There is a bunch of things I would like to talk about the new Huawei nova 5T. Of course, it’s tempting to just simply dump everything and tell you that it’s technically a trimmed down version of the Huawei P30 Pro, but it’s unfair to take it at that perspective.
Before we get into the details, I’d like to show this cool box that Huawei sent over that contains the nova 5T retail box plus this pretty nice freebie, a Huawei Mini Speaker. Don’t take it as it is as it’s really sounds good and loud. You can also take it anywhere with you as it also comes with a handy dandy lanyard.
Now, let’s go back to our subject. Remember July 2018 when Huawei announced the Huawei nova 3 worldwide. It was priced so good and right until its glory was immediately snatched by a fairly more affordable product that also sports a Kirin 970. Let’s not get into the details, but to summarize the important ones: (1) nova 3 was in the flagship level of performance, but at an affordable price point, and (2) it has been a year since we Huawei officially sold a Huawei nova product in the Philippines.
Today, after more than a year of waiting, Huawei nova series is back and it’s coming in really hot and big with the nova 5T, just like how a young star is destined to be. The line-up of Huawei smartphones that carry the powerful Kirin 980 has been completed with the nova 5T. If you think that this one’s priced like how Huawei priced the nova 3 in 2018, then you’re wrong. Retailing for only PhP18,990, nova 5T is the new midrange smartphone king. I still seriously find this an understatement.
Before I move on, let me tell you that we’re hosting a giveaway exclusive to our subscribers. All you have to do is to:
- Subscribe to Gadget Pilipinas YouTube Channel (and hit the notification bell), and;
- Share our YouTube video on Facebook and tag Gadget Pilipinas and Huawei Mobile. Your post should include #NovaStar #OOOOO #HuaweiNova5TPH and your answer to the question:
- What is your most favorite feature of the Huawei nova 5T
Here are the lowdowns:
Huawei nova 5T is Huawei P30 Pro, but for yuffies, chics and millennials. Its price and features are made to fit the lifestyle of the young – be it from playing mobile games… A LOT OF MOBILE GAMES; and taking photos and selfies any time of the day. Its 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage combo make it a smartphone made for gaming; while its 5 AI camera setup make it a worthy alternative to a DSLR. Well, not that I’m saying that it’s better, its camera features make it good enough to be compared to a photo shot by a DSLR.
But then again, this isn’t simply a P30 Pro for the young, but also carries new things like a totally different design philosophy and renewed product positioning. Its design is an embodied personality of Gen Z, and it’s something that you’d definitely want to take out. As its design is the first thing you’ll notice, it sends out a message that it’s stylish yet functionable.
It also packs a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, a first from Huawei. I have no complaints here as it’s positioned to be at the exact place where my thumb lands. It also has 3750mAh battery, with included 22.5W Type C charger out of the box. You may already know the details, and I’d like to spare you with all the complexities of explaining how good its packed features are.
Now, let get to the price. PhP18,990 is a good price, and why is that. If you remember the nova 3, it was originally priced less than PHP26,000. It packed features like the P20 Pro and Mate 10 had. It was so well loved until Honor Play almost completely stole the spotlight. Honor Play’s killer features don’t differ much from nova 3, but it quickly became a crowd favorite because of its price. Huawei strongly got the message here. Consumers – especially the ones being targeted by nova series – love the combination of killer flagship features at a crazy affordable price point. Voila – we have the nova 5T. If you are to compare this to the current generation of midrange devices with flagship specs, this is how nova 5T stacks:
| PRODUCT NAME | Huawei nova 5T | OnePlus 7 | Xiaomi Mi 9 |
| Official SRP | 18,990PHP | 26,990 | 24,998 |
| Material | Glass | Glass | Glass |
| Display | 6.26” LCD 2340 x 1080 | 6.41” LCD 2340 x 1080 AMOLED | 6.39” LCD 2340 x 1080 AMOLED |
| Punch Hole Camera | Teardrop Notch | Teardrop Notch | |
| Chipset | Kirin 980, 7nm, 2x NPU | Qualcomm SDM855 | Qualcomm SDM855 |
| RAM | 8GB | 8GB | 6GB |
| ROM | 128GB | 256GB | 128GB |
| Front camera | 32M f/2.0 Punch | 16MP f/2.0 teardrop | 20MP f/2.0 teardrop |
| Rear camera | 48MP + 16MP(wide) | 48MP + 5MP | 48MP + 12MP+ 16MP |
| +2MP + 2MP | f/1.7 + f/2.4 | f/1.8 + f/2.2 + f/2.2 | |
| f/1.8+f2.2+f/2.4 + f/2.4 | |||
| Fingerprint | Side | Under Display | Under Display |
| Battery | 3750mAh | 3700mAh | 3300mAh |
| Charge | 22.5W Type C | 20W Type C | 20W Type C |
| OS | Android 9 + EMUI 9.1 | Android 9 + Oxygen OS 9.5.8 | Android 9 + MIUI 10 |
This is crucial because Huawei is trying to pull the prices down of midrange smartphones that are usually priced PhP25,000 and above to less than PhP20,000. This – kind of a way – sets a new standard of pricing products and it may drastically change the way brands are going to price their products moving forward.
Now if you own a Huawei P30 or Mate 20, how should you feel about this? Nothing! My P30 Pro has Leica-branded lens, and my photos will still look far superior than my photo using nova 5T. Well, if you want to see, that’s something you might want to check out in the future.
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
