Nubia Neo 2 5G review: A budget-friendly gaming smartphone that looks and acts the part

We Filipinos love our mobile gaming. The scene continues to grow with more professional esports teams making a splash both regionally and globally. And with the rise of mobile gaming, there has been an uptake as well in the release of smartphones geared towards this.

Priced at Php 9,999, the nubia Neo 2 5G delivers aesthetic and functionality that Filipino gamers can gravitate towards. Read more for the full review.

Design and build

The nubia Neo 2 5G comes in three different colors – Frost Silver, Storm Gray and Sunfire Yellow. The latter adds even more vibrancy to an already striking design.

The back cover is styled with the Bionic Mecha design similar to that of its predecessor. It evokes futuristic qualities meant to attract gamers. The Hero Eye 3D texture makes the smartphone even more eye-catching (pun intended). Overall, the nubia Neo 2 5G definitely looks the part of a gaming smartphone.

However, there is one downside to the back cover’s design. It is quite the fingerprint magnet. But I’m sure this is something most if not all of us can live with.

When it comes to its build, the nubia Neo 2 5G weighs 208g while its thickness is at 8.5mm. It can be quite hefty which I do prefer since lightweight smartphones sometimes feel less sturdy.

Display

The smartphone features a 6.72-inch FHD+ display with a 92% screen-to-body ratio. The visuals were quite clear and crisp for both videos and of course the games I tried on the phone. I was especially impressed with the scenes on Genshin Impact which showcased just how clean the visuals were.

The nubia Neo 2 5G also has a refresh rate of 120Hz. I found navigating with the screen to be smooth and responsive. Overall, the viewing experience I had with the smartphone was positive.

It is equipped with the Live Island as well. It is an interactive capsule that displays different notifications, reminders and activities. This feature is quite prominent in smartphones these days, so it’s good to see it on one that places a heavy focus on mobile gaming.

Camera

This smartphone’s photo-taking capabilities are pretty decent. Its main camera system features a 50MP shooter. The images captured were both vibrant and clear which makes the main shooter quite adequate for both portrait and scenic shots.

The quality of the photos shot on night mode were reasonably average. The details and the colors were good enough to take photos in a dimmer setting, but nothing too special.

For selfies, on the other hand, the nubia Neo 2 5G features a 16MP front camera. The picture quality is decent and does the job. Even though this smartphone is aimed at gamers, they will still have a device to clearly capture some of their best memories.

Performance

Under the hood, the nubia Neo 2 5G is powered by a Unisoc T820. It allows the smartphone to deliver a good gaming performance without consuming too much power. It also features 5G fast performance for less lag, especially while gaming.

The chipset is accompanied by up to 20GB Dynamic RAM and up to 256GB of storage. The RAM allows for effortless multitasking while the ROM is large enough to store your favorite games.

In terms of gaming, I tried multiple titles on this device. As mentioned earlier, the visuals during several scenes from Genshin Impact were quite impressive. The gameplay itself was smooth with no hitches.

Call of Duty Mobile and PUBG Mobile were among other titles that I tested out as well. They ran smoothly and I quite enjoyed the gaming experience with the FPS titles because of the Dual Gaming Shoulder Triggers, which I will discuss a little bit more later on.

All in all, the nubia Neo 2 5G delivers a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience, which is what you would come to expect from a smartphone that is built for gaming.

Built for gaming

One of the highlights of the nubia Neo 2 5G is the upgraded Dual Gaming Shoulder Triggers. While they may not be actual buttons with tactile feedback, they do give the user the option to map out the triggers to perform specific actions in game.

As mentioned earlier, this was especially fun to use while playing shooters such as Call of Duty Mobile or PUBG Mobile. It mimicked the feel of using the trigger buttons on controllers which, for me, enhances the experience.

The smartphone features a Multi-layer Heat Dissipation System as well. While the device does heat up during gameplay, the structure does keep the key components from overheating.

Another useful feature is Bypass Charging. Activating this allows the smartphone to be powered up without charging the battery. This keeps it from overheating which provides for continuous gaming without having to worry about both your power consumption and heat generation.

For the audio, the nubia Neo 2 5G is built with dual stereo speakers which produces satisfactory sound quality. Although personally, I would still recommend using earphones while gaming.

Game Space 2.0 is also built in with the smartphone. It serves as both a game launcher where you can boot up all your compatible games, as well as an optimization tool where you can adjust the CPU and GPU resources for smooth and optimal gaming performance.

Collectively, these features are meant to enhance your gaming experience on the smartphone. As a gamer, my overall experience was smooth sailing which is always a big plus.

Battery and charging

The nubia Neo 2 5G draws its power from a 6,000mAh battery. This smartphone can last you a day or even more on moderate usage. But of course, expect much less when you’re continuously playing your games.

In terms of charging, the device is accompanied by a 33W charger that supports fast charging. On a completely drained battery, I was able to fully charge the smartphone in about 90-100 minutes.

Verdict

The nubia Neo 2 5G was definitely built with mobile gamers in mind. The smartphone’s aesthetic is one of which gamers can truly gravitate towards. But aside from looking like a gaming smartphone, it also performs like one as well with all of its features that enhance your gaming experience.

For the price of Php 9,999, the nubia Neo 2 5G is one to consider for a budget-friendly gaming smartphone. It is visually unique and captures all of the necessities for a mobile device geared towards gaming.