Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I like phones like the Nuu B30 Pro . Not because it ’s aSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultrarival or that it does something prominent we ’ve never seen before — it ’s because it is way better than I thought it was going to be .

I admit that I may have pronounce the Nuu B30 Pro a petty harshly before using it , but I ’m also well-chosen to allow in my newsflash sound judgment was wrong . Here ’s why you should n’t write the Nuu B30 Pro off as just another cheap Android phone to ignore .

A person holding the Nuu B30 Pro.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Why did I hastily judge the Nuu B30 Pro?

There are a lot ofcheap Android phonesfrom brands you may not recognise very well for sales agreement online , in stores , and through retailer like Amazon . You take a peril by getting one , knowing the telephone may not be very effective or powerful , the package may be ugly and obtuse , and the tv camera may be feeble . The Nuu B30 Pro ab initio rises above those phones by costing $ 300 ( or $ 270 if you ’re quick enough to get the former bird heap ) , but theiPhone - likecamera module , Android 13 package , and affirmative television camera blurb ( “ professional - grade , ” whatever that think of ) quickly stimulate expectations to lessen .

When you get the phone out of the box , though , thing start to look up . The Gorilla Glass rear panel and Dragontrail methamphetamine on the front both curve steeply at the sides , giving the phone a fancy style that would n’t have been out of position on a flagship phone five or six years ago . The chassis is charge card , but the glass gives it an upmarket palpate in your hand , and you hardly point out it unless you intentionally stroke the top and base of the telephone set . It ’s well - balanced and lightsome .

The shimmering blue / green finish on my phone looks good , and although I ’m not a fan of the photographic camera layout ( seek to make it see like an iPhone is part of the reasonableness I raspingly judged it too soon on ) , it ’s sure as shooting not hideous — just derivative . The Nuu B30 Pro impress me when I piece it up , and bear on to do so as I put up the software and playact a few games . It feels good to bear and look heavy in the unusual colour . It was at this point where I start out to think I ’d misjudged the Nuu B30 Pro and hop it would continue to shew me wrong .

A photo taken with the Nuu B30 Pro.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

What it’s like using the Nuu B30 Pro

Nuu has pick out the MediaTek Dimensity 7050 mainframe to power the B30 Pro , and my gadget has 12 GB of RAM , plus up to 6 GB more from a random-access memory protagonist characteristic that plume the extra from the 256 GB of interior warehousing space . The midrange chip come up out in former 2023 , and while it did stammer once in a while during the frantic opening irregular ofAsphalt 9 : Legendsraces , it soon settled down and do well .

It also merrily seems to lean Android 13 on the Nuu B30 Pro . It ’s unfortunate that you ’ll have to wait for anAndroid 14upgrade , but it ’s terrific to determine Nuu has not altered the software much and leave Android mostly alone . The notification shade , app drawer , and options screen are all consistent and unaltered , so Android retain its lifelike speed and ease of utilisation . Outside of a couple of Nuu apps and an FM Radio , there are no extra unwanted apps preinstalled either , so the phone instantly feels like your own and requires only basic setup .

The screen door is a 6.7 - in AMOLED with a switchable refresh pace between 60Hz and 120Hz , and it produce suitably bright too . It ’s not the most color - accurate and retort a very dissimilar tone compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max , for example , but it ’s pleasant enough for video and game . What I really bed is the full always - on sieve , something that ’s drop from theRedmi Note 13 Pro PlusI used latterly , as well asmany Motorola phonesThere ’s a 5,000mAh battery and 30 - watt wired charging .

A photo taken with the Nuu B30 Pro.

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The cameras are what you’d expect

The photographic camera on the Nuu B30 Pro is typical for phones at this monetary value . There may be three tv camera on the back , but you should only pay attention to one of them . The main 108 - megapixel television camera take solid photos with a pleasant tone that are great for sharing online , but not so excessively saturated that they become unnatural bet . There ’s a cutoff to a 2x zoom in the camera app , and although it ’s not an optical telephoto , the photos are nice without too mu

ch pixelation .

But it get bad from here on . The 8MP all-encompassing - slant camera lacks detail , and the software compensates by smoothing a lot of the image out . If you seek to shoot in anything other than daytime , the results are very poor . The 2MP macro camera , as common , does n’t impart anything to the experience . Having one usable camera out of three may vocalize like a pitiful wad , but it ’s pretty standard for headphone at this price . That does n’t make it acceptable , but do n’t feel like you ’re being shortchanged . The Nuu B30 Pro uses Google Photos as the gallery app . The Nuu B30 Pro utilize Google Photos as the gallery app .

A photo taken with the Nuu B30 Pro.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Should you buy the Nuu B30 Pro?

The Nuu B30 Pro has impressed me more than I carry , but it ’s essential to empathise that you ’re not get features like wireless charging , any water or detritus resistance , a multiyear software update commitment , or center - catchers like theNothing Phone 2a’sGlyph lights . However , it ’s reasonably priced at $ 300 , and the software system is simpler and less cluttered than on some other cheap phones . I like that it ’s a atavist to attractively design full-bosomed phone like theHuawei P30 Pro .

It ’s important to note this is not a review , but a first impression piece based on a short prison term with the phone , and I have not essay the battery life or the software system ’s reliability or seen how it is to use every day . negative I have noticed include the telephone set incur warmer than expected while playing games , even though I was n’t fiddle anything too intensive , suggest this is n’t pass to be a phone for hardcore mobile gamers . The in - video display fingerprint sensor turn , but it ’s not the fast or most accurate I ’ve used . Neither of these things are unexpected or serious softwood breakers .

The Nuu B30 Pro is a 5 yard Android phone for the bargain huntsman who wants something a bit different , but crucially also want to invalidate the inherent risks — terrible software , laggy public presentation , and rubbish design — that often come with buying outside the established trade name names .

A photo taken with the Nuu B30 Pro.

Wide-angleAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Nuu B30 Pro did n’t merit the harsh judgment I bestowed on it before getting it out of the box . While it is n’t a phone you should purchase instead of aGoogle Pixel 8 , aOnePlus 12R , or a Nothing Phone 2a , it ’s far less compromised than I gestate it to be   and may be an choice to theOnePlus Nord N30 . It seems you could do a sight worse than making the Nuu your new phone .

A photo taken with the Nuu B30 Pro.

2x zoomAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

A photo taken with the Nuu B30 Pro.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

A photo taken with the Nuu B30 Pro.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

A photo taken with the Nuu B30 Pro.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

A photo taken with the Nuu B30 Pro.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

A photo taken with the Nuu B30 Pro.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends