Nubia Introduces Affordable Foldable Phones and AI Features

During the MWC24 earlier this year, Nubia showcased its first foldable screen product, Flip. Unlike the flagship and high-end positioning of current foldable screens, this vertically folding product takes a more budget-friendly approach overseas.

On April 9th, Nubia also launched Flip domestically, with a starting price of 2999 yuan, almost “cutting in half” compared to mainstream new foldable screen products currently available. This significantly reduces the price barrier for many users interested in trying foldable screens.

The outer screen of Nubia Flip measures 1.43 inches and supports interaction while taking photos, listening to music, and checking the weather. Various notification messages and incoming calls can also be directly displayed and operated through the outer screen. When unfolded, the inner screen measures 6.9 inches with a PPI value of 443, supporting a 120Hz refresh rate and 2160Hz PWM dimming. Nubia Flip has a thickness of 7mm when unfolded and comes in three colors: milk tea, caramel, and taro. The total weight of the device is 209g.

In terms of imaging, Nubia Flip features a 50-megapixel dual rear camera and a 16-megapixel front camera. Photography options include free-hovering shooting from multiple angles, dual-camera selfies, and simultaneous preview on both screens.

Furthermore, the device incorporates AI features such as AI smart translation and real-time translation. The built-in intelligent assistant is powered by a large model, capable of various text creations for different scenarios, including social media captions, food reviews, translation, and presentation frameworks.

Zhang Lei, General Manager of Nubia flagship products, stated, “We firmly believe that AI should not be exclusive to top flagship models.” Therefore, Nubia has introduced the concept of ‘AI FOR ALL,’ dedicated to integrating AI technology into every smartphone. Alongside Flip, Nubia also unveiled two new smartphone models, Z60 Ultra Photographer Edition and Nubia Little Cow, both utilizing AI technology.

The Z60 Ultra Photographer Edition is equipped with Neovision Taishan AI imaging system, integrating AI technology in various aspects such as astrophotography, portrait mode, night scenes, color enhancement, super-resolution, noise reduction, and focus tracking. After taking photos, AI magic can intelligently erase unwanted content from the photos (related functions to be implemented through FOTA updates), and the AI voice assistant can provide shooting advice.

In addition to imaging, the MyOS14 system of Nubia Z60 Ultra Photographer Edition has been comprehensively enhanced with AI. AI-powered real-time translation in both directions during calls enables voice-to-voice translation and synchronous display of translated text. This feature can be accessed not only during system calls but also in WeChat calls (related functions to be implemented through FOTA updates).

Nubia Little Cow is an entry-level product priced at 799 yuan, focusing on cost-effectiveness. In terms of design, it adopts a double-sided glass body and is available in two colors: dark blue and black. It also introduces the same Neovision Taishan AI imaging system as the Z60 Ultra Photographer Edition, supporting a 108MP main camera with a sensor size of 1/1.67 inches.

Apart from supporting AI in imaging, Nubia Little Cow also features AI smart voice functions, particularly in smart translation, chatting, and creative writing (related functions to be implemented through FOTA updates).

Titanium Media App noted that many smartphone manufacturers, when mentioning AI especially in the context of large models, tend to emphasize the concept of “on-device” AI and mainly associate AI functions with their own high-end products.

The deployment capability of on-device AI was also emphasized by the release of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in March, considered by many manufacturers as a sign of the expansion of generative AI to mid-range devices.

Today, the release of Nubia Little Cow indicates that AI functionality has expanded to entry-level products, even those priced at hundreds of yuan. However, compared to hybrid on-device + cloud-based large model applications, the AI functions deployed by Nubia on smartphones clearly rely more on cloud computing power and network services.

From the perspective of the popularization of AI functionality, this is undoubtedly a positive development. However, for manufacturers, the additional investment required for supporting AI functionality is a challenge. While higher profits from high-end and flagship devices make costs easier to cover, for cost-focused devices like those priced around a thousand yuan, balancing costs with terminal prices will be a challenge. (This article was first published on Titanium Media App, Author/Deng Jianyun, Editor/Zhong Yi)