It is a robust toad with paratoid glands twice as long as they are wide and no tympani, a fact which distinguishes it from the otherwise similar Nectophrynoides viviparus.

The back is a dappled grey colour, smooth and covered with small warts.

[3][4] The single specimen of Nectophrynoides laevis was found in the Uluguru Mountains in eastern Tanzania.

This area is tropical, forest-clad and mountainous but the exact habitat in which it was found is unknown but is likely to be at an altitude of at least 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above sea level.

However, other members of its genus are ovoviviparous, with small toads developing from eggs retained inside the female's body, and it is probable that it also produces live young in this way.