A custom-built Nubia Z70 Ultra transforms into a desktop PC with surprising stability.

Imagine having a powerful desktop PC in the palm of your hand. Sounds like science fiction, right? But a recent experiment by Reddit user ntsow has turned an Android phone into a surprisingly capable desktop replacement.

The Experiment

A custom-built acrylic case houses the Nubia Z70 Ultra's main hardware between two full-size CPU coolers, creating a thermal powerhouse. The original display is moved to the front of the case, while the coolers are in direct contact with the shielding over the Snapdragon chip.

The result? A phone that can run demanding workloads and games with surprising stability. In 3DMark Wild Life Extreme stress tests, the modified Nubia Z70 Ultra scored an impressive 6,980 on its best loop and 6,910 on its lowest, with 99% stability over 20 loops.

But that's not all - the phone also runs a full XFCE Linux desktop via Termux with GPU acceleration, enabling it to work with an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Tools like Wine, Box64, and GameNative can even make the setup run Windows software and games.

The Witcher 3 and Beyond

But what about gaming? The Nubia Z70 Ultra reportedly manages around 20-30 frames per second at 1920 x 1080 with the Ultra preset, with the GPU hitting about 99% utilization. In some scenes, it can even push a little over 30fps.

However, there is a drawback to the performance - temperatures near 100 degrees Celsius have been recorded in Nubia's Diablo Mode, which pushes the hardware to its maximum power and allows overclocking.

Despite this, the experiment shows just how powerful modern phone hardware can be when thermal limits are aggressively removed. The creator is still working on the software and intends to push the setup further, possibly turning one Android phone into an all-in-one machine for Android, Linux, and Windows workloads.