nubia is probably the only brand that takes budget gaming phones seriously. I mean, just look at the design of the new model we’re reviewing now, the nubia Neo 3 GT . The Neo 3 GT 5G doesn’t look like any of the sub-Php13,000 phones we’ve seen, not considering its predecessors, of course. As you already know, it came from a line of affordable phones with a hardcore gaming design. The chipset is historically not the best in class, but the overall package — from the design, shoulder trigger, to the bundles — makes for a complete gaming experience if you’re on a budget. But being the first “GT” in the series, has the performance been improved? Or are you better off with a more casual-looking smartphone with a faster chipset? Read our nubia Neo 3 GT 5G review to find out. nubia Neo 3 GT 5G Specs Android 15 6.8-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, 2392 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~386ppi 120Hz refreshs rate, 1200Hz instantaneous touch sampling rate 100% DCI-P3, 1300-nit peak brightness 2.7GHz...
nubia is probably the only brand that takes budget gaming phones seriously. I mean, just look at the design of the new model we’re reviewing now, the nubia Neo 3 GT.
The Neo 3 GT 5G doesn’t look like any of the sub-Php13,000 phones we’ve seen, not considering its predecessors, of course.
As you already know, it came from a line of affordable phones with a hardcore gaming design. The chipset is historically not the best in class, but the overall package — from the design, shoulder trigger, to the bundles — makes for a complete gaming experience if you’re on a budget.
But being the first “GT” in the series, has the performance been improved? Or are you better off with a more casual-looking smartphone with a faster chipset? Read our nubia Neo 3 GT 5G review to find out.
nubia Neo 3 GT 5G Specs
- Android 15
- 6.8-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, 2392 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~386ppi
- 120Hz refreshs rate, 1200Hz instantaneous touch sampling rate
- 100% DCI-P3, 1300-nit peak brightness
- 2.7GHz UNISOC T9100 octa-core processor
- Mali-G57 MP4 GPU
- 12GB RAM
- 256GB internal storage, non-expandable
- 16-megapixel front camera
- 50-megapixel + 2-megapixel (depth sensor) rear cameras, LED flash
- Under-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Stereo speakers
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi
- Bluetooth
- GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
- NFC
- USB-C
- Colors: Electro Yellow, Interstellar Gray, White Hailstone (Limited Edition)
- 6,000mAh non-removable battery, 80W fast charging
Design and Build Quality
The nubia Neo 3 GT model we got is the White Hailstone colorway, which is a limited edition release. While it is nicer and cleaner, it looks more boring than the standard models.
If it’s not your cup of tea, you can check out the Interstellar Gray and Electro Yellow variants, which have that aggressive cyber mecha design that the series is popular for.
Going back, the White Hailstone has an all-white paint job with subtle and almost completely unnoticeable accents like the words “Win More Games”. The eye in the cyber-mecha is also here, which lights up together with the three geometric lines below it.
The dual rear cameras and the LED flash have their own individual octagonal lenses. The whole rear panel has a matte yet reflective finish that stays clean from fingerprint marks and dirt.
Sadly, it lacks an official IP rating for dust and water resistance, unlike the majority of phones out today. But we did spot a rubber gasket in the SIM tray, hinting at some form of water protection, possibly only light water splashes.
Speaking of durability, the Neo 3 GT has a very solid metallic frame. It won’t flex even we put extra pressure in our light bend tests.
nubia didn’t mention the glass they used for the screen, but they did preapplied a screen protector for safety. What they did include is a MagSafe-like case. It’s made of acrylic and barely protects the device plus, since the device doesn’t have wireless charging, the MagSafe feature is only for accessories.
Taking a tour, the Neo 3 GT has a large 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with reasonably thin and uniform bezels, and a punch-hole for the 16-megapixel selfie camera.
Left side is clean, while the right has the volume control and a textured lock/power button in painted in red for extra spice. We also have the left and right capacitive shoulder triggers here.
The top only has the noise-isolating microphone.
