Review verdict: For mobile gamers on a budget in the Philippines, the Nubia Neo 3 shines with its sleek design and gaming-centric features, but its vibrant exterior and poor camera quality limit its appeal for everyone else.

Pros:

• Shoulder triggers on a sub 10K device is unheard of
• Gaming-focused design
• LED notification light on the back

Cons:

• Cameras are hit or miss
• The design is fairly obnoxious for anyone who’s not a gamer

When I first got the Nubia Neo 3 for review, I wasn’t expecting much. Its under Php 10K price tag set my expectations from the get go, but I was sadly mistaken. I wasn’t familiar with the Neo 3’s game, and for that I apologize to Nubia. It’s a surprisingly capable gaming phone, with its performance at the price point surpassed only by its rather obnoxious, gamer-inspired design.

Nubia neo 3 Review Philippines: Design

Straight outta the box, the Nubia Neo 3 5G screams, “I’m a gaming phone!” Its design is a non-stop assault on the senses: the back panel’s mecha-eye design, complete with customizable RGB lighting,g looks like it was ripped from a gaming laptop made in 2018.

For those who dig that eye-catching design, this phone’s perfect. But if it’s not your taste, you may find it overly tacky.

One unique aspect of the Neo 3 is its side-mounted shoulder buttons, typically exclusive to premium gaming phones like the ROG series. Their presence on a budget device is a welcome treat, allowing customizable controls for games like Call of Duty Mobile, where quick reflexes for actions like aiming are essential.

The body is plastic, which is expected, but what’s a neat surprise is the fact that the phone has an IP54 rating for splashes.

Nubia Neo 3 Review Philippines: Display

The phone has a 6.8-inch LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate, along with a 1000nits peak brightness. The panel isn’t as good as an OLED, obviously, but colors are punchy and there’s enough brightness here that you’ll be able to play outdoors without sunlight washing out the display.

Watching videos on the phone was ok, but don’t expect the same experience as with a more expensive phone. LCD’s fine at this price point in all honesty, and if you’re pickier with what you use for watching Netflix and bingeing on Korean telenovelas, then you need to increase your budget.

Nubia neo 3 Review Philippines: Cameras

The phone’s biggest weakness lies in its cameras. Not really surprising considering what the phone’s meant for, but we would have liked it if Nubia put more capable sensors in the phone.

There are two camera modules on the back, but only one holds a camera of note. The phone uses a 50-megapixel snapper with an f/1.8 aperture sensor with PDAF. The other module is just for show, since it only holds a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

As for image quality, they’re fine when you’re shooting outdoors. But low-light performance? It’s like trying to take a selfie in a cave. The 16MP front camera is okay for video calls or TikTok vids, but don’t expect DSLR-level clarity.

The Nubia Neo 3’s camera is best described by the saying, “A camera in hand beats having none at all.”

Nubia Neo 3 Review Philippines: Processor, Software, Battery

Under the hood, the Neo 3 5G packs a Unisoc T8300 chipset with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. No microSD slot, but 256GB is plenty for your Genshin updates. On Geekbench 6, it scored 880 (single-core) and 2,016 (multi-core). The Mali-G57 GPU hit 1,552, which is solid but not quite Snapdragon 778G territory. Translation? It’s no flagship killer, but it’s got enough juice for budget gamers.

In real-world tests, League of Legends: Wild Rift ran smoothly at 60 FPS on Medium settings. Call of Duty Mobile? Playable on medium graphics. But Genshin Impact? Low settings are your friend unless you enjoy the pain of constant stuttering. AI Game Space 3.0 software is a nice touch, optimizing CPU usage, managing thermals, and letting you record snippets of gameplay for sharing later.

The phone has a 6000mAh battery which is almost standard nowadays, and you also get 33W of fast charging with it. Our PCMark battery benchmark got 14 hours 31 minutes on a single charge, which is fairly good for a gaming phone like this one.

Nubia Neo 3 Review: Wrap-Up and Verdict

At Php 9,999, the Nubia Neo 3 5G is a solid deal for budget gamers. The mecha-eye design, 120Hz display, and monstrous battery make it a compelling pick for Pinoy gamers who want bang-for-buck performance. The Unisoc T8300 chipset and AI Game Space 3.0 deliver a surprisingly smooth experience for casual to mid-tier gaming, and those shoulder triggers are a game-changer for its intended audience. But the glossy back, average cameras, and LCD display remind you this isn’t a flagship.