Nubia X 5G smartphone with Snapdragon 855 and two displays debuts at MWC 2019

(Image: Sina Weibo)

5G is shaping up to be the next big trend in 2019 with smartphone manufacturers from across the globe looking to profit from a projected multi-billion-dollar market. Chinese smartphone manufacture Nubia is joining the ranks of Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi and LG with the introduction of its own 5G handset.

ZTE sub-brand Nubia announced its first 5G smartphone in the form of the Nubia X 5G at the official introduction of the 5G alliance that took place pre-MWC Shanghai 2019. Although no specifications were provided about the upcoming 5G Nubia phone, we do know it will be powered by the Snapdragon 855 SoC with the Snapdragon X50 5G modem.

This isn’t the first Nubia X phone to debut this year. At MWC 2019, the previous edition of the Nubia X packed a Snapdragon 845, which could be paired with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. While the overall phone itself seemed like a let down considering the use of a previous gen Snapdragon chipset, the Nubia X offered an unconventional solution of dealing with the notch by incorporating a second display on the back phone.

The Nubia X 5G is essentially a Nubia X 4G on steroids. The beefier chipset will ensure a significant bump in performance, while the 5G modem will provide access to 5G connectivity and all the ultra-fast speed and super-low latency benefits it offers.

Like its predecessor, the 5G version of the Nubia X also gets a notch-free display on the front and a smaller secondary display on the back. Although Nubia could opt for an OLED screen rather than the LCD panel found on first Nubia X, the only other noticeable difference we could spot at the back was the 5G logo on the top right of the device.

Nubia’s first 5G smartphone could share the same specifications as the 4G version that debuted in February this year. However, we’ll just have to wait for details of the device’s specs, price and release date.