While the bottom has the loudspeaker, primary microphone, USB-C port, and a SIM tray that houses two nano SIM cards.
On the back, we have the 50-megapixel main camera on top, the depth sensor below it, and the ring LED flash.
It may lack an official IP rating or durable front glass, but the sturdy frame and standout design make up for it.
Display and Audio
The nubia Neo 3 GT comes with an enormous 6.8-inch FHD+ display that uses a contrasty AMOLED panel and, being a gaming phone, you already know it has a 120Hz refresh rate and 1200Hz instant touch sampling rate.
You can adjust the refresh rate to 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, or Auto. Color temperature is adjustable, but lacks the color profile we see on other phones. Still, display quality is good for the price. Brightness is ample for outdoor use and the large size makes gaming and watching immersive.
Unfortunately, it lacks support for HDR or Dolby Vision. It is also capped at Widevine L3 so no FHD support on streaming platforms like Netflix.
For audio, we have stereo speakers with DTS:X Ultra technology. It amplifies the tiny earpiece on top to act as the second speaker, which is not a problem on most phones, but it is here.
The sound balance is really off as the bottom speaker is noticeably louder than the other one. The imbalance can be really irritating to the ears at times.
Hardware and Performance
The nubia Neo 3 GT 5G comes with a 2.7GHz UNISOC T9100 octa-core processor, with a Mali-G57 MP4 GPU, generous 12GB of RAM with +12GB virtual RAM expansion, and 256GB of, sadly, non-expandable RAM.
nubia Neo 3 GT 5G Benchmark Scores
It’s not the snappiest when it comes to day-to-day performance, but it’s definitely fast enough to satisfy and not cause any annoyance. Just be wary of the storage, as filling it to the brim may cause some slowdown, and there’s no way to add more (unless you subscribe to cloud storage).
Now let’s see how this gaming phone actually handles gaming.
Genshin Impact, as demanding as it is, was playable under Low preset. Not the best, but at least it’s not the Lowest.
PUBG Mobile ran with no problems under HD graphics and Ultra frames. Call of Duty Mobile’s settings maxes out at Medium graphics and High frames, to which it ran smoothly, as well as Farlight84 under Smooth graphics and High frames.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang was incredibly smooth under maxed-out settings with Ultra map quality and frame rate. Asphalt Legends Unite had no problems, too, at High Quality graphics with 60fps.
So, can the nubia Neo 3 GT 5G game? Yes, it can. You just have to stay under low to medium graphics settings, which is acceptable for the price.
| Game | Graphics Settings |
| Genshin Impact | • Render Resolution: Medium • Visual Effects: Medium • SFX Quality: Low • FPS: 30 |
| PUBG Mobile | • Graphics Quality: HD • Frame Rate: Ultra |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | • Graphics Quality: Medium • Frame Rate: High |
| Farlight84 | • Graphics Quality: Smooth • Frame Rate: High |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | • Map Quality: Ultra • Model Quality: Standard • Effects Quality: High • Resolution: Ultra • Frame Rate: HD |
| Asphalt Legends Unite | • Visual Quality: High Quality • Frame Rate: 60 |
Software and User Interface
The nubia Neo 3 GT 5G comes with Android 15-based MyOS 15. Sadly, the duration of support for nubia phones remains uncertain. The Neo 3 GT would be lucky to receive at least two major OS upgrades and 2 years of security patches.
Majority of the interface features center around gaming. The shoulder triggers work by mimicking taps on a particular area of the screen while in-game.
You have to assign that said area per game, allowing you to customize which command you want to assign it to. It works really well and really improves gameplay, especially on shooter titles.
For extra controls, you can get it with the controller dock that pairs to the phone via the USB-C port.
The USB-C port adjusts vertically so you can plug it easily. It has analog sticks on each sides, four left and right triggers, D-Pad, XYBA, a nubia button that lights up, Menu, and Recents.
You use the controller by individually mapping each button on every game you play. It can be time-consuming, but you only have to set it up one time.
