It’s safe to say that Huawei’s dominating the mid-range market in Sri Lanka. The Nova 5T is great, but it’s not their most popular phone. Why don’t we give it the attention it deserves?
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If you’re looking for a phone that’s a show stopper, the Nova 5T is right up your alley. It not only comes with a gradient but also a monogram effect.
You can get it in black, blue, purple and green. You don’t usually get phones in purple and green, which is why they’re one of our favourites.
The Nova device isn’t built that well. Although it comes with a glass back and aluminum frame, the glass is the regular strengthened type. Considering its price, we don’t know why Gorilla Glass wasn’t used.
Unfortunately, the rear is a major fingerprint magnet.
Did we mention that the handset is huge? If you have smaller hands, you won’t like to hear that it’s 6.26-inches. You’d like to hear this, though - it is as thin as the Samsung S10. Its dimensions are 154.3 x 74 x 7.8 mm.
Overall, the device is comfortable to hold. It’s ergonomic as it has smooth edges. Its buttons are easy to reach too.
As we’ve established, it isn’t cheap. More premium phones come with fingerprint sensors usually on their displays. Huawei decided to add the 5T’s on its side. Its power button hosts the sensor which at least makes it convenient to reach.
Looking at its sides, you won’t see a MicroSD slot. This is pretty unfortunate. However, there is a presence of a headphone jack. We’re also glad to see a USB-C port.
As the phone rocks a 6.26-inch display, you get an immersive viewing experience. It comes with very little bezel action, leading to an 84.2% screen-to-body ratio.
All notch-hates rejoice, there’s a punch-hole on it.
Its display is sharp but not the sharpest. It’s only 1080 x 2340 pixels.
The handset isn’t the most vivid. You’re met with an IPS LCD screen. This is unfortunate as an AMOLED is more than possible for its price.
Out of the box, the Nova 5T comes with a pre-installed screen protector. We feel spoilt, but we also know that without it, the phone would easily break. It doesn’t come with Gorilla glass but a regular glass front.
Battery-wise, a 3750 mAh battery is by your side. You’d expect it to not last long, but the Nova device surprises you. It can last well over a day. Its processor and not-so-powerful screen are responsible for this.
Although it can last over a day, you can extend it longer with its battery modes.
Its charging capabilities are appreciated. The 5T comes with a 22.5 W fast charger that takes it around an hour to fully charge.
Similar to how phones of its price come with AMOLED screens, many of them rock reverse and wireless charging. Sadly, the Nova 5T is not one of them.
So far, it has pretty good specs. This is true for its processor too. You have the Kirin 980 chip. It’s snappy. Gaming with the mid-ranger is a breeze, you’ll never worry about lag again.
In terms of its memory variants, there isn’t a wide selection to choose from. You can get the phone with 128 GBs of space along with 6 or 8 gigs of RAM. 128 GBs should be enough for you. If it isn’t, we hate to remind you that you can’t expand its storage.
You’re getting Android 9 out of the box. The Android 10 update is at your disposal. The EMUI 11 OS is customizable, but it does have a bloatware problem. You’re also not getting an app drawer which may be iffy.
We’re major fans of handsets with multiple sensors. The Huawei device has 4 on its rear. The primary one is a 48 MP wide lens, the secondary one is a 16 MP ultrawide lens, the tertiary one is a 2 MP macro lens and the fourth sensor is a 2 MP depth sensor. Shots are bright and capture a lot of detail. However, we believe the camera works its best when taking pictures of scenery.
When it comes to low-light shots, overexposure is a real issue. Thankfully, a little meddling in the camera’s settings will take care of it.
We’re not too happy about the phone’s AI. It makes pictures look way too unnatural.
Its front camera is quite good. There is a 32 MP wide lens for you to play with. In low light, it works similarly to its primary counterpart.
Let’s see how well the 5T fares against alternatives.
If you thought the 5T was huge, wait till you see the F15. The device is a mammoth 6.4 inches. It’s unfortunately not built very well; it comes with a plastic body. Thankfully, it fits comfortably in your hands.
It weighs slightly less than its Huawei counterpart. We would’ve loved it if it had more weight to it. It would feel more expensive.
It comes with a superior display. It’s AMOLED, so the colours pop. Like the 5T, it barely comes with any bezel. Its screen to body ratio is better. The screen resolution is better as well - you’re getting a display that is 1080 x 2400 pixels.
