ZTE's Neo 5 GT Special Edition isn't trying to be all things. It takes two screens and a battery and goes all in. It features a 6.8" AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate and 4500 nits brightness support, a heavy 6210mAh battery, and 80W charging. Its under-the-hood powerhouse includes a highly reliable, yet unflashy MediaTek Dimensity 7400, paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

It's affordable like a mid-ranger, and it acts like one apart from the display. The camera setup is more of an afterthought though. So who is this phone actually for? Let's find out.

An In-Depth Review on ZTE nubia Neo 5 GT Special Edition

The ZTE nubia Neo 5 GT Special Edition is designed for a user who prefers a bright display, smooth performance and a battery that can last long without breaking the bank. It is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 chipset, has a 6,210mAh battery and is powered by a 144Hz AMOLED display with 4500-nits brightness. This review is for its design, display, performance, cameras, battery life, price in Bangladesh and overall value for daily and gaming usage.

Box Content

This is what you get inside the ZTE nubia Neo 5 GT Special Edition box:

• ZTE nubia Neo 5 GT Special Edition Smartphone
• 80W fast charger
• USB Type-C cable
• Protective case
• SIM ejector tool
• User manual

Inside, you'll find an 80W charger, an 80W cable, an 80W simulator ejector pin, a protective case, and the standard documentation, a quick start guide and warranty card. Easy, straightforward, no frills, just what you need to get going.

Design & Build Quality

This phone is on the bigger side. It's 163.6mm tall, 75.8mm wide, and 8.4mm thick, and it weighs 200 grams. You will know this weight in your pocket. But there's a catch, the phone has actual cooling components as well, so that the extra bulk and weight makes it cool even during long gaming sessions.

No bump on back - no camera bump. This is a good idea. The back is also see-through, so the liquid coolant can be seen flowing inside of it. It looks cool and it demonstrates that the cooling system is not a show and it's real.

You can pick from two colors: Silver and Black. Neither is a plain nor a simple style, but a bold and gamer appearance.

For toughness, it has an IP64 rating. This means it will be able to withstand dust and light spills of water such as rain or a small spill. However, it is not 100% waterproof, so avoid it in or for swimming or dunking in water.

Overall, this cell phone is designed for gamers and not for those who want something which is slim and light. Thick and heavy compared to most mobiles, but these advantages come into play with cooling, battery life and gaming options. This is for those who enjoy a solid, tough-feeling phone that's designed for gaming. This might be too much if you're looking for something light and easy to carry.

Display

This phone just excels in its screen. A 6.8-inch AMOLED display boasting a high 1224x2720 resolution and 439 ppi, images and text appear crisp and clear. With the addition of a small punch-hole cutout for the front camera, it offers an almost edge-to-edge viewing experience, covering 90% of the front.

The 144Hz refresh rate is significant when it comes to gaming. You find that there's no laggy or choppy feel to everything, be it scrolling, swiping, or fast-paced games.

Another advantage is the brightness. This screen should remain easily readable in extreme outdoor conditions, something most of the smartphones in this price range simply cannot do by themselves, as it can reach a maximum of 4500 nits.

The biggest drawback: the screen has a Mohs rating of 4, which is less durable than other phones' screens that are rated at 6.The only downside: The screen is rated at Mohs level 4, as compared to the tougher glass in some competing phones. It should be fine for everyday use, but if you're extra careful about getting scratched, then you might need a screen protector.

In all, this display is a no-brainer, clear, bright, and crisp, and it's fairly one of the best elements of this phone in this price range.

Camera

So it's definitely not all about the camera with ZTE, as this phone is a game first device. However, let's see what you receive.

The rear has dual cameras with autofocus, 50MP and a small 2MP camera. The primary camera has a high resolution of 8150 x 6150 and features some handy features such as exposure compensation, ISO control, HDR and continuous shooting. Also, it has an LED flash, face detection and touch-to-focus; everyday shooting should be easy and intuitive.

The secondary camera is the weak point, with 2MP. It probably isn't used for genuine photography alone but for depth or background blur in portrait images, at this low resolution. Do not look for enhanced detail or zoom - again, zoom is digital only here, and is typically poor quality further away from the focal point.

Daylight Photos: 

Daylight photos should be sharp, colourful and detailed, even if the quality is not up to the standard of an SLR camera, which is where budget and mid-range phones tend to excel, there is plenty of light for the camera sensor to work with. While you can get good normal pictures for social media, you can't look for "flagship" color accuracy and dynamic range.