The trigger settings, and many more, can be found on the GameSpace, a window you can easily access while in-game. This is easily the most elaborate game window we’ve seen on the phone, occupying about 75% of the screen.
From here, you can see the real-time CPU and GPU usage, adjust brightness and volume, switch between performance modes, screen recording, adjust refresh rates, and even magnify parts of the screen or enable a floating stopwatch/timer.
The pre-installed Cleanup app lets you optimize storage by automatically removing junk files.
We’re not a fan of the other bloatware, but they can be uninstalled easily.
Live Island is yet another take on Apple’s Dynamic Island, albeit support is limited for the Neo 3 GT. It only works to show low battery status, battery life of connected wireless devices, phone calls, and a countdown timer.
A dialogue translation app, claiming to use AI, is here and works well. Other AI features include the AI Eraser within the default Google Photos app, and AI optimizations within gaming, photography, and 5G connectivity.
The fingerprint scanner is a little slow, but it gets the job done. Facial recognition is a faster way to get the device unlocked.
Cameras
The nubia Neo 3 GT 5G has a sharp 50-megapixel main camera, the obligatory 2-megapixel depth sensor, and 16-megapixels for selfies.
Its large sensor shoots photos with a 27mm equivalent. For portraits, you can tapping the 81mm for a 3x zoom. It can record videos at 720p and 1080p only at 30fps with digital stabilization, or no stabilization at 4K but still limited to 30fps.
The default Photo mode is called AI CAM. We also have Sport, which tries its best to increase shutter speed for a sharper capture of moving subjects. There’s also a full 50MP mode, Night Mode, and Portrait.
Daylight shots from the main camera are usable for the price. Sharpness is good, but color reproduction and dynamic range is a little off. Shutter speed could be faster, too.
That slow shutter worsens in low light, so make sure you keep your hands steady. On the upside, shots do look well-lit, and details look sharp with noticeable extensive post-processing.
We also noticed green hue around our eyeglasses when taking selfies, something we haven’t experienced before. Details and skin tones are fine, though, but low-light performance is a downer.
As with most gaming phones, photography is not a top priority for the nubia Neo 3 GT 5G, and it clearly shows with the results.
Battery and Charging
The nubia Neo 3 GT 5G has a large 6,000mAh battery paired with an 80W charging.
It has one of the biggest batteries in its segment, but for some reason, has one of the lowest scores in our tests.
On the upside, it boasts an ultra-fast 80W charger — one of the fastest in its price range. A full charge only takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes. See our full charging test below:
- 15mins: 0-22%
- 30mins: 45%
- 45mins: 67%
- 1hr: 85%
- 1hr 15mins: 98%
- 1hr 20: FULL
Verdict
The nubia Neo 3 GT was specifically tailored to hardcore gamers, and if you’re on a really tight budget, then you might be looking at your next smartphone.
It offers a respectable gaming performance with no overheating issues across different genres, built-in shoulder triggers that you can use on any games, and an aggressive design that lets other people know that you’re really into gaming.
You can also get it with a dedicated game controller that’s heavily customizable and improves the gaming experience by a mile.
But if you’re just a casual user or have a taste for everything else but gaming, you’re better off with something else. Many options offer better display, durability, battery life, and even has extensive software support.
Still, the nubia Neo 3 GT is one of a kind in its segment. So if you’re really into it, it’s still a pretty good option.
nubia Neo 3 GT pricing and availability in the Philippines
The nubia Neo 3 GT 5G has an SRP of Php12,999 and comes bundled with a magnetic case and a gaming controller.
Pros
- Standout design with LED lights
- Large, fast AMOLED display
- Reliable performance
- Extra features that enhance gaming experience
- 80W fast charging
Cons
- No official IP rating
- Widevine L3 means no FHD streaming
- No HDR, Dolby Vision
- Imbalanced stereo speakers
- So-so camera quality
- Underwhelming battery life
This article, nubia Neo 3 GT Review, was originally published at NoypiGeeks | Philippines Technology News, Reviews and How to's.
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