1. Specifications Comparison
Design
| Feature | Motorola One 5G Ace | ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra | Practical Impact |
|---|
| Dimensions | 166.1 x 76.1 x 9.9 mm | 164 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm | The Motorola is slightly taller and thicker, potentially feeling bulkier. The ZTE is more compact, easier to handle. |
| Weight | 212g | 246g | The Motorola is significantly lighter, making it more comfortable for extended use. The ZTE is heavier, which might feel more premium but can lead to fatigue during longer usage. |
| Foldable | Standard | Standard | Both are standard smartphones, not foldable. |
Display
| Feature | Motorola One 5G Ace | ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra | Practical Impact |
|---|
| Size | 6.7" | 6.8" | Virtually identical screen sizes. Minimal difference in viewing area. |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 | 1116 x 2480 | The ZTE offers slightly sharper images. Difference is noticeable in side-by-side comparison, however, both are plenty sharp. |
| PPI | 393 | 400 | Negligible difference in pixel density, both displays will look sharp. |
| Technology | IPS LCD | AMOLED | AMOLED offers significantly better contrast, deeper blacks, and more vibrant colors. It also has better power efficiency for dark themes. |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | The ZTE's 120Hz display will have smoother scrolling, animations, and gaming. The Motorola's 60Hz display may appear less fluid. |
| Brightness | 0 nits (Unspecified) | 1500 nits | The ZTE provides much better visibility in bright sunlight. The Motorola's brightness is unknown, making it difficult to assess its performance outdoors. |
Performance
| Feature | Motorola One 5G Ace | ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra | Practical Impact |
|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G (8nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4nm) | The ZTE's chipset is substantially more powerful, resulting in faster app loading, smoother multitasking, and superior gaming performance. |
| Antutu Score | 330,000 | 2,017,588 | The ZTE achieves drastically higher benchmark scores, indicating its massive performance advantage. |
| GPU | Adreno 619 | Adreno 750 | The ZTE's GPU is significantly more capable, leading to much better graphics performance in games and other graphics-intensive applications. |
Battery
| Feature | Motorola One 5G Ace | ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra | Practical Impact |
|---|
| Capacity | 5000mAh | 6000mAh | The ZTE's larger battery will provide longer battery life, potentially lasting a full day or more with heavy usage. |
| Charging | 15W Fast Charging | 80W Fast Charging | The ZTE charges much faster, reducing the time spent plugged into a wall socket. |
| Features | Non-removable, 10W charger in-box | Non-removable | Both have non-removable batteries. The Motorola offers a 10W charger in the box. |
Camera
| Feature | Motorola One 5G Ace | ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra | Practical Impact |
|---|
| Standard Camera | 48MP, f/1.7, 0.8µm | 54MP, f/1.6, 1.0µm, 1/1.49" Sony IMX800 | The ZTE's main camera captures more detail and performs better in low light due to its larger sensor and wider aperture. |
| Selfie Camera | 16MP, f/2.2, 1.12µm | 12MP, f/2.0, 1/2.4" Omnivision OV12D | The Motorola's selfie camera captures higher resolution images, the ZTE's has a wider aperture. It is difficult to say which is better without further details on pixel size and other specifications. |
| Telephoto Lens | None | 64MP, f/3.3, 1/2" Omnivision OV64B, 0.70 µm | The ZTE has a dedicated telephoto lens for optical zoom, offering much better zoom capabilities than the Motorola. |
| Wide Angle Lens | 8MP, f/2.2, 1.12µm | 50MP, f/1.8, 1/1.55" Omnivision OV50E, 1.00 µm | The ZTE's wide-angle camera captures much higher-resolution images and is better in low light due to its larger sensor and wider aperture. |
| Macro Lens | 2MP, f/2.4, 1.75µm | None | The Motorola has a dedicated macro lens for close-up shots. |
| Video | 4K@30fps (EIS), 1080p@30/60fps (EIS); No Slow-mo: Yes, 60fps | 8K@30fps (HDR, EIS), 4K@30/60/120fps (HDR, EIS), 1080p@30/60fps (HDR, EIS); Yes Slow-mo: Yes, 240fps | The ZTE offers much higher video recording capabilities, including 8K recording, higher frame rates, and better stabilization. It also offers more slow-motion recording flexibility. |
