Samsung Galaxy A50s vs Huawei Nova 5T - PHP 18,990 supremacy battle!
In our previous specs comparison article, Huawei's Nova 5T clearly edged the Samsung Galaxy A50s, thanks to its more powerful chip and more features for the same price of PHP 18,990.
But as we all know, an actual comparison is needed to determine the real winner.
Let's do this and see who is the true better value for money mid-ranger, Galaxy A50s or Nova 5T?
In the materials used, the advantage clearly goes to the Nova 5T. Why? It sports a more premium real glass and metal build versus the mostly-plastic construction of the A50s.
Both have no mention of Gorilla Glass and water resistance rating, so we will recommend putting a case and screen protector to prevent unwanted damages.
In terms of design, both look good as they are sporting modern styles. A50s has the curvier 3D glass-like plastic back with prism colors while the Nova 5T has a 2.5D curved glass back in Black, Crush Blue, and Midsummer Purple with the holographic 3D light reflection effect.
Both are prone to fingerprint smudges though.
In front, both have big screens. A50s has the bigger 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with waterdrop-like Infinity-V notch. Nova 5T uses a smaller 6.26-inch IPS panel with a trendier punch-hole panel.
On paper, both have over 90 percent of the screen-to-body ratio. But side by side, it is evident that the screen-to-body of Nova 5T is higher. It has a smaller chin bezel and the punch-hole is smaller than the notch.
The screen of A50s has a hidden In-Display fingerprint reader below.
A50s measures at 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7 mm while Nova 5T measures at 154.25 x 73.97 x 7.87 mm.
On top, 5T has a light and distance sensor that looks like an IR blaster and a microphone. A50s has a mic.
Below, both have a speaker grill and USB-C port. But, only A50s has a 3.5 mm audio port.
At left, A50s has the advantage with the use of a triple-slot with microSD card support versus the dual nano-SIM with no option for expandable storage of 5T.
At right, A50s has a traditional power key while 5T has a fingerprint reader that doubles as a power button. Both have the volume rocker on that side.
Nova 5T is heftier at 174 grams while the A50s weigh at 169 grams. Both feel good in the hands, but 5T is easier with one hand.
A50s uses a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution at 403 ppi. Since it is AMOLED, colors are punchy with really deep blacks.
Nova 5T has a smaller IPS panel with 6.26-inch, but it still has an FHD+ resolution with slightly sharper 412 ppi.
Even if it is not AMOLED, it has wide color gamut of 96 percent NTSC that is still rich and very capable.
Viewing angles are about the same. I find the A50s to be the slightly brighter panel and it is slightly better for outdoor use.
But, the Nova 5T with a small punch-hole could be the more immersive screen as it is nearly all-screen.
Either is great for viewing a lot of content like movies and images.
The two phones have a single down-firing speaker. I find the output from the Nova 5T to be a bit fuller and slightly cleaner, but the A50s is louder.
It could go either way. For music listening via headphones, using the A50s is more convenient if you have a wired headphone as it has a dedicated 3.5 mm headphone port.
Via USB-C dongle, I find the output to be equal in quality. Both have a warm sound signature with a slight emphasis on the lows. The driving power of the A50s is a bit stronger.
The same goes for Bluetooth audio, the performance is identical.
For the microphone quality, I'll give it to Nova 5T. The output is a tad cleaner.
Galaxy A50 has 3 cameras at the back while Nova 5T has four. A50 uses a 48MP f/2.0 primary sensor, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra wide-angle lens, and a 5MP depth sensor. The main camera has AF. There's an LED flash as well.
On the other hand, Nova 5T has a superior looking setup. It uses a flagship 48MP f/1.8 Sony IMX586 main camera paired with a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, 2MP f/2.4 macro sensor, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth camera. As expected, there's an LED flash as well.
Nova 5T's image processor is better as it is using a flagship chip as well.
