There’s a new cheap foldable phone, and it undercuts the Pixel 8

There’s a new cheap foldable phone, and it undercuts the Pixel 8

TL;DR

  • Nubia has revealed the Nubia Flip 5G for Europe, and it’s got an aggressive price.
  • This is a rebranded version of the ZTE Libero Flip, which is the world’s cheapest foldable.
  • Expect a price tag of €599 when the phone is eventually released.

ZTE surprised us last week by launching the Libero Flip in Japan, offering a ~$420 price tag that meant it was the cheapest foldable phone in the world. Now, it turns out this foldable is coming to Europe with a new name.

ZTE-affiliated brand Nubia is showing off the Nubia Flip 5G at Mobile World Congress 2024 (MWC), and this is indeed a largely rebranded version of the Libero Flip.

That means you’ve got a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset, a 6.9-inch foldable OLED screen (120Hz), a tiny cover display, and a 4,310mAh battery with 33W wired charging. In saying so, the Nubia Flip demo units show 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage compared to the ZTE model’s 6GB/128GB allotments.

Nubia also states that the phone has a 50MP dual rear camera system, although we’re guessing it’s a 50MP+2MP pairing like the ZTE device. Otherwise, a 16MP camera is on-tap for video calls.

The cheapest foldable in Europe, but at what cost?

The company told us it plans to bring the Nubia Flip 5G to Europe by April. The phone will cost €599 (~$650) when it goes on sale.

There are cutbacks to be expected, though, such as water resistance and wireless charging. Then again, ZTE and Nubia’s biggest weakness tends to be software updates. So you’ll likely be foregoing long-term software support by opting for the Nubia Flip 5G.

Nubia Flip 5G: Hot or not?

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