Home » Huawei Nova 5i, Nova 5, Nova 5 Pro: What’s Different?

Huawei Nova 5i, Nova 5, Nova 5 Pro: What’s Different?

Written By Vaughn Chua
Published • June 23rd, 2019
ComparisonsMobile
2 Comments

All-new Huawei Nova smartphones have become official, but this time, they come in three variants — the Nova 5i, Nova 5, and Nova 5 Pro. One mind-boggling question remains — what are their differences? Let’s find out below!

Here are their detailed specs:

Huawei Nova 5i	Huawei Nova 5	Huawei Nova 5 Pro
6.4-inch FHD+ (2310 x 1080) IPS display	6.39-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) OLED display, 403ppi	6.39-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) OLED display, 403ppi
HiSilicon Kirin 710 2.2GHz octa-core	HiSilicon Kirin 810 2.27GHz octa-core	HiSilicon Kirin 980 2.6GHz octa-core
Mali-G51 MP4 GPU	Mali-G52 GPU	Mali-G76 MP10 GPU
6GB/8GB RAM	up to 8GB RAM	8GB RAM
128GB storage (expandable via microSD card)	up to 256GB storage (expandable via NM card)	128GB/256GB of storage (expandable via NM memory card)
24MP F1.8 + 8MP + 2MP macro + 2MP depth quad rear cameras	48MP F1.8 + 16MP F2.2 + 2MP depth F2.4 + 2MP macro quad rear cameras	48MP F1.8 + 16MP F2.2 + 2MP F2.4 depth + 2MP macro quad rear cameras
24MP F2.0 front camera	32MP F2.0 front camera	32MP F2.0 front camera
Dual-SIM	Dual-SIM	Dual-SIM
4G LTE	4G LTE	4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz)	WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz)	WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz)
Bluetooth 4.2	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
-	-	NFC support
Fingerprint scanner (rear)	In-Display Fingerprint scanner	In-Display Fingerprint scanner
Face Unlock	Face Unlock	Face Unlock
USB Type-C	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
3.5mm audio port	-	-
EMUI 9.1 (Android 9)	EMUI 9.1.1 (Android 9)	EMUI 9.1.1 (Android 9)
4,000mAh battery	3,500mAh battery w/ 10V/4a fast charge	3,500mAh battery w/ 10V/4a fast charge
159.1 x 75.9 x 8.3mm	157.4 × 74.8 × 7.33mm	157.4 x 74.8 x 7.33mm
178g	171g	171g
Crush Blue, Crush Red, and Midnight Black	Dilemma Forest, Midsummer Purple, and Bright Black	Dilemma Forest, Midsummer Purple, and Bright Black, Coral Orange

Differences of Huawei Nova 5i:

Uses punch-hole design
Existing 3.5mm audio port
6GB of RAM option
Uses MicroSD card slot
Largest battery capacity
Uses a rear fingerprint scanner

Similarities of Huawei Nova 5 Pro and Nova 5:

Uses OLED display
Uses NM memory card expansion
Uses 48MP F1.8 main rear camera
Uses 16MP F2.2 wide-angle lens
Uses the 32MP front camera
Bluetooth 5.0
In-display fingerprint scanner
EMUI 9.1.1
3,500mAh battery w/ fast charging

Differences of Nova 5:

Uses Kirin 810 chipset

Differences of Nova 5 Pro:

Best performing CPU and GPU
Has NFC support
Coral Orange color

We need to establish the hierarchy of the Nova 5 models first. The Nova 5i is the most affordable one in the bunch while the Nova 5 is the premium-mid range, and finally, the Nova 5 Pro is the flagship-level device.

In terms of design, the Nova 5i uses a punch-hole design similar to the Galaxy S10 series of smartphones. The Nova 5 and Nova 5 Pro retains the dewdrop notch design which is the same with the P30 series.

Starting with displays, both the Nova 5 and Nova 5 Pro come with an OLED panel while the Nova 5i has an IPS one. OLEDs are better than IPS in terms of having a darker black, viewing angle, and lesser power consumption. Overall, the viewing experience is excellent if you pick either of the two Nova smartphones. However, the IPS-powered one is still good if you’re tight on budget.

Performance-wise, the only thing worth noting here is that the Nova 5 Pro is the best performing device among the Nova 5 devices. The second place goes to Nova 5 with a new chipset called Kirin 810, which is faster in terms of clock speed as compared to Nova 5i’s Kirin 710. We’ve yet to know the capability of Nova 5’s new CPU and GPU, so we’re hoping that it will arrive in the country.

For cameras, all of them carry quad-camera setup which comprises of the main, wide-angle, depth-of-effect and dedicated macro. The main difference is that the Nova 5i only has a 24MP and 8MP resolution, while the other two have the same 48MP and 16MP.

In terms of the selfie shooter, the Nova 5i has a lowered 24MP while the other two has 32MP which could probably be the same as with the Huawei P30 series. We don’t know yet how well they perform, but we’ll see once we get our hands on them.

There are a lot of differences in terms of features, especially between the Nova 5i and the other two devices. The Nova 5i retains the typical smartphone setup which has the 3.5mm audio port, microSD card slot, and rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The Nova 5 and Nova 5 Pro, on the other hand, removes the port, uses an NM memory card, and an in-display fingerprint scanner. One unique feat of the Nova 5 Pro is the NFC support which helps people in digital payment transactions.

In terms of battery, the Nova 5i has the largest battery capacity among the bunch; however, it does not support fast charging. The Nova 5 and Nova 5 Pro has 3,500mAh battery with a 10V/4a fast charging technology.

Here are the prices of each smartphone:

Huawei Nova 5i

6GB + 128GB – CNY 1,999 (~PHP 14,967)
8GB + 128GB – CNY 2,199 (~PHP 16,464)

Huawei Nova 5

8GB + 128GB – CNY 2,799 (~PHP 20,957)

Huawei Nova 5 Pro

8GB + 128GB – CNY 2,999 (~PHP 22,454)
8GB + 256GB – CNY 3,399 (~PHP 25,449)
8GB + 256GB (Limited Edition w/ FreeLace Earphones) – CNY 3,799 (~PHP 28,444)

Huawei is fearless in launching new devices even though there is an ongoing US-China trade war. The Nova 5 series is still using the Android 9 Pie operating system skinned with EMUI 9.1, which should lessen the worry of people who are wanting to buy any of these smartphones. What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.