Most of the modes are similar. Both have their own night mode and AI scene detection implementation. Both can take ultra-wide shots and portrait shots as well. But, only the Nova 5T has a 2.5cm macro and ultra-wide night mode. As usual, Huawei has more superior Pro (up to 32s shutter and more) and Light painting modes.
Anyway, here are the shots we took and let's side by side.
In daylight, both delivered shots with plenty of details. The A50s exposed the green plants a bit better, but it is visible that the 5T has more details in the sky. It means that the range of 5T is better. It also delivered the more color accurate shot as the scene is that warm in real life.
Scene 2 - Ultra-wide daylight
A50's wide shot is noticeably wider and it could be great if you want a more artistic and wider shot. But if you want an image with better details, less barrel distortion, and more accurate colors, the edge is with 5T's wide shot.
Scene 3 - Macro indoor
For super close-up shots, it is evident that Samsung can't compete.
Scene 4 - Portrait mode
Edge detection on the portrait mode is identical in this scene. Both did well for the price. Going to the subject, both are quite sharp. My skin tone is just more saturated on the A50s. It could go either way.
Scene 5 - Indoor dim
The next shot showed that A50s captured the image with softer details and paler colors. On the other hand, 5T proved that it can still perform well even in challenging situations. It is detailed with good highlights and emphasis on my subject. It also got the yellowish lighting at the Planet Grapes restaurant correctly.
Scene 6 - Low light main cam
The exposure on the A50s shot is clearly brighter. But, it doesn't automatically mean that it is better. It is soft and smudgy with blown-out highlights even after I cleaned its lenses with a microfiber cloth.
Meanwhile, the low light shot from 5T is darker, but it is clearly better. It looks sharper with less noise, more natural-looking colors, and more controlled lights.
Scene 7 - Night mode
It is not the end of the world in low light for the A50s though. Samsung now has its own Night mode ala Huawei. It made the A50s shot sharper and more controlled with wider dynamic range. But, it is not a great type of Night mode for me as the crop is evident and it is still soft and smudgy versus other handheld long exposure shots in the dark.
Huawei's Night shot is clearly superior in this scene. It improved the low light shot above without overdoing it.
Scene 8 - Ultra-wide low light
The wide cam of the A50s did a little better than its main cam with crispier details. It is also wide than the 5T wide in low light. But again, Huawei's wide cam has sharper details and better colors. It simply looks better than the wide of Samsung.
Scene 9 - Ultra-wide Night mode
Sadly, this is only applicable to the Nova 5T. While it is noisy, it packs a wider dynamic range with better details and colors. It is better to have the ultra-wide Night mode than none. Huawei wins this round.
For selfies, both are equipped with a 32MP f/2.0 snapper. Both also have their own Portrait and Beauty modes.
Samsung's selfie has an option for a cropped version with sharper details or a wider mode to fit more in one frame. Huawei, on the other hand, has AI HDR and AI scene detection.
The two phones have fast face detection and photo saving speed.
Let's compare!
It's a really close match in this scene. I'll give the edge in dynamic range to Samsung as the sky has more details and the color reproduction in my face. But it has some sort of auto softening even if the Beauty mode is off. My face has more details with the 5T selfie.
Scene 2 - Portrait with Beauty mode
Using the same level of Beauty mode (Level 3), Samsung's effect is stronger. It could work for some who wants a blemish-free skin. But, if you want it to still look a bit more natural, Huawei's shot retained some details on my skin even if it is beautified. 5T's shot looks a bit sharper here as well.
For the bokeh blur? It is similar. Very similar.
Scene 3 - Low light selfie with screen flash
I prefer the Samsung selfie in this part. While the background is darker, details are crispier on my face. On the other hand, 5T's selfie is brighter but softer.
For videos, A50s it has 4K 30fps mode using the primary cam and 1080p ultra-wide videos. It has up to 4x zoom, several filters, Beauty, Time-lapse, and Super Slow-mo modes.