The F15’s screen is very durable. Although you’re not met with Gorilla Glass on its back, you’re getting it in its front.
What’s inside it? The Mediatek Helio P70 chip. Compared to the 5T’s Kirin 980 processor, it sadly gets left in the dust.
You’re probably wondering what version of Android runs. It’s Android 9 out of the box. This isn’t surprising that the phone’s getting the Android 10 update.
So far so good, but know that its memory variants aren’t the most extensive. You only get one option; it comes with 128 GB of space and 8 gigs of RAM. Unlike the 5T, we’re glad to say you get a MicroSD slot.
Battery-wise, the F15 eats the Nova 5T up. It’s 4025 mAh, letting it last over a day. In a flash, your phone will go from 0-100%. Its 20 W charger only takes around an hour to fully charge.
We love a quad camera. The one on the Oppo device rocks a 48 MP primary sensor, an 8 MP ultrawide secondary sensor, 2 MP tertiary B/W sensor, and a fourth 2 MP depth sensor. Front camera-wise, you’re in good hands. The phone comes with a massive 16 MP shooter.
The Mi Note 10 Lite is much heavier than its Nova counterpart. This makes it feel more premium. The fact that it has a Gorilla Glass 5 rear helps. It’s bigger than its counterpart too – you’re getting a 6.47-inch screen.
Speaking of its screen, an impressive 87.8% screen-to-body ratio is available. The handset has an AMOLED front, so it packs a serious punch. When it comes to screen resolution, its display is as sharp as the 5T’s.
Not only is Gorilla Glass 5 on its back, but it’s also on its display. The phone is HDR10 rated. This means it can produce all kinds of colour.
Out of the box, you’ll be running Android 10. The processor inside it is the Snapdragon 730G. The Kirin 980 out beats it any day of the week.
You won’t be happy to know that you don’t get expandable storage. The storage options it comes with aren’t too bad, though – it offers 64 and 128 GB of space, along with 6 and 8 GB of RAM.
Battery-wise, there is a massive processor in place. It’s 5260 mAh and can easily last two days. Its 30 W fast charging lets it fully charge in around an hour. We’re impressed by its battery, but we would’ve loved to see wireless charging.
What about its camera capabilities? Well, there’s an incredible 4 sensor set-up on its rear. There is a 64 MP primary wide sensor, an 8 MP secondary ultra-wide sensor, a tertiary 2 MP macro sensor, and a quad 5 MP depth sensor. Its front camera isn’t too bad – there is a 16 MP wide sensor present.
Size matters, which is why we love the A51. It’s 6.5 inches and rocks a screen that packs a punch. For starters, it’s Super AMOLED. You’re getting an impressive screen to body ratio too. How does 87.4% sound?
Its screen is sharp. You’re met with a 1080 x 2400-pixel screen resolution, similar to the Oppo F15.
Gorilla Glass 3 is on its display. It’s more durable than the 5T’s front.
Can we talk about its processor? We found it incredibly snappy, but it doesn’t perform as well as the Nova 5T’s. The Exynos 9611 is in place.
You don’t have to worry about getting the Android 10 update, as the A51 already runs it out of the box.
You can choose from an impressive range of memory variants. 64 and 128 GBs of storage space are by your side, along with 4, 6, and 8 GB of RAM. Onto the big question, is its storage expandable? The answer is yes.
Its battery is bigger than the Nova 5T’s – it is 4000 mAh. It can last about a day. 15 W fast charging is available. The handset takes around two hours to fully charge.
In terms of its camera, a 4-sensor set-up is on its rear. The primary sensor is a 48 MP wide lens, the secondary sensor is a 12 MP ultra-wide lens, the tertiary sensor is a 5 MP macro lens and the fourth sensor is a 5 MP depth sensor. There is a pretty big 32 MP shooter on its front.
The Nova 5T is a mid-ranger that comes with an amazing processor. Its camera is good, but the display is lacking. Its build looks eye-catching – especially its green variant, but we would’ve loved it if there was Gorilla Glass. Overall, we think it’s worth the purchase.
Hopefully, you enjoyed our review! If you’d like to find out more about Huawei mid-rangers, do check out our Facebook page.