| Features | Digital zoom, Triple camera, Digital image stabilization, Autofocus, Touch focus, PDAF, LAF, Continuous shooting, Geotagging, Panorama, HDR, Face detection, White balance settings, ISO settings, Exposure compensation, Scene mode, Self-timer, RAW, Night Mode | 4K Video, 8K Video, Digital zoom, Optical zoom, Triple camera, Digital image stabilization, Optical Stabilization (OIS), Autofocus, Touch focus, Continuous autofocus, Manual focus, LAF, Under display camera, Continuous shooting, Geotagging, Panorama, HDR, Face detection, White balance settings, ISO settings, Exposure compensation, Scene mode, Self-timer, RAW, Night Mode | The ZTE has additional features such as optical zoom and OIS, enhancing image quality and versatility. The under-display camera is a design feature for a more immersive screen. |
Software
| Feature | Motorola One 5G Ace | ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra | Practical Impact |
|---|
| OS | Android 10 | Android 14 | The ZTE has a more recent Android version, providing access to the latest features, security updates, and optimizations. Motorola's outdated OS is a disadvantage |
Connectivity
| Feature | Motorola One 5G Ace | ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra | Practical Impact |
|---|
| WiFi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Dual band, Hotspot, Direct, Display | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be, Dual band, Hotspot, Direct, Display, MiMO | The ZTE supports Wi-Fi 7 which offers the fastest speeds, lowest latency, and best network performance |
| Bluetooth | 5.1 LE, A2DP, EDR, LE | 5.4 LE, A2DP, LE, LDAC, SBC, AAC | The ZTE has a newer version of Bluetooth with additional codec support which offers better audio quality and efficiency with supported audio accessories. |
| GPS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, SUPL, Galileo | A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, QZSS, GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BeiDou (B1), Galileo (E1+E5a), BeiDou (B2), NavIC System, QZSS (L1 + L5), GPS (L1+L2+L5), QZSS (L1+L2+L5) | The ZTE supports a wider array of satellite systems for improved GPS accuracy. |
| SIM | Single SIM (Nano) | Dual SIM (Nano) | The ZTE can use two SIM cards at the same time. The Motorola is limited to one. |
Storage
| Feature | Motorola One 5G Ace | ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra | Practical Impact |
|---|
| Internal | 64 GB or 128 GB | 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1024 GB | The ZTE has vastly larger storage options. The Motorola's storage is limited. |
| RAM | 4 GB or 6 GB | 8 GB, 12 GB, 16 GB or 24 GB | The ZTE offers significantly more RAM, allowing for better multitasking and smoother performance. |
| Expandable | No | No | Neither phone has expandable storage. |
Audio
| Feature | Motorola One 5G Ace | ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra | Practical Impact |
|---|
| Quality | 2 microphones | DTS / DTS X, Stereo Speakers, 3 microphones | The ZTE has better audio with stereo speakers, spatial sound capabilities, and better noise cancellation |
Security
| Feature | Motorola One 5G Ace | ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra | Practical Impact |
|---|
| Features | Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor | Basic fingerprint sensor | Both phones offer standard fingerprint biometric security. |
Build Quality
| Feature | Motorola One 5G Ace | ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra | Practical Impact |
|---|
| Protection | Unknown | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | The ZTE has superior screen protection compared to an unknown level of protection on the Motorola, making it more resistant to scratches and damage. |
Sensors
| Feature | Motorola One 5G Ace | ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra | Practical Impact |
|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint, Proximity, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope | Fingerprint, Proximity, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope, Gravity, RGB | The ZTE has a more comprehensive sensor suite providing more features. |
2. Key Differences Analysis
Motorola One 5G Ace Advantages:
- Lighter Weight: The Motorola One 5G Ace is significantly lighter (34g), making it more comfortable for extended use.