Meanwhile, Nova 5T has the ability to stabilized shoot at 4K 30fps using both the primary cam and the ultra-wide cam. It has a decent zoom (up to 10x) and 960fps Slow-mo mode as well. This is also a phone with several video effects like Time-lapse, Beauty, AI colour (background desaturation), Background blur (bokeh video), and more.
The ability to shoot 4K videos using the main and wide cam along with the 960fps Slow-mo made the Nova 5T the more versatile shooter here.
Coming from the A50 with 10nm Exynos 9610, Samsung updated the chip of A50s to 10nm Exynos 9611 clocked at 2.3GHz. It is a decent mid-range worthy chip that is great enough for social media use, opening a lot of apps, and playing some games on medium settings.
However, it lags way behind the 7nm-based 2.6GHz 64-bit Kirin 980 octa-core processor w/ Dual-NPU of the Nova 5T. It is a late 2018 to mid-2019 high-end chip found on flagship Huawei devices and the company made it available on the Nova 5T with a mid-range price tag.
On AnTuTu alone, you can see that it has double the speed of Exynos 9611. It is not a close match in the speed and performance department.
In addition, it has 8GB LPDDR4X RAM versus the 6GB of Samsung to make it a better multitasking phone.
The slight advantage of Samsung is it has a dedicated microSD card slot to expand its 128GB storage further.
Nova 5T is simply the smoother phone for opening apps, switching from an app to another, playing heavy games, and more.
Both doesn't heat-up to the point that it is hot. Both did well.
Since it is using the higher-end chip, Nova 5T also has better connectivity options compared to A50s. You get the 4G LTE Cat 21 support, dual-band GPS, and more. It resulted in stronger signal reception and better overall internet experience.
The traditional fingerprint reader of the Nova 5T on the right side that doubles as a power button is faster, but I like the placement of the improved In-Display fingerprint reader of the A50s. At least it is now faster than the slow unlocking speed of the A50 before.
Both have a speedy face unlock that works even in low lighting scenes.
For the battery, A50s has a bigger 4,000mAh battery with USB-C 15W fast-charging support. Nova 5T uses a smaller 3,750mAh battery with faster USB-C 22.5W SuperCharge tech.
In our tests, both did okay. A50s scored 11 hours and 40 minutes while Nova 5T recorded 14 hours and 10 minutes.
Despite having the smaller battery capacity, the battery performance (even for actual usage) is better on the Nova 5T.
Charging time is faster as well. 5T's 0 to 100 percent is just 1 hour and 15 minutes versus the 1 hour and 40 minutes of A50s.
On the software part, it is just a matter of preference. Huawei's EMUI 9.1 skin is more feature-rich, but it doesn't look as clean as the One UI of Samsung. The bloats on One UI is lesser as well.
Both have an option for Android button-less gesture navigation. Both are quite nice and easy to use for me.
Like other Huawei devices, the Nova 5T promises to be as fast as it is when new for years.
Samsung Galaxy A50s advantages - Larger 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with In-Display fingerprint reader, expandable storage, 3.5mm headphone slot, better selfie in low light
Huawei Nova 5T advantages - More premium materials, double the speed of A50s, longer actual battery performance despite the smaller battery capacity, faster-charging speed, superior and more versatile cameras, better overall value for money
 |
| A50s or Nova 5T? |
But as we all know, an actual comparison is needed to determine the real winner.
Let's do this and see who is the true better value for money mid-ranger, Galaxy A50s or Nova 5T?
Build Quality/Design
 |
| 3D light reflection or prism? |
In the materials used, the advantage clearly goes to the Nova 5T. Why? It sports a more premium real glass and metal build versus the mostly-plastic construction of the A50s.
More premium materials on the 5T!
Both have no mention of Gorilla Glass and water resistance rating, so we will recommend putting a case and screen protector to prevent unwanted damages.
In terms of design, both look good as they are sporting modern styles. A50s has the curvier 3D glass-like plastic back with prism colors while the Nova 5T has a 2.5D curved glass back in Black, Crush Blue, and Midsummer Purple with the holographic 3D light reflection effect.
