Overview of smartphones Huawei nova 5 and nova 5i

Today, the world market has fully understood the concept of globalization and cannot normally exist under sanctions. And there are many examples of this, the latest of which is the tension between the US and China, which has led to serious consequences for well-known manufacturers in many industries. However, while Google threatens to completely block access to the Android operating system for Chinese smartphones, Huawei engineers are working hard to create their own OS (almost all the giants of the Chinese industry help them in this) and are developing two quite interesting smartphones Huawei nova 5 and nova 5i. Everything is known about the quality of the brand's products - these are good mid-range and budget-class smartphones that have very good characteristics, interesting design solutions and useful developments, and it seems that nothing has changed in this matter. Yes, and the places taken in the annual tops and selections only confirm that the company is all right with the products, but only time will tell how it will be with politics.

However, even those who do not put life without the popular OS can be calm - according to preliminary information, both new items will receive the ninth version of Android. However, it's no secret that the next update can never wait if the situation does not improve. But the devices themselves are definitely worth the attention of buyers, and a review of Huawei nova 5 and nova 5i smartphones will help users not only understand the main advantages and disadvantages of the models, but also thoroughly understand the characteristics of the devices.

Unofficial but true

As you know, electronics manufacturers are not too fond of declassifying the appearance and parameters of their products in advance, doing this only in extreme cases (or in order to attract attention). But, fortunately for netizens, all companies hold exhibitions and are obliged to at least show their offspring to the public. It was at one of these events that an insider from India, Mukul Sharma, managed to take some interesting shots. And it is on the basis of these pictures, as well as previously published information, that one can judge the design of devices.

It should be said right away that both phones (both nova 5 and 5i) are similar in many respects, which is why the review will be made in a comparison format.You can get acquainted with the "dry facts" below (for convenience, the characteristics of the devices are listed in one table). But for complete information, you will have to study the entire article.

nova 5 design

What can be said about Huawei products? It is recognizable and popular, and therefore the company's engineers decided not to change anything and leave the "standard" design, which is why netizens have already dubbed the new items "typical Huawei smartphones." But, as it turned out, everything is not as simple as it seems.

Fans of the Chinese brand have probably seen nova 5 photos more than once on the pages of quite reputable Internet resources. On them, the “five” is depicted in a variety of colors and with a cutout for the front camera on the left.In practice, the model is likely to be made in two colors - black and blue (but green, purple and red are also possible - at least many insiders are convinced of this), and the cutout for the camera will be teardrop-shaped and located in the center. The device itself will turn out to be quite overall (the diagonal will be 6.39 inches), but at the same time, the frames, as well as the “chin” and “eyebrow”, will be quite narrow, as in previous models (or as they are commonly called “frameless”). The volume rockers are likely to be located on the right side, along with the power button. The mini-jack headphone jack will not disappear anywhere either, although now it has been placed on the lower end on the right, next to the USB connector and the speaker (single).

Almost nothing is known about the design of the back of the smartphone, except that in the lower left corner, according to tradition, there will be a vertical inscription “huawei”. It is also clear that there will be no fingerprint scanner on the back, since it will be on-screen. This solution will surely appeal to fans of popular trends.

Analyzing the latest rumors and protective cases for the gadget posted online on the popular Suning trading platform in China, we can assume that the camera will be located in the upper left corner and will include four sensors.

However, for those who are interested in buying a novelty (which promises to become the flagship Huawei model in 2019), there is good news.So, the premiere of the "five" in the world will take place very soon - towards the end of June (presumably on the 21st), and you can follow updates and news not only on the official website, but also on Twitter Mukul Sharma (an insider who posted the main information on the "hardware" of the smartphone), which will probably be able to please its subscribers with regular photos and news.

