People try out Nubia's latest handsets at the launching ceremony of the Nubia Z11 in Beijing on June 28, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

As the smartphone maker signed Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as its global ambassador last month, Z11 also offered a limited edition with the Real Madrid star's signature on the back.

In December, Nubia secured 1.93 billion yuan in investment from an investment arm of Suning Commerce Group, one of China's largest electronics retailers.

According to consulting company International Data Corporation (IDC), the growth rate of the smartphone market will continually suffer a slowdown in 2016. IDC estimated that global shipping volume will reach 1.48 billion units, up 3.1 percent. That's lower than the same figures achieved in the past two years, 10.5 percent and 27.8 percent, respectively.