Both are prone to fingerprint smudges though.
 |
| The chin bezel of 5T is smaller |
In front, both have big screens. A50s has the bigger 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with waterdrop-like Infinity-V notch. Nova 5T uses a smaller 6.26-inch IPS panel with a trendier punch-hole panel.
On paper, both have over 90 percent of the screen-to-body ratio. But side by side, it is evident that the screen-to-body of Nova 5T is higher. It has a smaller chin bezel and the punch-hole is smaller than the notch.
The screen of A50s has a hidden In-Display fingerprint reader below.
A50s measures at 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7 mm while Nova 5T measures at 154.25 x 73.97 x 7.87 mm.
 |
| Top view |
On top, 5T has a light and distance sensor that looks like an IR blaster and a microphone. A50s has a mic.
 |
| Bottom |
Below, both have a speaker grill and USB-C port. But, only A50s has a 3.5 mm audio port.
 |
| Left |
At left, A50s has the advantage with the use of a triple-slot with microSD card support versus the dual nano-SIM with no option for expandable storage of 5T.
 |
| Right |
At right, A50s has a traditional power key while 5T has a fingerprint reader that doubles as a power button. Both have the volume rocker on that side.
Nova 5T is heftier at 174 grams while the A50s weigh at 169 grams. Both feel good in the hands, but 5T is easier with one hand.
Multimedia Experience
 |
| Big and bright screens |
A50s uses a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution at 403 ppi. Since it is AMOLED, colors are punchy with really deep blacks.
AMOLED vs IPS
Nova 5T has a smaller IPS panel with 6.26-inch, but it still has an FHD+ resolution with slightly sharper 412 ppi.
Even if it is not AMOLED, it has wide color gamut of 96 percent NTSC that is still rich and very capable.
Viewing angles are about the same. I find the A50s to be the slightly brighter panel and it is slightly better for outdoor use.
But, the Nova 5T with a small punch-hole could be the more immersive screen as it is nearly all-screen.
Either is great for viewing a lot of content like movies and images.
The two phones have a single down-firing speaker. I find the output from the Nova 5T to be a bit fuller and slightly cleaner, but the A50s is louder.
It could go either way. For music listening via headphones, using the A50s is more convenient if you have a wired headphone as it has a dedicated 3.5 mm headphone port.
Via USB-C dongle, I find the output to be equal in quality. Both have a warm sound signature with a slight emphasis on the lows. The driving power of the A50s is a bit stronger.
The same goes for Bluetooth audio, the performance is identical.
For the microphone quality, I'll give it to Nova 5T. The output is a tad cleaner.
Cameras
 |
| Quad-cam vs triple-cam |
Galaxy A50 has 3 cameras at the back while Nova 5T has four. A50 uses a 48MP f/2.0 primary sensor, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra wide-angle lens, and a 5MP depth sensor. The main camera has AF. There's an LED flash as well.
Triple-cam or quad-cam
On the other hand, Nova 5T has a superior looking setup. It uses a flagship 48MP f/1.8 Sony IMX586 main camera paired with a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, 2MP f/2.4 macro sensor, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth camera. As expected, there's an LED flash as well.
Nova 5T's image processor is better as it is using a flagship chip as well.
Most of the modes are similar. Both have their own night mode and AI scene detection implementation. Both can take ultra-wide shots and portrait shots as well. But, only the Nova 5T has a 2.5cm macro and ultra-wide night mode. As usual, Huawei has more superior Pro (up to 32s shutter and more) and Light painting modes.
Anyway, here are the shots we took and let's side by side.
Rear Camera Samples
Scene 1 - DaylightIn daylight, both delivered shots with plenty of details. The A50s exposed the green plants a bit better, but it is visible that the 5T has more details in the sky. It means that the range of 5T is better. It also delivered the more color accurate shot as the scene is that warm in real life.