In other aspects of the design, there is no exact information, and we can only wait for the release. I also want to destroy all the rumors about the name of the model (on the Internet, information about a variety of console options often flashed) - the officially registered name of the flagship in China is nova 5, but in a number of countries it can be changed to nova 5 Pro.

nova 5i design

Despite the fact that the younger "five" is considered as a middle peasant, this did not affect the visual differences too much. The body itself will be in many ways similar to the flagship (and even have almost the same dimensions with a diagonal of 6.4 inches). The differences will creep into the little things, such as the fingerprint scanner located on the rear panel, the volume rockers and the shutdown button, made on the same edge on the right, as well as the selfie camera embedded in the screen and located in the left corner. Otherwise, starting from the appearance of the main cameras and ending with the “huawei” inscription, the smartphones are identical.

It should be noted that better photos of the nova 5i than the older brother were leaked to the network, which allows us to conclude about the color of the device - this will be a really stylish and interesting solution, familiar to all fans of the brand.

nova 5 cameras

Without a good camera, the road to the top of the best models is closed for a modern flagship.That is why the company's engineers equipped the "nova" with a really good set that can please the most demanding users.

It is reliably known that there will be four main modules. And one of them will most likely be a 48-megapixel photo machine (another one will supposedly have a resolution of 12 megapixels). Yes, trends take their toll, and now almost every new product is equipped with a similar sensor. However, not always big numbers speak about quality. After all, even if you equip the phone with an excellent module, you should not forget that optics or aperture play an equally important role (the throughput indicators of which many undeservedly ignore, and this directly envy how the device takes pictures at night, not to mention normal conditions).

However, there are no reasons for frustration yet, and even vice versa: in the arsenal of Huawei there is only one sensor, which was used as an independent camera with a resolution of 48 megapixels. And this module was previously used only in Honor 20 and 20 Pro, so the company may well use them, because they have proven themselves from the best side.

With such a camera, the device can easily shoot video in 2160p at 30fps, as well as 1080p at 30fps. It also reports support for the Super Night Shot mode for night shooting, which will significantly improve video quality in twilight and poorly lit places.

As for the selfie camera, everything here is also at the highest level - 25 MP in 2019 is an excellent result. Presumably there will be support for HDR, and you can record video in 1080p quality at 30 frames.

Unfortunately, nothing is known about the diaphragms of the sensors yet, but they will certainly correspond to the general class of devices, otherwise such characteristics simply lose their meaning.The first photos will be able to clarify the situation, and I'm glad that it won't take long to reap the first tests.

nova 5i cameras

Well, nova 5i does not claim to be the best Huawei smartphone in 2019, and therefore its capabilities are more modest. However, even this fact is not a minus of the novelty, because everything in it is balanced just perfectly.

So, one of the main modules will have a resolution of 24 megapixels, while the other two will have 8 and 2 megapixels, respectively. Nothing outstanding, but quite decent considering that the approximate price for the junior model will be around $ 290 in China and 300 euros in Europe.

It’s impossible to shoot good videos in 4K here, but in HD it’s easy (as 1080p and 30 frames per second).

But what will definitely please the owners of 5i is an excellent front camera with a resolution of 24 megapixels and support for shooting video in 1080p and 30fps.

In fact, it will be a great smartphone for fans of selfies, and photography in general, because the characteristics of the device allow you to take good quality pictures, both from the main and from the front camera.

Iron in action

It is clear that it is pointless to compare the flagship and the junior model (and it is so clear who will be better), but the results can be quite unexpected and interesting, especially for those who choose between the two devices. It should be said right away that both models are distinguished by modern components and will have good performance in benchmarks, and are suitable for active games.

nova 5 performance

If you believe insider information (which is very similar to the truth), then the Huawei flagship will receive the most advanced HiSilicon single-chip chipset to date (since Kirin 985 has not yet been used in any mobile device, it is not taken into account).That is, the device will be equipped with an eight-core Kirin 980 processor (two 2.6 GHz Cortex-A76 cores, two 1.92 GHz Cortex-A76 cores and four economical 1.8 GHz Cortex-A55 cores). It is worth further clarifying that the Kirin 980 is distinguished not only by good performance, but also by energy efficiency, which allows you to extend the smartphone’s operating time from a single charge and rationally use resources.

