First impressions: nubia Music

Smartphones tend to market themselves as more of all-rounders. Gone are the days when brands would release cellphones (yes I used the word cellphone; that’s how far back I’m going) that are made to be music players. This was undeniably trendy back when I was in middle school and admittedly, I owned one of these devices.

That’s why it’s quite refreshing to see a smartphone brand calling back to this retro trend. In comes the nubia Music which is meant to provide the user with an enjoyable listening experience, while sporting a nostalgic design.

What’s in the box?

A few months ago, I did a review on the nubia Neo 2 5G and I praised the design of the packaging. And once again, I will be doing the same for the nubia Music’s box. It’s intricately designed with various musical instruments and notes colored in neon which I am a huge fan of.

The contents itself are those that we usually find in most smartphones. It includes a quick start guide, a SIM card ejector pin, a Type-C charging cable with a charging brick and a plastic phone case.

Design and build

The nubia Music comes in two unique designs – POP Art and Zeal Orange. The latter, which is the unit I have, seems to be the more subtle finish. I am also a huge fan of the Ultra Speaker next to the main camera. The entire section is reminiscent of a vinyl record and record player.

In terms of the smartphone’s build, it is actually quite light. It does seem to be on the thicker side however.

Display and speakers

The nubia Music is equipped with an Ultra Speaker which as I mentioned earlier, can be seen right next to the main camera. It boasts a max volume of up to 95dB. It also supports DTS:X Ultra for enhanced sound quality.

Another unique feature that this smartphone possesses is the presence of dual 3.5mm earphones jacks. No need for an earphone splitter to enjoy a listening party with a friend.

For the visuals, the device features a 6.6-inch HD+ display with a refresh rate of 90Hz. It also comes with a Live Island that can integrate various relevant functions.

Camera

The main shooter is a 50MP HD dual camera, while the selfie camera is only 5MP. We will just have to wait and see how the smartphone performs when it comes to capturing photos.

Under the hood

A Unisoc SC9863A powers the nubia Music. It is accompanied by 4GB of RAM with an additional 4GB of Dynamic RAM as well. The smartphone is also equipped with a built-in FM antenna which is a quirky little feature.

Battery and charging

The nubia Music draws its power from a 5,000mAh battery. There’s nothing else too notable about the charging itself.

Final thoughts

The nubia Music is clearly built for the music lover. Its main draws are mostly music-centric. The same can be said about the smartphone’s name (obviously) and the design. Through further testing, we will see if the nubia Music is a good budget smartphone to consider especially if listening to music is your main thing.

Photos by CJ Lavares