Scene 2 - Ultra-wide daylight
Scene 3 - Macro indoor
Scene 4 - Portrait mode
 |
| A50s edge detection |
 |
| Nova 5T edge detection |
Edge detection on the portrait mode is identical in this scene. Both did well for the price. Going to the subject, both are quite sharp. My skin tone is just more saturated on the A50s. It could go either way.
Scene 5 - Indoor dim
Scene 6 - Low light main cam
Meanwhile, the low light shot from 5T is darker, but it is clearly better. It looks sharper with less noise, more natural-looking colors, and more controlled lights.
Scene 7 - Night mode
Huawei's Night shot is clearly superior in this scene. It improved the low light shot above without overdoing it.
Scene 8 - Ultra-wide low light
Scene 9 - Ultra-wide Night mode
 |
| 32MP selfie beasts |
For selfies, both are equipped with a 32MP f/2.0 snapper. Both also have their own Portrait and Beauty modes.
Samsung's selfie has an option for a cropped version with sharper details or a wider mode to fit more in one frame. Huawei, on the other hand, has AI HDR and AI scene detection.
The two phones have fast face detection and photo saving speed.
Let's compare!
Selfie Camera Samples
Scene 1 - Selfie daylightScene 2 - Portrait with Beauty mode
For the bokeh blur? It is similar. Very similar.
Scene 3 - Low light selfie with screen flash
For videos, A50s it has 4K 30fps mode using the primary cam and 1080p ultra-wide videos. It has up to 4x zoom, several filters, Beauty, Time-lapse, and Super Slow-mo modes.
Meanwhile, Nova 5T has the ability to stabilized shoot at 4K 30fps using both the primary cam and the ultra-wide cam. It has a decent zoom (up to 10x) and 960fps Slow-mo mode as well. This is also a phone with several video effects like Time-lapse, Beauty, AI colour (background desaturation), Background blur (bokeh video), and more.
The ability to shoot 4K videos using the main and wide cam along with the 960fps Slow-mo made the Nova 5T the more versatile shooter here.
Video Samples
Performance/UI
 |
| A50s vs Nova 5T AnTuTu |
Coming from the A50 with 10nm Exynos 9610, Samsung updated the chip of A50s to 10nm Exynos 9611 clocked at 2.3GHz. It is a decent mid-range worthy chip that is great enough for social media use, opening a lot of apps, and playing some games on medium settings.
 |
| A50s vs Nova 5T Geekbench 5 |
However, it lags way behind the 7nm-based 2.6GHz 64-bit Kirin 980 octa-core processor w/ Dual-NPU of the Nova 5T. It is a late 2018 to mid-2019 high-end chip found on flagship Huawei devices and the company made it available on the Nova 5T with a mid-range price tag.
Massive win for Huawei in speed, not even close!
On AnTuTu alone, you can see that it has double the speed of Exynos 9611. It is not a close match in the speed and performance department.
In addition, it has 8GB LPDDR4X RAM versus the 6GB of Samsung to make it a better multitasking phone.
The slight advantage of Samsung is it has a dedicated microSD card slot to expand its 128GB storage further.
Nova 5T is simply the smoother phone for opening apps, switching from an app to another, playing heavy games, and more.
Both doesn't heat-up to the point that it is hot. Both did well.
Since it is using the higher-end chip, Nova 5T also has better connectivity options compared to A50s. You get the 4G LTE Cat 21 support, dual-band GPS, and more. It resulted in stronger signal reception and better overall internet experience.
The traditional fingerprint reader of the Nova 5T on the right side that doubles as a power button is faster, but I like the placement of the improved In-Display fingerprint reader of the A50s. At least it is now faster than the slow unlocking speed of the A50 before.
Both have a speedy face unlock that works even in low lighting scenes.
 |
| A50s battery score |
For the battery, A50s has a bigger 4,000mAh battery with USB-C 15W fast-charging support. Nova 5T uses a smaller 3,750mAh battery with faster USB-C 22.5W SuperCharge tech.
 |
| Nova 5T battery score |
In our tests, both did okay. A50s scored 11 hours and 40 minutes while Nova 5T recorded 14 hours and 10 minutes.