The new GPU Mali-G76 MP10 will also work in tandem with the processor. Much is known about this graphics accelerator, in particular, that it is up to 60% better than its predecessor in terms of GPU area and at the same time 30% more energy efficient (you can also say that the Mali-G76 MP10 supports twenty cores, but this is not relevant for this smartphone) . The advantages of the GPU should include support for all the necessary protocols of the latest versions of OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0, 3.1, 3.2, Vulkan 1.1 and OpenCL 1.1, 1.2, 2.0 Full Profile. For gamers, you can make a footnote - in the popular game PUBG Mobile, this accelerator is capable of delivering 60 fps at low graphics settings and 30-40 fps at high ones.

The RAM is also in perfect order - it is reported that there are versions with 6 and 8 GB of RAM, which is enough for all modern games and applications, and there will even be some reserve for a couple of years ahead.

Information about the new line of smartphones is being updated very actively, and a day after the article was written, new, and really interesting news appears - one of the versions of the pure “five” will receive the Kirin 810 processor. The thing is that so far this chip has not been used in any device, and there is no data about it on any thematic resource (meaning characteristics).It is only clear that the chip's technical process will be based on 7nm processors and will become the successor to the Kirin 710 (whose characteristics are four Cortex-A73 cores with a frequency of 2.2 GHz and the same number of Cortex-A53 cores with a frequency of 1.7 GHz; works in conjunction with an ARM Mali-G51 GPU MP4). It is expected that the new product will be an order of magnitude better, because the Kirin 710 demonstrates rather modest performance in benchmarks as for the flagship of 2019.

nova 5i performance

Nova 5i is expectedly inferior to its older brother in power. So, the device is equipped with a good eight-core processor Kirin 710, which is actively used in the middle class. Inside it has four cores of 2.2 GHz Cortex-A73 and the same number of 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53. The design idea of ​​the processor is similar to the 980th - there are high-frequency cores for complex computing tasks, and cores for normal mode, which can save battery power well.

The mid-budget variant Mali-G51 MP4 was chosen as the GPU, which is also a novelty on the market (announced in 2018). It is capable of producing good performance in benchmarks, for gamers a similar example is with PUBG Mobile: the frame rate is within 25-30 fps at medium settings, which is not a very good result, but quite playable.

But what is really interesting is the amount of RAM. In the younger model, versions with 8 and 6 GB of RAM are also available, which allows users to forget about poor performance and slow data archiving.

Like the flagship, nova 5i supports the latest versions of all required APIs: OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.0, OpenCL 2.0, DirectX 12 FL9_3 and Renderscript.

Information repository nova 5 and 5i

This point of comparison will be common for both smartphones, since they have practically no differences in this aspect.So the nova 5 and 5i will get 128 GB of ROM, which is found in more expensive models today (usually they give only 64 GB for this price).

With RAM, everything is also identical: there will be two versions with RAM 6/8 GB to choose from. It is worth saying that such decisions are always very smart, because not everyone needs a lot / little RAM.

The only difference between the "new" is the slot for an external memory card. So the 5i does not have the ability to increase memory by installing an SD card, but the flagship does (support SD up to 512 GB). It is worth saying that, despite the large ROM, the decision not to equip one of the models with a card slot looks rather strange.

Operating system nova 5 and 5i

Another combined item due to the full compliance of the models. As you know, a very large percentage of smartphone owners regularly update the OS and are very upset if they have to wait for the next update for months. It is worth recognizing that this was not noticed for Huawei - updates always arrived quickly or with a slight delay. However, due to the economic situation between the US and China, this tradition can be interrupted? And it will take forever to wait for the next update. However, out of the box, users will receive Android 9.0 (Pie) with a proprietary EMUI 9.1 shell, which is currently very good.

nova 5 display

If practically no one uses some functions and sensors in smartphones, then everyone evaluates the screen. No matter how good and ultra-modern the phone would be, if there is a bad matrix, all the efforts of the developers will be in vain. But here, Huawei engineers did everything right.

