Today, we’re doing a simple no deep-dive specs comparison between three smartphones from three of the hottest brands in the Philippine market, to see which one would be the better buy on paper.
First off, we have the newly launched Nova 5T, or Huawei’s so-called flagship-killer. It packs a Kirin 980, four rear cameras, and features such as Huawei SuperCharge, GPU Turbo 3.0, 4K 60fps video recording, packed in an elegant and stylish shell. It runs on Huawei’s EMUI 9.1. Priced at just PhP18,990, it definitely gives other flagships a run for their money.
Next up is the Samsung Galaxy A70. The Korean tech giant has had great success with its new A-series devices that are more competitive than before both in specs and pricing. First seen in Thailand, the A70 boasts a Snapdragon 675 that can make the most out of that gorgeous Super AMOLED display. It has a trio of rear shooters, Super Fast-Charging, and runs on Samsung’s OneUI. It retails for PhP22,990.
Then there’s the OPPO Reno – a device that exudes beauty and craftsmanship with its seamless and flowing design. Under the hood is a Snapdragon 710, backed by 256GB of storage out-of-the box. It houses two cameras at the back, and a unique shark-fin style pop-up selfie camera. To ensure that you don’t miss out on the fun, it also boasts VOOC 3.0 flash charge technology. It retails for PhP26,990.
Specifications
| Nova 5T | Galaxy A70 | OPPO Reno | |
| Display | 6.26″ IPS FHD+ | 6.7″ Super AMOLED FHD+ | 6.4″ AMOLED FHD+ |
| Processor | Kirin 980 | Snapdragon 675 | Snapdragon 710 |
| RAM | 8GB | 6GB | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB | 128GB | 256GB |
| Card Slot | No | Yes | No |
| Rear Camera | 48MP (f/1.8, Wide) | 32MP (f/1.7, Main) | 48MP (f/1.7, Main) |
| 16MP (f/2.2, Ultrawide) | 8MP (f/2.2, Ultrawide) | 5MP (f/2.4, Depth) | |
| 2MP (f/2.4, Macro) | 5MP (f/2.2, Depth) | ||
| 2MP (f/2.4, Depth) | |||
| Front Camera | 32MP (f/2.0) | 32MP (f/2.0) | 16MP (f/2.0, Popup) |
| OS | EMUI 9.1 (Pie) | Samsung OneUI (Pie) | ColorOS 6 (Pie) |
| Battery | 3,750mAh | 4,500mAh | 3,765mAh |
| Interface | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Bluetooth | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fast Charging | Huawei SuperCharge (22.5W) | Super Fast-Charging (25W) | VOOC 3.0 (20W) |
| Biometrics | Fingerprint (Side-Mounted) | Fingerprint (In-Display) | Fingerprint (In-Display) |
| Face Unlock | Face Unlock | Face Unlock | |
| SRP | PhP18,990 | PhP22,990 | PhP26,990 |
Quick Points
Before you read my assessment, do note that these are based on my personal preferences. Yours may be different.
- Design and Build. Huawei nova 5T has a design advantage compared to Galaxy A70 and OPPO Reno in my opinion. nova 5T’s overall glass design makes it shine compared to the other devices. Mix this with a midsummer purple colorway and you get a device that’s worthy to be called a head turner.
- Display. Given that all of them are at FHD+ resolution, I’d pick the Reno, simply because I’ve used the three and find that the colors on this device look more vivid and punchy.
- Processor. The Kirin 980 is a flagship level SoC, and runs the likes of the P30 and Mate 20 series. It wins over the other 2, hands-down.
- RAM. While 6GB of RAM is certainly more than enough, even for heavy use, a bit of future-proofing is always good if you can afford it. In this case, that’s Nova 5T.
- Storage. Again, 128GB for me is more than enough, but if you really have a lot to store on your phone, then I’d pick either the Reno or the A70, which is actually better, since you can use a microSD card with it.
- Rear Camera. The more cameras, the better? not always. The Pixel devices have proven that time and time again. But if you’re actually paying less to get more, why not? Some would say the 2MP macro lens on the Nova 5T is a Gimmick, but hey, you’re still getting more for less.
- Front Camera. Quality-wise, I’d say the Reno slightly wins, but hey, if you don’t like the motorized mechanism, it will be a matter of punch-hole vs notch. I’d pick the former.
- OS. This is a matter of personal preference, as each take on Android has its ups and downs. Personally, i’d rank EMUI at 1, followed by OneUI, and then ColorOS.
- Battery. While it all boils down to efficiency, on paper, I’d pick the A70 with its bigger battery.
- Fingerprint Scanner. I’m wasn’t a huge fan of the in-display fingerprint solution, but the technology has come a long way and has gone through a lot of improvements. I’d pick the Reno here.
- Price. It’s the Nova 5T, hands-down. You’re basically getting flagship grade specs for a price that’s less of some mid-range devices. That’s value right there.
In Summary
Get the Nova 5T
- If you want flagship-level performance
- If you want a very flexible device for taking photos
- If you want to get the most out of your money
Get the Galaxy A70
- If you still prefer the notched display
- If you prefer expandable storage
- If you prefer a larger screen
- If you prefer a bigger battery
Get the Reno
- If you prefer a more seamless design
- If you prefer a full-screen design without a punch hole or notch
- If you prefer a motorized pop-up camera
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
