The Nova 3i is a stunner. Although the phone came out a couple of years ago, its looks and features make it a device fit for life in 2020. So, how great is it? Why don’t you read ahead to figure this out?
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The phone looks stunning. It comes in a range of colours, but you’ll probably be interested in the blue. After all, it’s at the forefront of the 3i’s campaigns.
The phone comes with a dainty gradient effect that isn’t too tacky. This is something we appreciate as some phones have unbearably gaudy backs.
It rocks a glass front and back. As it has a glass body, you may be wondering about smudging. The thing is, it’s prevalent. There is a oleophobic layer on the rear, but it’s not that effective.
The Nova 3i comes in a range of colours so depending on the colour you choose, you may be able to hide your fingerprints.
It has 3 cameras on the left of its back, with its fingerprint sensor in the middle. The sensor is pretty easy to reach. This is great considering the phone has a massive screen.
We do have a complaint though:
The camera has a bump. You could get rid of it with a case, but some of us like wearing our phones naked, so what gives?
As mentioned, the phone has a pretty big screen. It comes in at 6.3 inches which is great and all, but what’s not great is its quality. You’ll see cheaper devices coming with Super AMOLED panels, like the Samsung J7. Unfortunately, the nova 3i has an LCD screen. Thankfully, it’s Full HD+ so colors still pop.
As the screen is so big, its screen to body ratio is adequate at 82.3%.
You might not be a fan of its notch. It’s eerily similar to the iPhone X and honestly, it doesn’t look that great. The notch can be disabled with a little meddling in the phone’s settings.
With the notch, the phone gets a weird aspect ratio. It gives the screen a ratio of 19:9 which many aren’t fans of.
Just so you know:
It has an edge-to-edge display which wraps the display around its frame. This allows for a superb viewing experience. That being said, this feature would’ve been more noteworthy if the 3i came with a Super AMOLED panel.
To be honest, its battery isn’t the best. It’s 3340 mAh which lets it last about a day with moderate use. If you’re a gamer, this is not okay. Also, the 3i is known to drain fast during extensive gameplays. That being said, its GPU Turbo tries its best to optimize the battery, but it doesn’t work as well as it should.
The battery is non removable, which is fine as most phones these days are like this. But what’s not okay is the device’s charging capabilities. Huawei’s Super Charge isn’t in the 3i which is disappointing. It comes with a 10 W micro USB charger. So, it can go from 0-100% in a little over 2 hours.
If you want to experience Android 10, I got some bad news for you. The Nova 3i isn’t getting the update. So, you’ll be stuck with Android Pie.
For a lot of you, including myself, this would be a deal breaker. Thankfully, the specs of the 3i aren’t too bad.
It comes with the Kirin 710 octa core chip. The Kirin 710 is Huawei’s mid range chip set. It performs well but it’s no where near its Snapdragon counterparts.
Performance wise, you can game pretty hard with the phone, but it heats up fast. And when you play more extensive games, the device stutters.
The GPU Turbo tries to smooth things out (like it does with battery drainage), but it’s not a god-send.
The 3i has a lot of storage space. It comes with 128 GB of space, with either 4 or 6 gigs of RAM. This means enough and more things can be stored on your phone.
Now:
We have to talk about the software the phone runs. It comes with EMUI 8.2 which is one of the most customizable operating systems out there.
You’ll go crazy over the number of camera modes the 3i has. Personally, I’m a fan of its AR capabilities. It comes with more fun things like Qmoji which brings your creative side out.
The camera itself has a 16 MP f/2.2 sensor along with a 2 MP monochrome one. This allows for some detailed shots but as its specs show, it’s not the most detailed out there.
You get optimized shooting with the 3i. According to Huawei, the camera has been "driven by learning over 100 million images" through artificial intelligence. This helps you optimize shots as it recognizes a range of things, including 500+ scenes.
In terms of its front camera, it’s nothing too special.
So, what do you think? It’s clear that the Nova 3i is a pretty great phone, especially if you consider its price. However, you might not be satisfied- you want to see some alternatives. This can be arranged as we’ll be running through them below, so let’s get to it.
The 3i is the successor to the 2i, which is why the 2i is a good alternative. The phone comes with a smaller screen at 5.8 inches. Although smaller, know that the phones are about the same height as the 2i has some major bezels.
Both phones are FHD+ which is great but unfortunately, none of them are AMOLED. Instead, you’ll see a LCD screen in the two.
In fact, they both share the same pixel density at 409 ppi.
The bodies are similar, but on 2 different sides of the same spectrum. The 2i is a full metal phone while the 3i is a full glass device. Because of this, the 2i feels more premium.
The Kirin 659 is in the 2i which makes the 3i the faster phone.
They both share a 3340 mAh battery, if you’re wondering.
The phone has a glass body like the 3i. If you didn’t know any better, you’d confuse the two devices. They both have cameras on the side with a fingerprint sensor right in the middle. The only difference is that the colour choices for the Nova 4 are improved and most importantly, glossier.
If you were a fan of the 3i’s camera bump, you’ll have a field day with the Nova 4. Its bump is noticeably bigger.
The Nova 4 comes with a notch but it’s not as obnoxious. It’s a punch hole on the side of the screen. Speaking of the screen, it’s large. It’s 0.1 inches larger than the 3i’s. Unfortunately, both screens are LCD and FHD+.
The device comes with the same 19:9 aspect ratio. However, it has a better screen to bodyratio, it’s 86%.
It comes with the Kirin 970 which is much, much faster than the Nova 3i’s chipset. The phone comes with 6 or 8 gigs of RAM, while the 3i only comes with 4 and 6.
The Note 8 has a glass front and back. The glass is Gorilla Glass 5, which is pretty durable. Although the phone has a plastic frame, it’s pretty heavy at around a 190 g. This gives it a premium heft.
Its screen is 6.3 inches which isn’t bad. Like the Nova 3i, it’s IPS LCD. It has a screen to body ratio of 81.7%. This isn’t as good as the 3i’s, but not by much.
The device comes with the Snapdragon 665 processor. Depending on the version you buy, you’ll either get 3 or 6 gigs of RAM.
Out of the box, it comes with Android 9. No, it won’t be getting the Android 10 update.
Its back has an effect too. Moreover, the Note 8 has 4 cameras on its rear, letting it take better pictures.
Lastly:
With the Redmi Note 8 by your side, you’ll get a better battery as it has a 4000 mAh one.
So, what’s the verdict? Well, we think you should buy the Nova 3i.
Firstly, it comes with a pretty decent screen. It’s large and has a good screen to body ratio, so you can enjoy watching stuff on it. Of course, it’s FHD+ which means the colours are quite nice. The fact that it doesn’t come with an AMOLED panel is disappointing though, but we’re adapting.
The Nova 3i comes with enough and more storage. The 128 GBs and 4/6 GB of RAM is enough and more, so the sky is the limit when it comes to downloading movies. The fact that the phone is on the cheaper side and comes with such a huge storage capacity is appreciated too.
You’ll have the time of your life fiddling with its camera. There’s a multitude of modes, so go to town. Also, the 3 cameras on the back take pretty detailed shots.
Don’t forget that the phone looks stunning. Its The gradient is sleek, chic and most importantly, not gaudy.
Of course, there are a couple of downfalls to the 3i. You can’t forget that its battery is just adequate. What’s more, its processor isn’t as powerful as its Snapdragon counterparts.