As befits a flagship, the new Huawei will receive an excellent AMOLED display, which came as a surprise to many.However, this is already a fact - a well-known Chinese manufacturer really decided to rely on a high-quality screen with excellent color reproduction. The resolution of the Full HD + display equal to 1080 by 2340 pixels (pixel density will be 403 ppi) will not let you down either. So the smartphone is great for watching movies thanks to a clear picture and good viewing angles (it is not yet known what will happen to the contrast, but for sure it will not be the subject of dissatisfaction).

The nova 5's live screen has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and a large 6.39-inch diagonal, ideal for watching movies and videos in high quality.

nova 5i display

The 5i indicators are an order of magnitude simpler and did not become a sensation for anyone. A good IPS LCD display with good color reproduction was chosen as a matrix (it is worth noting that the screen occupies 84.0% of the usable area). The screen resolution is also 1080 x 2310 (Full HD +), but the pixel density is already lower than 398 ppi, although this is not critical.

The screen of the “nova 5i” is fully consistent with the general class of a smartphone and is suitable for watching movies in good quality (although not with such viewing angles), since 6.4 inches diagonal should be enough for a comfortable pastime playing games or movies.

nova 5 battery

That's what users are always unhappy with is the operating time of the device from a single charge. And it cannot be said that Huawei specialists somehow approached the solution of this problem in a fundamentally new way.

The flagship received a very good 4200 mAh Li-Po battery and 44W fast charging capability. With such indicators, with normal optimization, the smartphone will definitely be able to hold out for a working day (8-10 hours) in normal use (although it is not known how much the work of such a processor “for wear” will drain the battery).Separately, fast charging with a power of 44W is pleasing - it can really quickly charge a smartphone.

nova 5i battery

Oddly enough, everything here is also very good with the battery - Li-Po at 3900 mAh is a very good indicator for the average peasant. It is important to understand here that such a device can work even longer than its older brother, since it has less energy-consuming hardware and a similar operating system.

Plus, the model is equipped with 10W fast charging (not great, but the fact that it is already excellent).

Technologies, communication standards, dimensions nova 5

There are rarely any revolutions here, but it is always a good idea to study this section before buying in order to avoid unpleasant surprises.

• Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, LTE (LTE-A), Bluetooth 5.0 (A2DP, EDR, LE, aptX HD), NFC;
• Navigation: A-GPS, BDS, GLONASS (GLONASS);
• Network and Internet: GPRS, EDGE, GSM, HSPA, HSDPA (3G), LTE (4G);
• USB: 0, Type-C 1.0, USB On-The-Go;
• SIM: Single SIM (Nano-SIM);
• Sensors: fingerprint (under the display), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass;
• Dimensions: unknown.

Among the advantages, one can single out the fifth version of bluetooth, support for Wi-Fi 5 GHz, the presence of NFC and a fingerprint scanner located under the display. The main disadvantage is slow USB 2.0.

Technologies, communication standards, dimensions nova 5i

• Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, LTE (LTE-A), Bluetooth 5.0 (A2DP, EDR, LE, aptX HD), NFC;
• Navigation: A-GPS, BDS, GLONASS (GLONASS);
• Network and Internet: GPRS, EDGE, GSM, HSPA, HSDPA (3G), LTE (4G);
• USB: 0, Type-C 1.0, USB On-The-Go;
• SIM: Single SIM (Nano-SIM);
• Sensors: fingerprint (rear), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass;
• Dimensions: 159.1 by 75.9 by 8.3 mm, weight 178 grams.

The pros and cons are similar, with the exception of the fingerprint scanner on the back.