Despite having the smaller battery capacity, the battery performance (even for actual usage) is better on the Nova 5T.
Charging time is faster as well. 5T's 0 to 100 percent is just 1 hour and 15 minutes versus the 1 hour and 40 minutes of A50s.
 |
| One UI vs EMUI |
On the software part, it is just a matter of preference. Huawei's EMUI 9.1 skin is more feature-rich, but it doesn't look as clean as the One UI of Samsung. The bloats on One UI is lesser as well.
Both have an option for Android button-less gesture navigation. Both are quite nice and easy to use for me.
Like other Huawei devices, the Nova 5T promises to be as fast as it is when new for years.
Samsung Galaxy A50s advantages - Larger 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with In-Display fingerprint reader, expandable storage, 3.5mm headphone slot, better selfie in low light
Huawei Nova 5T advantages - More premium materials, double the speed of A50s, longer actual battery performance despite the smaller battery capacity, faster-charging speed, superior and more versatile cameras, better overall value for money
Huawei Nova 5T vs Samsung Galaxy A80 Specs Comparison
| Device | Samsung Galaxy A50 | Huawei Nova 5T |
| Display | 6.4-inch 2.5D Super AMOLED screen w/ FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution at 403 ppi | 6.26-inch 2.5D curved IPS screen w/ FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution at 412 ppi |
| CPU |
2.3GHz 64-bit Exynos 9611 octa-core processor
|
2.6GHz 64-bit Kirin 980 octa-core processor w/ Dual-NPU
|
| GPU | Mali-G72 MP3 | Mali-G76 MP10 w/ GPU Turbo |
| RAM | 6GB | 8GB LPDDR4X |
| ROM | 128GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 512GB | 128GB UFS 2.1 |
| Back Camera | 48MP f/2.0 + 8MP f/2.2 ultra wide-angle lens + 5MP depth sensor w/ AF and LED flash | 48MP f/1.8 Sony IMX586 w/ PDAF, CAF + 16MP f/2.2 ultra wide-angle sensor + 2MP f/2.4 4cm macro + 2MP f/2.4 depth w/ LED flash |
| Selfie Camera | 32MP f/2.0 | 32MP f/2.0 w/ AI HDR |
| Battery |
4,000mAh w/ 15W fast charging
| 3,750mAh w/ 22.5W SuperCharge |
| OS | Android 9.0 Pie w/ One UI |
Android 9.0 Pie w/ EMUI 9.1
|
| Connectivity |
WiFi 802.11ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5, FM Radio, GPS, GLONASS, dual SIM
|
WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), 4G LTE Cat 21, Bluetooth 5.0, OTG, NFC, GPS (L1 + L5 dual-band), A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo (E1 + E5a dual-band), QZZS (L1 + L5 dual-band), dual SIM (hybrid)
|
| Sensors | Accelerometer, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic |
Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic, pressure
|
| Others |
In-Display fingerprint sensor, face unlock, USB-C, Colors: prism crush black, prism crush white, prism crush violet, prism crush green
|
Fingerprint sensor, dual mic, USB-C, Colors: black, crush blue, midsummer purple
|
| Dimensions | 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7 mm | 154.25 x 73.97 x 7.87 mm |
| Weight |
169 g
| 174 g |
| Price | PHP 18,990 | PHP 18,990 |
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy A50s is a decent upgrade coming from the A50 since it now has a faster In-Display fingerprint reader, slightly better chip, 48MP triple-cam, and 32MP selfie cam.BUT let's be honest, when compared to the Huawei Nova 5T, the Galaxy A50s is clearly the inferior device.
Huawei Nova 5T uses more premium materials with a stunning finish, speedier chip for better gaming and connectivity performance, longer battery life, more powerful and versatile cameras, and more for the same price of PHP 18,990.
It is simply very hard to ignore the Nova 5T.
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