the ZTE nubia Neo 5 5G. But if the display is more of a priority – go for the ZTE nubia Air.
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