Low-Light Photos: 

This is where it may become a little shaky. The spec sheet doesn't mention anything about a dedicated night mode or optical image stabilisation (OIS) which come in very handy in low-light situations. They will cause the photos to be slightly grainy or soft in low-light scenes, particularly moving ones, without them. The LED flash can serve as a handy assist in an emergency, but not as a substitute for a good night mode software.

The selfie is handled with a single 16MP front camera, which can be used for regular selfies and video calls, 1080p video at 30fps.Video recordings are limited to 4K (3840x2160) at 30 frames per second (fps), and 1080p can be used as well. This is good for casual videos, but standard 30 fps is not high-end 30 fps, so don't look for super smooth slow-motion or high frame rate action shots.

Performance & Software

The phone comes with MediaTek Dimensity 7400 (4nm octa-core) processor under the hood, which has 4 powerful Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.6GHz for heavy workload, and 4 Cortex-A55 cores at 2.0GHz for light workload that can save battery. It uses a Mali-G615 MC2 graphics chipset and a 64-bit version of the chip.

If you're looking for a mid-range chip, this is a pretty good one. It will be non-competitive with flagship chips, but should do normal use, web surfing, social networking, streaming and multi-tasking without any slow down. For gaming, it can manage most popular games at good settings – although it is quite demanding for graphics heavy games, it can run at lower settings to maintain smooth performance.

The same set has achieved a score of approximately 847,000 on AnTuTu (v11) ahead of approximately 81% of phones tested on the same set. Due to the same chip used in the Special Edition, you'll also get similar raw performance, although it may be able to maintain that performance for a longer period of time during extended gaming sessions thanks to the additional cooling system.

But it's a cooling system that is more important here than in most cases. This phone is built to game, so the fact that the chip remains cool means it continuously can maintain its top speed, instead of dropping down to 600MHz after 20–30 minutes of heavy gameplay as many phones do.

Softwarewise, it starts with the out-of-the-box Android 16, which means you have the most recent version of Android with all its latest features and security updates. This ought to be a longer runway before the phone feels deficient in the software department.

Overall, performance here is reliable and non-spectacular, sufficiently good for gaming, everyday use and multitasking, and aided by cooling tech to keep it smooth for longer.

Gaming Features

It's there that the Neo 5 GT Special Edition really shines through. It's based around the AquaCore Cooling System, a hybrid of liquid and air cooling. It is said to be the first of its kind, and apparently is designed to keep the phone cool even during extended gaming sessions, so it will not overheat and cause performance issues.

The controls, which are at 550Hz as opposed to 500Hz, are much quicker for control, and with the dedicated shoulder buttons, you'll be getting quicker reaction times in games such as shooters.

There's also an AI Game Space, a gaming hub stuffed with instruments to assist you to play higher, and AI Copilot Demi 2.0, the built-in gaming coach that can even reply to messages throughout a match.

It enables bypass charging (directly powering the phone rather than using battery) to prevent battery stress during long charging-while-gaming sessions and helps reduce heat.

The smooth 144Hz screen and stereo speakers with DTS:X Ultra only reinforce that this phone is definitely aimed at gamers.

Battery & Charger

Battery life is undoubtedly one of the greatest attributes of this phone. For those who like to play video games, stream videos, or use social media, it has a huge 6,210mAh Li-Polymer battery to last a long time. For lighter users, it might even last as long as two days.

It is also quick to charge and supports 80W wired fast charging. This means you'll be able to add a significant amount of charge with little time sitting around before you can enjoy your game again.

This is expected for a phone these days, as the battery is not removable and charging is via a USB Type-C 2.0 port.

One nice addition: This phone also has bypass charging. This will allow power to directly charge the phone, rather than the battery, while you are playing. This will help to lower heat and strain on the battery in the long-term.In sum, the huge capacity, rapid charging, and smart charging tech are merely a few areas in which this phone has clearly succeeded in battery life.

ZTE nubia Neo 5 GT Special Edition price in Bangladesh

The ZTE nubia Neo 5 GT Special Edition is priced at ৳59,999 (Official) in Bangladesh, for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant. Currently available in the local market is only this configuration. It's in the middle tier now at this price, which is competing with other gaming phones that boast decent everyday phones with decent displays, big batteries, and performance for gaming and normal use.

Final Word

The Neo 5 GT Special Edition is a phone that has no intention of being an all-rounder, it is a gaming phone. It has a bright, smooth display, a large battery, and a smart cooling system called AquaCore, which keeps it cool when you're playing. It features a bright and smooth display, a large battery, and a smart cooling system called AquaCore, which helps to keep the device cool during play. 

But don't have high hopes for the cameras, that's not what this is about! Although you're not a photographer, but you value comfort and staying power more than the game, this phone is a real value at ৳59,999.