Unihertz Luna in the test: Nothing Phone clone with night vision camera for 280 euros

The design of the Unihertz Luna is anything but ordinary. The angular mobile phone offers a transparent back with integrated RGB lighting. The back under the transparent surface is available to buyers in either white or black. The Luna is visually very reminiscent of the hyped Nothing Phone (test report) from the previous year.

However, the LEDs on the Luna light up in six different colors (RGB) or in white. For example, the lights turn on when a call or notification comes in. In the settings you can also specify whether the lights should flash to match the music, and an ambient mode is also available. The LEDs then flash to match the ambient lighting. If desired, you can limit yourself to one of six colors or choose an alternating pattern. The front camera is in the upper left corner in a subtle punch-hole notch.

Visually, the Unihertz Luna is guaranteed to be an eye-catcher. However, the smartphone is quite bulky and thick (dimensions: 168 × 76.8 × 10.4 mm). It weighs almost 300 g – which we are more familiar with from outdoor cell phones (top list). This makes it significantly heavier than other ordinary smartphones in this size format. The Nothing Phone weighs around 100 g less. A chrome-plated metal frame runs around the cell phone, which ends orthogonally with the back and display. Two antenna joints are embedded in each case. The workmanship of the angular case is high-quality and solid. However, you cannot expect reliable protection against liquids or falls from the Luna. After all, the manufacturer includes a transparent protective cover made of silicone. There is no IP certification.

The back doesn’t really reveal anything about the inner workings. Indented and rounded elements are more for visual embellishment. The LED lights are located in a central ring around the logo. Below and above and around the triple camera there are other rounded light strips. The camera is embedded in chromed metal and protrudes slightly at the top left. It offers three lenses of the same size. The flat power button with a fingerprint scanner and the volume rocker are on the right. On the left are two more programmable buttons. All buttons offer a solid pressure point.

The technology of the display is rather conventional. The LCD with IPS panel measures 6.81 inches diagonally. The image quality is convincing. The colors are pronounced but still natural, and the viewing angles are extremely stable. Thanks to a resolution of 2400 × 1080 pixels (Full HD+), the image is sufficiently sharp, which is reflected in the pixel density of 386 ppi (pixels per inch).

The contrasts are also well balanced, but the LCD cannot quite keep up with the OLEDs of other smartphones in terms of black values ​​for technical reasons. The only real downside is the really weak brightness. The display never manages more than 460 cd/m² in our measurements. The screen can only be seen with difficulty in sunshine. The low refresh rate of 60 Hertz seems a bit old-fashioned for the price.

The Unihertz Luna offers an interesting and unusual camera configuration. The main lens offers a proud 108 megapixels. There is also an infrared camera with night vision with 20 megapixels – a feature that we are more familiar with from outdoor cell phones such as the AGM H5 Pro (test report). In addition, there is a poor macro lens with 2 megapixels – which it does not really need. A lens with a generous 32 megapixels is used for selfies.

Purely in terms of numbers, this is a strong equipment. But how does it look in practice? The main camera offers great photos with sufficient image details and high image sharpness in daylight. Despite the 108 megapixels, digital zoom shots tend to be noisy. Colors look strong, but the dynamic range could be more pronounced, which is particularly evident in difficult lighting conditions with strong changes in brightness. The autofocus reacts a bit sluggishly and the photos are less useful in the dark.

There is room for improvement with the software, so you won’t find the settings right away. There are no preset modes for the zoom, you have to pinch-to-zoom the subject, but you don’t know immediately how strong the zoom is. We don’t expect too much from a macro lens with 2 megapixels, but the pictures are mostly okay. The infrared mode for night shots is really exciting. It even works in a pitch-dark basement. Here, however, the zoom takes quite a long time. Anyone who wants to use it to capture animals at night, for example, faces a challenge.

Selfies are sharp enough. However, we could not find a portrait mode in the camera app. The video recordings are really only mediocre. Here you notice the mobile phone’s lack of an optical image stabilizer.

A Mediatek MT6789 Helio G99 takes care of the digital propulsion in the Luna. This offers a solid and sufficient performance. The smartphone doesn’t turn into a rocket, the system runs in everyday life without stuttering or major delays. The lush 8 GB of RAM also contribute to this. The device achieves a solid 9200 points in the PCmark benchmark. The performance is sufficient for casual games, less so for titles with complex 3D graphics. In “Wild Life” from 3Dmark we get about 1200 points. For comparison: gaming smartphones achieve at least 6000 points in the test.

There is enough memory with 256 GB. UFS 2.2 is used, not the very fastest version. An expansion using a microSD card is not possible. The USB-C connection is typical for the price range. It only supports USB 2.0. Bluetooth 5.3 is available for wireless end devices, and the cell phone surfs through home networks rather leisurely with Wifi 5 – also not unusual in this class. However, we sorely miss 5G.

The fingerprint sensor works quickly and reliably, and the two programmable buttons are certainly practical. Up to three functions can even be assigned per button (for a short, long or double press). We have good news for fans of wired headphones: there is a 3.5 mm jack socket. In conjunction with a headphone cable, you can also use the integrated FM radio. If desired, you can specify in the settings that the LEDs on the back flicker in addition to notifications with music to match the beat. However, we would not recommend using the mono speaker, which does not offer a good sound.

The operating system is Android 12. Unihertz is reluctant to make any major adjustments, so you will find a practically unchanged Android. Only the submenus for setting the LED lighting and the two programmable buttons are new. You are also spared from bloatware. Less nice: The security patch is from December 2022. Regular updates, as you are used to from Nokia, Samsung and now also Xiaomi, should not be expected with this model.

A powerful battery with 5000 mAh is used. This offers enough energy reserves for the smartphone to last up to two days – depending on use. According to PCmark’s battery test, we got just under 12 hours. This puts the smartphone in the top third of our tests. The mobile phone is charged with 18 watts, a power pack is included. It takes about 45 minutes to go from 20 to 100 percent. The Luna does not support wireless charging.

Unihertz is currently charging for the Luna 280 Euro via Amazon. The mobile phone is available in white or black. Delivered from European stocks.