Full review: nubia Music 

Can you recall the last time your phone had the word “Music” in its name? Believe it or not, I still can. Back in the day, I owned a Nokia Xpressmusic (deep cut, right?), which was all the craze then. These days, smartphones have more generic names that appeal to a wider audience. 

In comes nubia throwing it back with the nubia Music. This smartphone might possibly appeal to music lovers who are on a real tight budget. In my opinion, it actually might be a good first phone for young ones. Let’s dive deep into nubia Music. 

Design and build

One of this smartphone’s main draws is definitely its design. It comes in two striking colors – POP Art and Zeal Orange, the latter of which is the unit I tested. I can see Gen Zs gravitating to this design as it is loud and gives off those retro vibes as well. 

Another unique design element is the speaker found next to the main camera. The entire section is quite reminiscent of a vinyl record and record player. The DTS X logo lights up as well when receiving notifications and listening to music which is a cool little gimmick. More on the Ultra Speaker later. 

In terms of the build, the nubia Music is actually quite light. Though I have no specific dimensions, I can say that on the lighter side, while remaining a bit thicker which gives you the added feel of sturdiness. 

Display and speaker

Consuming your video content is actually not that bad on the device. The nubia Music features a 6.6-inch HD+ display with a refresh rate of 90Hz. I was content with the video quality, but the touchscreen didn’t feel as responsive unfortunately. 

I was surprised to find out that the nubia Music has Live Island integrated. It’s a definite nice-to-have in the price point. 

One of the main features of the smartphone is the Ultra Speaker which as I mentioned earlier, is located on the back cover. The volume of the speaker can be increased up to 600% and is supported by DTS:X Ultra. 

Usually, when speakers can boost their volume to this level, they run the risk of sounding too muffled. But surprisingly, the sound quality at this level was decent. Maybe this smartphone can double as a portable speaker. 

Listening parties with a special someone is also made easier with the dual 3.5mm headphone jack. Yes, you can connect two pairs of earphones to this smartphone which is quite a unique feature. 

Camera

The nubia Music is equipped with a 50MP Dual Camera. Photos captured by the main camera were overall passable, but still left a lot to be desired. Images captured in low light weren’t great, but can still be usable. 

On the flip side, the nubia music has a 5MP selfie camera. It’s a bit low, but as seen in the photos, they can still be used for everyday social media posting. 

In terms of taking videos, it can record up to 1080p@30fps. 

At the end of the day, this phone won’t win any contests in photography. But for everyday use, the nubia Music’s cameras can get the job done. 

Performance and features

A UNISOC SC9863A chipset powers the nubia Music. It’s a bit outdated and isn’t that powerful, but we can’t really expect too much from a smartphone in this segment. It is accompanied by 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM with an additional 4GB of Dynamic RAM. 

In terms of gaming, I would not recommend this especially if you prefer to run more intensive titles. While playing Call of Duty Mobile at the lowest graphical settings, I still experienced a few frame drops. Maybe simpler 2D titles would be your options while gaming on this device. 

Two things to take note of: the nubia Music unfortunately does not support 5G connectivity and the device is running on Android 13. I’m unsure if the device is capable of running Android 14. 

Lastly, the nubia Music has a built-in FM antenna for those who still listen to the radio. Just make sure that there are no earphones connected to the headphone jacks for the antenna to work. 

Battery and charging

The nubia Music is powered by a 5,000mAh battery which is capable of up to 150 hours of listening to music with the earphones and up to 48 hours while on the speakers. 

A slight drawback however would be the fact that it only supports up to 5W charging. Fully charging this smartphone may take you over 2 hours to achieve 100% from a totally dead battery. 

Verdict

While the nubia Music may slightly fall short in some of its performance metrics, there is definitely a market for a music-centric smartphone at a budget-friendly price with its colorful design and impressive Ultra Speaker.

Music enthusiasts can enjoy this unique-looking smartphone, doubling as a pocket speaker. And this could be a good option as a first phone for younger kids as well. For only Php 3,999, the nubia Music could be a smart choice for this audience in the entry-level segment.

Photos by CJ Lavares