ZTE took the covers off its Nubia Neo 2 5G MWC 2024, unveiling a gaming phone that costs just $199.
Much like its predecessor the ZTE Nubia Neo 5G, the Neo 2 is designed to offer solid gaming phone specs to people who don’t have the cash to splash on high-end gaming phones like the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro.
Despite its relatively affordable price, the Nubia Neo 2 has some decent gaming specs. There’s a 6.72-inch 120Hz refresh rate display, up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, and a large 6000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. ZTE didn't detail the chipset the phone will be using, but it sports an 8-core CPU with a clock speed of up to 2.7GHz.
The Neo 2 also has up to 20GB of what Nubia is calling dynamic RAM - ZTE didn’t explain what this is, but if it functions the same as the previous Neo it could mean 10GB of physical RAM that’s then augmented by using internal storage to act as virtual RAM.
As a gaming phone, the Neo 2 also includes built-in shoulder triggers for precise control when holding the phone in landscape orientation. And these can be customized for various game actions; think the familiar tapping of the right trigger to shoot, and the left to throw a grenade in shooters.
The overall shape and design of the Neo 2 don’t appear to have changed too much from its predecessor. It sports a similar sci-fi, mech-inspired design and looks like it will be available in the same black and yellow colorways. However, the camera system appears to have changed to an octagon-shaped rear camera module.
The rest of the specifications, like the camera type of display, are not known at this time. But the phone's main attraction will be its low-price of $199, significantly lower than many of the best gaming phones and most mid-range phones.
The Neo 2 also features the latest version of its Game Space software, present on some Redmagic gaming phones. It allows users to customize the gaming experience, including choosing between three performance modes and tweaking audio and notification settings.
Overall, the Nubia Neo 2 looks like it has the specs and features to be an intriguing budget gaming phone, though it’ll be interesting to see what compromises have been made to enable ZTE to offer it at such a low price.
