Nubia's newest flagship Z40 Pro phone to feature world's first 35mm lens module

New ZTE nubia smartphone Z40 Pro design revealed ahead of launch
(Image credit: nubia via Weibo)

The Z40 Pro has been teased by ZTE's Nubia for quite some time now, with plans to officially unveil the smartphone on 25 February 2022 at a launch event. The design of the device has been revealed early, however, via the company's Weibo. 

Nubia took to Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo to share the latest design features of its upcoming flagship smartphone, complete with camera specifications as well as sample images shared by the company executive showcasing the Z40 Pro's potential.

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It was already revealed earlier this year that the upcoming nubia Z40 Pro would feature a custom 35mm master lens paired with Sony's IMX787 sensor, (as reported by GSMarena) and would be by powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1SoC. Teasers from the company additionally confirmed a large f/1.6 aperture and some form of what appeared to be omni-directional autofocus.

(Image credit: nubia via Weibo)

Speculation is no longer required as Nubia has now confirmed a few features of the smartphone ahead of Friday's launch, including the design of the triple-rear camera and what we can expect in terms of image quality. The sensors shown in the advertorial images posted on Weibo by Nubia reveal a 64MP main camera with the Sony IMX787 sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide snapper and an 8MP telephoto module capable of up to 5x optical zoom.

The industry's first custom made 35mm-equivalent "ultra-clear main camera" supposedly has an increased film rate with the unit containing OIS and omni-directional autofocus that will reduce image distortion by 35%, gather 80% more light, and improve the picture clarity by 78%. This lens on appearance is much bigger than the other two making for a unique design appeal. 

(Image credit: nubia via Weibo)

This device in comparison with its predecessor, the ZTE Nubia Z20, will have a 300x better heat dissipation that is coefficient for sustained performance and will feature Neovision 11,  which is the company's own attempt to enter the world of computational photography. With presumably only two choices of finish, either black or silver, it is unlikely if nubia will offer additional device color options later in the cycle of the Z40 Pro's launch and release.

Sample photos uploaded to Weibo by the company showcase varying features of the Z40 Pro such as capturing movement as well as potential elements that apply to astrophotography and night shooting. Another sample image was uploaded to Weibo by Ni Fei, the company's executive, of a cat with bright blue eyes in exquisite detail, with the watermarked image corner declaring it was captured using the Z40 Pro device.

Sample image (Image credit: nubia via Weibo)

Sample image (Image credit: nubia via Weibo)

The "world's first" 35mm module lens on a smartphone is certainly an exciting development in the field of the ever-enhancing smartphone photography. Be sure to tune into nubia's launch event on Friday to be the first to know about all of the details surrounding its new flagship photography-priority smartphone.  

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Beth Nicholls
Staff Writer

A staff writer for Digital Camera World, Beth has an extensive background in various elements of technology with five years of experience working as a tester and sales assistant for CeX. After completing a degree in Music Journalism, followed by obtaining a Master's degree in Photography awarded by the University of Brighton, she spends her time outside of DCW as a freelance photographer specialising in live music events and band press shots under the alias 'bethshootsbands'.