The upper-middle range is a terrain for which Huawei is beginning to feel comfortable. The company’s Nova family is a good example, contributing to the market terminals not excessively expensive, but with solvent specifications. The Huawei Nova 5T is the newest member of this family, and it comes with a few aces up its sleeve.
Bet for a high-end processor, four sensors for the photographic section, and a fingerprint reader in an unusual location are some of the key factors of this phone, which comes to try to convince us that it may be worth investing a little more money in the territory of the range average for a more complete experience.
Huawei Nova 5T data sheet
Huawei Nova 5T | |
---|---|
screen | 6.26 “LCD FullHD + 2,340 x 1,080 px |
Processor | Kirin 980 |
RAM | 6 GB |
Storage | 128 GB |
Drums | 3,750 mAh
22.5W fast charge |
Rear cameras | Main: 48MP, f / 1.8
Wide angle: 16MP, f / 2.2 Macro: 2MP, f / 2.4 Bokeh: 2MP, f / 2.4 |
Frontal camera | 32MP, f / 2.0 |
Dimensions and weight | 154.25 x 73.97 x 7.87 mm
174 g |
software | Android 9 Pie
EMUI 9.1 |
Others | LTE, WiFi ac, BT 5.0, USB type C, NFC, side fingerprint reader |
Price | 429 euros |
A noise-free design and a correct screen
The Huawei Nova 5T can boast of being a relatively compact mobile (just over 15 centimeters), in times where going from 16 centimeters is completely normalized. Feels good in hand, is comfortable and ergonomic and, like all glass mobiles, it is a fingerprint magnet. Also note that, despite having a somewhat large battery, it weighs only 174 grams, which again helps with the feeling in hand.
The conjunction between aluminum and glass is correct, although we are missing something with greater grip and a better oleophobic coating. On its back, the camera module stands out more than we would like, although the design, quite simple, convinces us. Highlight the good work with the button panel, very solid, without gaps and closer to what we find in a high-end mobile than a mid-range.
The screen of the Huawei Nova 5T is 6.26 inches, with FHD + resolution and IPS technology. We would have liked to see a well-worked OLED panel, although the behavior of this screen has been correct. According to GSMarena, the front use is 84.2%, thanks in large part to the upper hole that its left side has.
It’s not too big, and with a few minutes of use, we forget it’s there. The viewing angles are correct, the interpretation of the same color, and the maximum brightness outdoors has surprised us for good.
As for the sound, we found an experience well below expectations. The audio is not clear, we found a lack of volume (it is difficult to go over 70 decibels) and, ultimately, the experience is not up to what is expected in mobile of this range. The absence of a headphone jack is no longer crying as it used to be, being something so democratized, but in the mid-range, it is not so strange to see a mobile with a jack, and this would have been quite good.
A powerful engine that needs a better chassis
The Huawei Nova 5T has the Kirin 980, the 7nm chip that the company incorporates in high-end proposals such as the Huawei P30 Pro or the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. This is accompanied by 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal memory . Despite having this configuration, the Huawei Nova 5T does not perform like its older brothers, something that has surprised us, since medium-high range brothers with this same processor, such as the Honor View 20, performed better (practically on par with the previously mentioned high-end ones).
Does this mean that the Huawei Nova 5T performs poorly? Absolutely. Heavy deliveries like ‘Call Of Duty: Mobile’ or PUBG Mobile move without lag and with fairly stable frame rates. Although in PUBG, for example, we cannot configure the graphics in ‘extreme’, as brothers can do with the same processor and RAM. It goes without saying that basic tasks such as browsing, using social networks and others will not be a problem.
HUAWEI NOVA 5T | XIAOMI MI 9T | HONOR VIEW 20 | SAMSUNG GALAXY A70 | XIAOMI MI 9 LITE | MOTOROLA ONE ZOOM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PROCESSOR | Kirin 980 | Snapdragon 730 | Kirin 980 | Snapdragon 675 | Snapdragon 710 | Snapdragon 675 |
RAM | 6 GB | 6 GB | 8 GB | 6 GB | 6 GB | 4GB |
GEEKBENCH 5 | 678 / 2,413 | – | – | – | 394 / 1,491 | – |
GEEKBENCH 4 | 3,305 / 9704 | 2,545 / 6,900 | 3,284 / 9,744 | 1,868 / 5,901 | 1,803 / 5,752 | 1,645 / 5,639 |
ANTUTU | 254,821 | 211.901 | 273,973 | 170,567 | 176,227 | 169,807 |
In the biometrics section we find facial recognition using the front camera, as well as a fingerprint reader located on the right side. It is one of the fastest and most effective fingerprint readers we have tested, unlocking the device in milliseconds. Server is right-handed, and living with this reader has been a more than good experience. Facial recognition works correctly, but due to its compromises in security (given by using only a camera, and not dedicated sensors), I’ve had it disabled a lot of the time.
