After its launch in October, the first smartphone running on top of Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite has just launched in the United States, it’s just not on a device that anyone expected. It also happens to be the first with Android 15 out of the box.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is Qualcomm’s latest chip, and also a pretty significant upgrade on paper. Early tests have also revealed that it brings considerably better battery life. However, the devices that have launched so far with the chip have only been available in China and certain international markets. No devices have gone on sale in the US with the new chip.
That’s finally changed, as the first Snapdragon 8 Elite phone is now on sale in the US.
The Nubia Z70 Ultra is the first US device with Snapdragon 8 Elite, bringing Qualcomm’s latest to the United States. The device, as highlighted by Android Authority, pairs Snapdragon 8 Elite with up to 1TB of storage, up to 24GB of RAM, a 6,150 mAh battery with 80W charging, and a 6.85-inch display.
Technically, the Asus ROG Phone 9 was announced for the US first with Snapdragon 8 Elite, but sales have yet to actually open up.
Top comment by Arthur
Something to keep in mind with ZTE's phones offered in the international site which ships to the US is that not all GSM carrier bands are supported/onboard so you're not gonna get full cell support.
This also applies to their Redmagic phones including the Redmagic Pro 10 that will be releasing in a few weeks.
I really love the unique design of this but GSM Arena's review of it showed it's actually in certain areas like battery life than last year's model which breaks the trend of the SD Elite 8 phones getting excellent battery life which only means ZTE's software is the cause so hopefully it's something they can fix.
Beyond that, this is also the first device to run Android 15 out of the box in the US, as Google’s Pixel 9 series launched with Android 14 – though newly sold devices may be running Android 15 out of the box at this point. Other recent devices that have launched with Android 15 are not sold in the US, with the first major release expected to come with the update is the OnePlus 13, but there’s no release date in sight for that just yet.
Nubia Z70 Ultra is available now through the company’s website starting at $829 for the 16GB/512GB variant. Color variants include black, “yellow,” and “Starry Night,” a design that pays homage to the Van Gogh painting of the same name. There’s a $50 discount available with the coupon “SAVE50” at checkout.
Shipping starts on December 5.
More on Android 15:
- OnePlus Open is now getting Android 15, but only in one region
- Samsung delays Android 15 beta again as timeline for these Galaxy devices leaks
- Motorola confirms Android 15 updates for several more phones
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