Summing up

Now it is very difficult to give any characteristic regarding Huawei smartphones. However, if we ignore all the events and focus only on dry numbers, forgetting about possible problems, the novelties of the Chinese electronics giant are definitely worth the closest attention from buyers.

But it's probably better to start with the minuses and a couple of fly in the ointment, though forgetting about USB 2.0. It is not known what will happen to the OS of smartphones in the future, and this really scares many. At the same time, we should once again recall the brand's recognizable colors - this is undoubtedly a plus, only now users from all over the world begin to declare that they have become typical. Basically, Huawei just clones the look from device to device. Many were disappointed by the fact that the “loud” new items of 2019 are not so new - all this was already fully or partially in 3i, 4i, honor 8x, honor 10/20/30 lite (according to users, only the camera changes) .

Summing up, we can say that the company began a kind of crisis of ideas against the backdrop of global problems. However, this does not prevent the engineers of the Celestial Empire from still creating good things.

But the new fifth version also has enough useful features. Look at least at the price, which fluctuates around $300 for the 5i, and about $580 for the flagship. The price tags are really democratic, considering that the user will receive a good processor, large ROM, an excellent display, NFC, Wi-Fi 5 GHz, an excellent camera and many other useful technologies and features.

But the main thing in Huawei phones is not this, but a huge distribution network that allows you to buy a device in almost any electronics store, regular and high-quality updates of the operating system and fairly stable operation combined with reliability. And despite the fact that many of these items may be subject to serious tests and changes in the future, today it is definitely worth considering the nova series as a replacement for an outdated device. Particular attention should be paid to lovers of selfies, games and watching movies - the devices cope with these fictions perfectly.

Advantages and disadvantages of nova 5

Huawei nova 5 is an excellent option for an inexpensive flagship smartphone with a lot of useful features and the most modern stuffing. Perfect for game lovers, as it has productive hardware and a large battery, so as not to tear the gamer away from online battles.

• Modern design;
• A lot of popular chips (starting from the under-screen fingerprint scanner and ending with a drop camera);
• Powerful and energy efficient processor;
• Main and front cameras;
• Fast charging 44W;
• Gorgeous AMOLED display;
• Slot for SD memory card;
• Versions with different processors;
• Versions with different amount of RAM;
• High-speed Wi-Fi 5 GHz;
• The presence of an NFC sensor;
• The presence of a 3.5 mm mini-jack (for many, this is an important aspect);
• A capacious internal drive (it’s worth saying right away that some part of it will be occupied by the OS, and therefore it will be available 15-20 GB less than stated).

• Bored appearance;
• USB 2.0;
• Large dimensions (not suitable for everyone);
• Case quality (standard for Huawei models);
• Possible problems with updating and supporting the Android OS.

Conclusion: Flagship Huawei 2019 and that says it all.Inexpensive, powerful and functional - what else does a good smartphone need?

Advantages and disadvantages of nova 5i

Due to the similarity with the flagship, 5i has similar features and problems. However, they have a more pronounced character and are in many respects characteristic of the majority of middle peasants available on the market.

• Modern design;
• Energy efficient processor;
• The fingerprint scanner is located under the display (trend);
• Very good for selfies;
• Fast charge 10W;
• Good IPS LCD display;
• Versions with different amount of RAM;
• High-speed Wi-Fi 5 GHz;
• The presence of an NFC sensor;
• The presence of a mini-jack 3.5 mm;
• Acceptable price;
• Large internal storage.

• Bored appearance;
• USB 2.0;
• The fingerprint scanner is located at the back (this solution seems to many to be unsuccessful);
• There is no SD card slot;
• Large dimensions;
• Case quality;
• Possible problems with updating and supporting the Android OS.

Conclusion: a great option for those who want to get the most features for the lowest price. Huawei nova 5i can rightly be called one of the most interesting solutions of the year, because the developers managed to qualitatively compare the quality and the final cost.

The information reflected in the review is preliminary, changes as models are released are not excluded.