EMUI 9 has no surprises. Loaded with bloatware (This does not mean that some of the applications can be uninstalled), although with more than decent performance, Huawei’s exercise with the software is correct. As every time we talk about this layer, we would appreciate a little more cleaning, less overloaded settings, and fewer pre-installed applications. Although we would like a lighter layer, it is appreciated to include a file manager, recorder apps, calculator, calendars and others, which will not force us to use third-party apps for basic functions.
The autonomy something is below what was expected, barely reaching six hours of screen under WiFi connectivity. From a battery so close to 4,000 mAh (3,750 mAh in this case) we expected better times, although consumption is enough to get to the end of the day without too much fuss. Applaud here the fast charge of 22.5W, which allows you to charge the device in just over an hour.
A versatile camera, but from which we expected more
Talking about Huawei is usually synonymous with talking about multiple cameras. In this case, the main protagonist is a 48-megapixel sensor, which is accompanied by three other sensors. Specifically, a 16-megapixel wide-angle, as well as a macro and a depth sensor, both 2-megapixel. The experience is not bad, but on mobile in this price range we started to ask for something more.
The camera application is the one we have already seen in more Huawei terminals. It is fast, complete (perhaps too much), and having adjustments for every corner of it is its main feature. Super macro mode, light painting, aperture, HDR (apart from automatic, motorcycles in motion, etc). Too many options that could be automated like some rivals do, and that, in our use, have been hidden in these settings, without inviting them to be used.
Daytime photography
The behaviour of the Huawei Honor 5T is correct, but it leaves open several fronts for improvement. The first is the artificial sharpness that adds, which is excessive. We appreciate it especially in the textures of the buildings, as well as in the very skin of the people we photograph. Oversaturation is another element to improve. Colours, even with AI turned off, are too raucous, and far removed from reality.
Luckily, the work between the three sensors that we will use the most (telephoto, wide and angle), is relatively consistent, and we did not find great differences in colourimetry between them. The zoom behaves well despite being digital, reaching up to 10X.
Night photography
When night falls, the oversharp becomes even more artificial (trying to make up for the lack of sharpness of the sensor with artificial detail, and the effect increases), although the photographs are usable.
Night mode
When we are in a hurry, opting for night mode is a recommended option. It is somewhat slow (it usually takes more than five seconds to take the photo), but a lot of information is recovered and the photograph is more usable.
Portrait mode
Despite having a dedicated sensor to collect information about the depth of field, the bokeh is very artificial (in fact, we can even configure the shape it will have), although the crop is acceptable, even managing to include the hair in the depth map, and create certain graduation in it.
Selfie
The selfie, despite the oversaturation, we have been surprised by its good amount of detail. It controls the lights relatively well, and in short, it gives us an experience that lives up to what we expected from this terminal.
Huawei Nova 5T, the opinion of EuroXliveAndroid
The Huawei Nova 5T comes to compete directly in the range of 400 euros, a territory that, in this 2019, has become more than interesting. Its main assets are photographic versatility, the screen without notch and the Kirin 980. If these points are enough to be an option to consider, it is up to the user.
In our case, we expected more from this 5T, especially at the photographic level, autonomy and performance. Although it does not sink into the knee in any of the three, on paper it gives us more than what we receive, and in a range as competitive as the upper-middle class, it is important to provide the maximum possible value.
However, except for some other rival also come from China, their powerful hardware configuration manages to make it fight in this range, with a more than solvent performance and an aesthetic section that can fall in love with more than one user.
8.2
In favour
- Compact and ergonomic design
- Very versatile camera
- Good hardware
Against
- The camera is versatile, but its quality can be improved
- Autonomy is below expectations
- EMUI still needs less bloatware