Huawei loves equipping their mid-range smartphones with the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, starting off with the Nova 2i. Today, even their newest mid-ranger, the P20 Lite, sports almost the same internal setup as its Nova cousin. Will the newer device beat the older or will it be the other way around? Let’s find out in this episode of specs comparison!
The Huawei Nova 2i is one of our readers’ favourites when it came out last year. It has a 5.9-inch 18:9 IPS display with 2160 x 1080 resolution, a HiSilicon Kirin 659 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, 16MP + 2MP dual rear cameras with LED flash, 13MP + 2MP front cameras, and 3,340mAh battery.
The Huawei P20 Lite was released just last month and follows the Nova 2i’s internal setup with slight changes. It has a 5.84-inch 19:9 LTPS IPS display with 2280 x 1080 resolution, a HiSilicon Kirin 659 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, 16MP + 2MP dual rear cameras, 16MP front camera, and 3,000mAh battery.
Here are their detailed specs:
| Specifications | Huawei Nova 2i | Huawei P20 Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.9-inch 18:9 IPS LCD display @ 2160 x 1080 pixels | 5.84-inches 19:9 LTPS IPS LCD display @2280 x 1080 pixels |
| CPU | HiSilicon Kirin 659 2.36GHz octa-core | HiSilicon Kirin 659 2.36GHz octa-core |
| GPU | ARM Mali-T830 MP2 | ARM Mali-T830 MP2 |
| RAM | 4GB RAM | 4GB RAM |
| Storage | 64GB, Expandable up to 256GB (uses SIM 2) | 64GB, Expandable up to 256GB (uses SIM 2) |
| Rear camera | 16MP+2MP rear cameras, f/2.2 with LED Flash | 16MP+2MP rear cameras, f/2.2 with LED Flash |
| Front camera | 13MP+2MP front cameras, f/2.0 | 16MP + 2MP front camera, f/2.0 |
| SIM | Hybrid Dual-SIM (nano+nano/microSD) | Hybrid Dual-SIM (nano+nano/microSD) |
| Network | 4G VoLTE | 4G VoLTE |
| WiFi | WiFi 802.11 b/g/n | WiFi 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 4.2 | Bluetooth 4.2 |
| GPS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS |
| USB interface | microUSB, OTG | USB Type-C, OTG |
| Audio | 3.5mm audio port | 3.5mm audio port |
| Scanners | Fingerprint scanner, Face Unlock | Fingerprint scanner, Face Unlock |
| OS | EMUI 5.1 (Android 7 Nougat) | EMUI 8 (Android 8 Oreo) |
| Battery | 3,340mAh Li-Ion battery | 3,000mAh Li-P battery |
Here are their benchmark scores:
| Specifications | Huawei Nova 2i | Huawei P20 Lite |
|---|---|---|
| PC Mark | 4,886 (Work 2.0), 6,029 (Work 1.0) | 4,808 (Work 2.0), 4,847 (Work 1.0) |
| Geekbench | 920 (Single-core), 3,636 (Multi-core) | 925 (Single-Core), 3,675 (Multi-Core) |
| 3D Mark | 413 (Sling Shot Extreme) | 223 (Sling Shot Extreme) |
| PC Mark Battery Test | 8 hours and 46 minutes | 8 hours and 29 minutes |
Note: AnTuTu benchmark scores were not included due to the app test’s version difference.
Here are the advantages of each smartphone:
Huawei Nova 2i
+ Slightly larger screen size
+ Better CPU performance
+ Better GPU performance (implementation)
+ Longer battery life
Huawei P20 Lite
+ Better display type
+ Slightly higher horizontal aspect ratio
+ Slightly higher horizontal screen resolution
+ Higher front camera lens
+ USB Type-C
+ Android 8 Oreo out of the box
You may have already guessed which device is better in each key aspects but let’s explain them one by one shall we?
The P20 Lite has the upper-hand in terms of display due to its type and screen resolution. The LTPS IPS setup is basically the upgraded version of IPS, with better color reproduction and accuracy. Users should get the P20 Lite if they are fond of watching or streaming videos.
Normally, identical processors and GPUs should have a close performance right? Well, it’s like that with these two devices but then, PC Mark Work 2.0 benchmark scores happened. The Work 1.0 scores are identical because it only tests Web Browsing, Video Playback, Writing, and Photo Editing. However, Work 2.0 has an improved test case with Web Browsing, Writing, Photo Editing with added features such as Video Editing and Data Manipulation for added performance accuracy score. Some major factors that could have affected the score would be the operating system used (Nova 2i uses Android 7 Nougat when we did the benchmark test) and the optimization of the smartphone overall.
Simply put, The Huawei Nova 2i is the better pick if users want to have a better overall performance in their device.
Moving on, the Nova 2i and P20 Lite didn’t change its rear camera setup but, in terms of the front shooters, the former increased its main camera’s resolution. Check out our sample shots on both smartphones here. (Huawei Nova 2i and Huawei P20 Lite)
Both of the devices are similar in terms of battery life with the Nova 2i leading by a few minutes. With this, users can choose either device without worrying which one has a significant performance.
The Huawei Nova 2i is priced at Php12,990 while the Huawei P20 Lite is priced at Php15,990. We can say that if users want to have a good viewing experience then they should choose the latter. If performance is what they’re after, then our pick goes to the former.
What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
I had my nova 2i 3months, then one night i charged it, in the following morning no more signals at all. The technician in robinsons open it and told me to buy a new unit bcause it was burned. It opens and all ok except no more signal…can anybody help?
Unang choice ko ang Nova 2i, pero nag change ako into P20 lite kasi mas maganda ang camera and mas madaling hawakan with one hand. Upon using it, maganda talaga ang fast charging nya. At mas maganda ang design nya
significant po ba yung difference ng bigat nila at laki/dimension? o halos pareho lang? for one hand use ok naman ba ang nova 2i?
agree. p20 lite is a great choice.
charging is fast. phone is easier to grip due to the slightly smaller size. screen resolution is much better. camera is good.
sir reviewer, wrong specs for front cam it’s a single 16mp camera not 16+2, pls update your entry.
I had the that dilemma last week but decided to get the 2i mainly because of the 1k price drop. 2 nights later got the Oreo update. My only regret, 2i still uses micro USB instead of Type C socket.
diba may fast charging ang p20 lite?
Vs. Honor 9 lite too