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

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:

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 1,999PHP 16,114USD 275INR 23,274EUR 261 (~PHP 14,967USD 255INR 21,621EUR 243CNY 1,857)
• 8GB + 128GB – CNY 2,199PHP 17,726USD 302INR 25,603EUR 288 (~PHP 16,464USD 281INR 23,784EUR 267CNY 2,043)

Huawei Nova 5 

• 8GB + 128GB – CNY 2,799PHP 22,562USD 385INR 32,588EUR 366 (~PHP 20,957USD 357INR 30,274EUR 340CNY 2,601)

Huawei Nova 5 Pro

• 8GB + 128GB – CNY 2,999PHP 24,175USD 412INR 34,917EUR 392 (~PHP 22,454USD 383INR 32,437EUR 364CNY 2,787)
• 8GB + 256GB – CNY 3,399PHP 27,399USD 467INR 39,574EUR 445 (~PHP 25,449USD 434INR 36,764EUR 413CNY 3,158)
• 8GB + 256GB (Limited Edition w/ FreeLace Earphones) – CNY 3,799PHP 30,623USD 522INR 44,231EUR 497 (~PHP 28,444USD 485INR 41,090EUR 462CNY 3,530)

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.