Nubia V80 Design: ZTE’s Budget iPhone Lookalike Price Increased AGAIN!!!

Currently, ZTE has a fairly wide smartphone lineup in Nepal. Ranging from budget all the way to the flagship segment. But with price hikes affecting almost every smartphone brand in Nepal, ZTE couldn’t avoid them either. Both phones in its budget lineup, the V80 Max and V80 Design, have now received a second price hike. But here, we’ll primarily be talking about the V80 Design.

Positioned as the successor to last year’s V70 Design, the V80 Design brings a handful of upgrades across design, performance, and software. So, let’s take a closer look at what this new iteration brings to the table.

The V70 Design was a decent phone overall, but ZTE didn’t quite nail the pricing. And in the highly competitive Rs. 20,000 segment back in 2025, that misstep made it tough for the V70 Design to stand out.

Now, ZTE has a chance to redeem itself. While the Nubia V80 Design does come with a slight price bump and the price hike it received does not help, it still delivers better specs across the board compared to its predecessor.

With this new pricing, the big question is, can the V80 Design rise to the top against the competition? So, let’s dive in and see how the Nubia V80 Design actually stacks up.

ZTE Nubia V80 Design Overview

Starting with the design, ZTE smartphones have always drawn a lot of inspiration from flagship models. We saw that clearly with the Nubia A36, which almost mirrored the iPhone 17 Pro series.

Now, the Nubia V80 Design pushes that resemblance even further. The camera plateau at the top looks nearly identical, right down to the flash placement on the top-right, just like the iPhone. And this time, ZTE has thrown in an IP64 dust and water resistance rating.

Considering last year’s V70 Design looked like an iPhone 16 Pro remix, it’s no surprise the V80 Design follows the updated iPhone aesthetics too. But being a budget device, the build is all plastic: plastic frame, plastic back, the whole package.

The camera module may scream iPhone, but the actual hardware is very much budget-tier. Even though you get a triple-camera layout, only two lenses are functional, and if you ignore the 2MP depth sensor, it’s basically just a single 50MP shooter that ZTE markets as an “AI Camera.”

ALSO READ: ZTE Mobile Price in Nepal (July 2026 Updated)

Up front, the phone sports a 6.75-inch LCD display with a 900 × 1940 resolution running at 120Hz. It’s not technically Full HD, but for everyday use, it should get the job done. There’s also a punch-hole cutout housing a 16MP selfie camera.

Under the hood, ZTE has upgraded to the UNISOC T7280 chip. It’s nowhere near the top-notch performance at this price range, but it’s still a step up from last year’s V70 Design. The phone comes with 8GB RAM and 128/256GB storage, plus a microSD card slot for expansion, though ZTE hasn’t specified the maximum capacity.

The battery remains identical to last year, with a 5,000mAh unit that charges with 22.5W fast charging. And more impressively, the phone also supports bypass charging, which allows the phone to run directly from the charger, reducing heat and extending battery life.

Software-wise, ZTE finally did the right thing. Last year’s V70 Design launched with Android 14 when Android 15 was already out. But this time, the V80 Design ships with Android 16 out of the box, running MyOS 16 skin on top.

ALSO READ: Best Phones Under 30000 in Nepal (July 2026 Updated)

The V80 Design brings upgrades like a 120Hz LCD panel and an improved processor, making it a step up from the V70 Design.

However, the Rs. 3,000 price increase plus the Rs. 2,500 price bump puts it against higher-priced competitors like the HMD Crest Max, where you get an OLED display, and the Samsung Galaxy A07, where you get excellent 6 years of OS upgrades.

So at its current price, the Nubia V80 Design faces much tougher competition, and buyers may want to weigh these alternatives before making a decision.

What are your thoughts on the ZTE Nubia V80 Design? Let us know in the comments below!