ZTE unveils Nubia Neo 3 series for gamers and Flip 2 foldable at MWC 2025

ZTE’s Nubia brand is back at MWC with some big releases for 2025. Alongside the flip-style foldable phone it unveiled last week, the company introduced the Nubia Neo 3 series — designed with gamers in mind. These phones feature RGB lighting and hidden shoulder triggers in the phone’s frame.

There are other gaming-focused features beyond the shoulder triggers for gaming. Notably, the device has interesting RGB lighting and offers a variety of different designs. It also has a powerful cooling system that should help keep your phone running smoother for longer, which is helpful for those who game for extended periods of time. 

As you might expect, the Nubia Neo 3 is largely designed for gamers. The Neo 3 GT is the top-tier model in the lineup and offers an impressive 12GB of RAM (plus 12GB of so-called virtual RAM that the operating system can use from the storage). Perhaps more impressive is the fact that it has a UNISOC T9100 5G processor — an uncommon choice in a sea of Qualcomm and MediaTek-powered phones. It has an OLED display with a 1080p resolution and a massive 6,000mAh battery. 

The slightly lower-performing Neo 3 is powered by a UNISOC T8300 processor and has 8GB of hardware RAM. It also features gaming shoulder triggers and a linear haptic feedback motor. 

Both phones also feature the new AI Game Space 3.0, which lets you customize game modes, and tweak performance to match your preferences.

Perhaps cooler than those phones, of course, is the new foldable device, which was also on show at MWC 2025. The new device, called the Nubia Flip 2, will go up against phones like the Motorola Razr series and has a rectangular display on the front with a larger screen inside. It has a MediaTek Dimensity 7300X processor, along with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. I was able to see the phone in person at MWC 2025, and it felt relatively premium and well-built —though no more so than the other flip-style phones on the market right now.

ZTE Nubia phones aren’t necessarily the most well-known, but they prove to be great choices for those who want to buy a solid, powerful phone on a budget. All three of these devices will become available over the next few months.

The Nubia Flip 2 is perhaps the most notable in price — it comes at only 62,080 yen, which equates to around $410. For now, it’ll only be available in Japan.

Mashable’s on the ground at MWC 2025, covering the best tech products that have Barcelona abuzz.