- Macro Camera: It includes a dedicated macro lens, which can be useful for close-up photography.
- Included Charger: It includes a 10W charger in the box.
ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra Advantages:
- Superior Display: The AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and 1500 nits brightness offers significantly better visual quality, smoother animations, and better visibility in bright conditions.
- Massively Higher Performance: The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset delivers dramatically better performance for all tasks, including gaming and multitasking.
- Significantly Better Camera System: The main camera, telephoto lens, and wide-angle cameras all offer superior performance.
- Larger Battery & Much Faster Charging: Offers longer battery life and much quicker charging with its 6000mAh battery and 80W fast charging.
- More Up-to-Date Software: The device is running Android 14, while the Motorola is running Android 10.
- Much Larger Storage & More RAM: The ZTE offers much more storage space and RAM across all available configurations.
- Advanced Connectivity: Supports the latest Wi-Fi standards, newer Bluetooth, and many additional GPS systems.
- Better Audio: Offers enhanced surround sound, better audio separation and immersion, better voice capture.
- Screen Protection: It is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Trade-offs:
- The ZTE is heavier and slightly bulkier.
- The Motorola lacks a telephoto lens and high-end display quality, although has a dedicated macro lens.
- The Motorola has outdated software.
3. User Profiles & Recommendations
Motorola One 5G Ace Ideal User:
- Budget-Conscious Users: Those looking for a 5G phone at a lower price point, focusing on basic smartphone functionality.
- Light Users: Users who primarily use their phone for web browsing, social media, and basic communication.
- Users Who Prioritize Lightness: People who prefer a lighter device and are not as concerned with cutting-edge specs.
Use Cases:
- Everyday web browsing and social media usage.
- Basic photography and casual video recording.
- Light gaming and media consumption.
ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra Ideal User:
- Performance-Oriented Users: Gamers and power users who want the best performance and fastest experience available.
- Photography Enthusiasts: Users who want a versatile camera system with strong zoom capabilities and excellent low-light performance.
- Media Consumers: Those who appreciate the immersive experience of a high-quality display and enhanced audio.
- Users Who Value Battery Life and Fast Charging: Users who need to rely on their phone for long periods with the ability to quickly charge on the go.
Use Cases:
- High-end mobile gaming with demanding graphics.
- Professional-level photography and videography.
- Intensive multitasking and resource-heavy applications.
- Long periods away from a charger.
4. Decision Framework
Key Questions for Buyers:
- What is your budget? The Motorola is likely significantly cheaper.
- How important is performance, display quality, and camera quality to you? The ZTE clearly excels in these categories, but comes at a premium cost.
- What is your typical use case? The Motorola is better suited for basic tasks, whereas the ZTE is made for demanding users.
Scenario-Based Recommendations:
- Scenario 1: Budget-Conscious & Light Usage - If you primarily need a basic phone for simple tasks and want to save money, the Motorola may be acceptable, but keep in mind the outdated operating system and older features.
- Scenario 2: Performance and Camera Focused - If you want top-tier performance, excellent display quality, and a versatile camera system, the ZTE is the clear choice.
- Scenario 3: All-Round Performance & Value - Consider other options if you want a better overall experience than the Motorola, but do not want to pay for a high-end phone like the ZTE.
My Choice
I would choose the ZTE nubia Z60 Ultra.
The difference in performance, display quality, and camera capability is simply too vast to ignore. While the Motorola One 5G Ace has a lighter weight, the advantages offered by the ZTE are more relevant to my daily use. I value a fast, responsive device, a high-quality display for media consumption, and a capable camera system for photography. The extra battery life, faster charging, and more advanced connectivity are also valuable perks. The outdated OS and slower processor of the Motorola mean that even basic tasks will not feel as good to use. While the price of the ZTE is likely to be higher, the improved experience makes it a worthwhile investment for me.
