The Huawei Nova 7 5G is the latest Nova smartphone in the Philippines, holding a price point of Php23,990 it’s their upper midrange offering in the Philippines after their Nova 3 took place in the Philippines. For quite some time, the price segment of 20k – 30k is neglected until recently, so is this the opportunity Huawei needs to get more market share?
Specifications of the Huawei Nova 7 5G
| Huawei Nova 7 5G | |
| Chipset | Kirin 985 |
| Screen | 6.53-inch OLED, 2400 x 1080 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| OS | Android 10 with EMUI 10.1 |
| Rear Camera | 64MP f/1.8 Main, 8MP f/2.4 Ultrawide, 8MP f/2.4 Telephoto, 2MP f/2.4 Macro |
| Front Camera | 32MP f/2.0 |
| Storage | 256GB UFS 3.0 |
| Network | Dual-SIM, 5G |
| Connectivity | Dual-band WiFI 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, USB Type-C |
| Battery | 4,000mAh, 40W SuperCharge, 5W Reverse Charging |
| Others | In-display Fingerprint Scanner |
| Colors | Black, Space Silver, Midsummer Purple |
The Nova 7 5G is very similar to the Huawei Nova 5T in design but became more round in its edges including the glass for a more curvy feel. Everything is cold to the touch, nothing is cheaped out as compared to the 7i or 7 SE. Even the nova logo is repeatedly printed at the back for a unique finish among any smartphone.
At first, we didn’t feel the design, but it grew into us as to become more unique and actually a conversation piece to some. It’s nice to sometimes hold out the phone having a violet one, as compared to the rest of the crowd in black, gray, or blue.
The camera placement is still the vertical placement but with a square plate for the flash and the AI Quad-Camera label making it similar to the placement of the Huawei P40 series.
At the front is the AMOLED display with a single camera punch hole at the front, using a corning gorilla glass protection the glass is also anti-fingerprint enabled. So remember its slippery both front and back, we already had some occasions that it slipped out table.
The display is bright even ample for outdoor use, Huawei even enables a unique mode to boost up the brightness and saturation when under direct sunlight to surely see still what you’re doing.
Camera
The main camera is a 64MP shooter with f/1.8 while ultra-wide shots are 8MP and an 8MP telephoto assists in zooms. On a camera that is least on the list is the 2MP macro, which we think is really not that useful since the telephoto lens can just zoom and capture sharper images.
Paired with Huawei’s AI technology in photography, we were able to get photos that are more than average, retaining sharpness and enhancing overall focus through saturation, priority, and sharpening.
Here are some sample photos of the Huawei Nova 7 5G in AI default, apologies if we are only able to take food photos most of the time as we’re still not that confident in going too much outside to take sample photos.
The Nova 7 5G also has up to 20x Zoom capabilities, but we only used up to 5x to avoid too many details getting lost or pixilated. Though its only hybrid to digital its more than enough details in proper lighting and can get the right amount of colors. Pretty useful in zooming in some more details in daylight.
Zoom Capabilities Huawei Nova 7 5G
Overall details are great for all photos, aside from slight washed out in some food that showed high white colors. We think this is cause of the algorithm of the software rather than the camera.
Aside from that, the experience of the camera is much faster as compared to the Huawei Nova 5T and 7i in our take, taking photos is snappier and loading time is also faster. We welcome this improvement where you can definitely feel the difference of the Nova 7 to the Nova 7i.
Performance
The Kirin 985 Processor can jump up to 410k points in AnTuTu when in High-Performance mode, and 379k in normal mode. These points are nothing to worry in today’s needs in smartphones and its even fast enough for the future.
Battery & Charging
The Nova 7 5G has a 4000mAh battery, honestly not that big compared to its competitors ranging from 4200mAh to 4500mAh in its price point. But Huawei puched through with a much-higher 40W charging that can give up to 70% in just 30 minutes of charging. Much faster than most charging technologies today that are around 30W.
Package of the Nova 7 5G is also generous with even a type-c adapter to 3.5mm jack
In our experience, the 4000mAh battery is good for 3/4 of our day in heavy LTE, browsing, socials, and occasional mobile legends. Fortunately, the Huawei SuperCharge 40W is fast, providing quick solutions when at home before leaving or just before taking a shower to ensure you have enough juice.
But to further push the batter longer we enabled all dark mode possible in applications and even on the theme, making the overall experience neat, nice, and clean.
Speakers
The audio on the Huawei Nova 7 5G is more than decent, no rattling sound thanks to the solid construction of the body. Volume is loud despite being a single firing speaker, we think its more than enough for its price point.
But we used most of the time the Nova 7 5G with the FreeBuds 3i (Review here), so we didn’t have much problems in the audio department as far as quality is concerned.
VoLTE and VoWiFi Ready
One good feature of Smart and soon on Globe is their Voice over LTE or WiFi service. The difference on calls for VoLTE is really good and clear, connection is much faster as compared to switching to 2G and you still retain mobile data while talking over the phone.
Smart and Globe 5G Ready
One good thing about Huawei is their 5G capability, compared to other brands they are miles ahead of offering a barrage of 5G-ready smartphones that just needs a 5G signal. No annoying software updates like the Samsung S20 Ultra waiting for a 5G update.
Huawei Nova 7 5G Smart Speed Test
So far we were able to do speed tests using Smart reaching 400Mbps, in several areas in BGC, but we will try more once Globe has more sites in the metro and its safe to roam around.
Huawei Mobile Services
Yes, the big concern you might have is if the HMS is enough to replace the GMS. In our test with the 7i, we’re actually surprised by how many local apps the HMS already has already in the Philippines. Continuously, Huawei is improving this along with the recent petal search engine to improve the app searching and optimize what you need.
There will be some hiccups on the side, but we’re glad to say that it’s not enough for you to throw your phone out of frustration.
Conclusion
The Huawei Nova 7 5G is definitely the best Nova smartphone yet Huawei brought here in the Philippines, and we’re glad that a more premium Nova is now available once again. The last occurrence this happened was the Nova 3.
For the price of Php23,990 you get a smartphone with great dispaly, camera, ample storage, and a processor that at par with flagship level.
What we love
- Better Camera system compared to Huawei Nova 7i, 7 SE & 5T
- Premium Glass and Metal body
- 5G Connectivity is real with VoLTE / VoWiFi
- HMS Service is improving significantly
- AMOLED Display is above average
- 256GB Storage is ample and generous
What we think needs improvement
- Metal and Glass body is just way too slippery
You can get the Huawei Nova 7 5G via Smart and Globe Postpaid too. Also available in offline stores and Lazada.
Despite having a slippery body, we think its a minor offset from all the features the Nova 7 5G offering in its price range. Features like the VoLTE, VoWiFi, 5G are enough to make you jump at the price point of 23,990.