There are phones that surprise us; there are others that simply want to watch the smartphone landscape burn.

Lenovo launched the Z5 Pro GT, and it definitely deserves that overly long moniker. Not only is it the first smartphone to be powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 855 SoC, but it’s also equipped with a whopping 12GB of memory and 512GB of storage.

It doesn’t stop there: The Z5 Pro GT makes use of a slider mechanism similar to what Xiaomi implemented on the Mi Mix 3. This houses the 16- and 8-megapixel selfie camera setup under the slider, as well as the 16- and 24-megapixel shooters on the rear.

Coupled with a 6.39-inch 1080p AMOLED display with an under-display fingerprint scanner, the Z5 Pro GT demolishes most handsets launched in 2018. Even more impressive? The pricing!

Believe it or not, the max memory and storage configuration mentioned earlier retails for only CNY 4,398 or approximately US$ 640. This can lower itself to CNY 3,398 (US$ 495) for the 8GB+256GB variant, CNY 2,998 (US$ 435) for the 8GB+128GB model, or CNY 2,698 (US$ 390) for 6GB+128GB.

There are only a few downsides to this product. One, it doesn’t offer 5G connectivity despite having a compatible chipset; it may be because of the phone’s early release happening in January. Two, its battery capacity is only at 3350mAh, which is below-average for something that packs so much power.

All this info may not even matter to most consumers. Unless you reside in China or have access to reliable online retailers, chances are slim that you’ll see this outside of its homeland.

Before the NEX Dual Display from Vivo, ZTE already launched their own dual display smartphone last October. The Nubia X is pretty neat and it’s one of the better-looking phones in the market. Two reasons: It doesn’t have an unsightly notch and it has an extra display on its back which can either be useful or for showing off.

One of the initial questions we have when we see a new design approach is: How good is its build quality? Thankfully, Zack of the JerryRigEverything channel on YouTube can answer the question for us.

If you haven’t seen any of Zack’s videos before, you’ll either have a satisfying or stressful feeling..

As always, the scratch test was done first. Like with other flagship phones with tempered glass, the Nubia X’s body (both front and back) scratched at a level 6 on the Mohs hardness scale.

The flame test came next and it got interesting in this part. The main display of the Nubia X is an LCD panel, so after it was exposed to an open flame, the pixels were able to recover slowly. The rear AMOLED panel, on the other hand, exhibited a different behavior. The rear display’s pixels went white and never recovered.

Finally, the bend test was painful to watch as always. Spoiler alert: the Nubia X survived.

Here’s the full video for your pleasure:

SEE ALSO: More countries consider banning Huawei and ZTE

The wait will soon be over for excited Xiaomi fans, the Mi Mix 3 will finally be available globally. Thanks to the growing Filipino fan base, one of the first markets to have Xiaomi’s lastest Mi Mix phone is the Philippines.

The all-screen magnetic-sliding Mi Mix 3 is going to be available locally on December 21. The only variant that’ll be sold is the 6GB+128GB model and it’s priced at PhP 29,990 (US$ 565). It’ll come in Sapphire Blue, Emerald Green, and Onyx Black.

Fans who would like to get ahead of the crowd can pre-order starting December 19 on Lazada and Mi Authorized Stores. As a treat, the first 100 customers to pre-order online through Lazada will receive PhP 1,000 worth of discount vouchers.

Those who prefer to visit a nearby Mi Authorized Store on the first day of pre-order will get eco-products and shirts. The first 20 customers to pre-order in stores will get earphones, while the rest will receive power banks. Customers who will pre-order on the second day will get Mi Casual Daypacks.

If you’re still unsure about the Mi Mix 3, we already have a review up or you may also watch our hands-on video:

The article has been updated to reflect changes in pre-order details.

SEE ALSO: Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 review: Xiaomi got everything right, almost