Huawei Nova 7i vs Huawei Nova 5T Specs Comparison

Like the Nova 5T in 2019, Huawei's new Nova 7i is making a lot of buzzes early this year due to its incredible specs for the price.

Nova 7i vs Nova 5T specs

Even if the Nova 7i is not the direct successor of the Nova 5T, I'm sure many are wondering which one is superior in specs between the two.

So, let's find out if the Nova 7i can compete with its older sibling, the Nova 5T.

Huawei Nova 7i vs Huawei Nova 5T Specs Comparison

Device	Huawei Nova 7i	Huawei Nova 5T
Display	6.4-inch 2.5D curved LCD (LTPS) screen w/ FHD+ 2310 x 1080 resolution at 398 ppi	6.26-inch 2.5D curved IPS screen w/ FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution at 412 ppi
CPU	2.27GHz 7nm Kirin 810 octa-core processor w/ DaVinci NPU	2.6GHz 7nm Kirin 980 octa-core processor w/ Dual-NPU
GPU	Mali-G52 MP6 w/ GPU Turbo	Mali-G76 MP10 w/ GPU Turbo
RAM	8GB LPDDR4X	8GB LPDDR4X
ROM	128GB UFS 2.1 expandable via NM card slot up to 256GB	128GB UFS 2.1
Back Camera	48MP f/1.8 w/ PDAF, CAF,  + 8MP f/2.4 120-degree ultra-wide-angle + 2MP f/2.4 4cm macro + 2MP f/2.4 depth + 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	16MP f/2.0	32MP f/2.0 w/ AI HDR
Battery	4,200mAh w/ 40W SuperCharge	3,750mAh w/ 22.5W SuperCharge
OS	Android 10 w/ EMUI 10.0.1	Android 10 w/ EMUI 10.0.1
Connectivity	WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 700MHz 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, BLE, SBC, AAC, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, Galileo, dual SIM (nano)	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, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic, pressure	Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic, pressure
Others	Fingerprint sensor, USB-C, dual-mic, Colors: sakura pink, midnight black, crush green	Fingerprint sensor, dual mic, USB-C, Colors: black, crush blue, midsummer purple
Dimensions	159.2 x 76.3 x 8.7 mm	154.25 x 73.97 x 7.87 mm
Weight	183 g	174 g
Price	PHP 13,990	PHP 18,990 (PHP 16,990 new SRP)

Nova specs battle

Nova 7i with a 3D curved body

Huawei Nova 7i has a premium 3D curved glass at the back with a metal frame and a polycarbonate layer to hold the 2.5D curved glass display. There is no water-resistance or Gorilla Glass protection mentioned but Huawei mentioned a special manufacturing process for scratch resistance.

2.5D curved glass

The Huawei Nova 5T has a build that consists of glass material plus a metal frame that gives it a premium feel. It is quite impressive.

In the looks department, they both look great with similar shiny and vibrant color choices.

Nova 7i punch-hole

Display - The Huawei Nova 7i has a 6.4-inch 2.5D LTPS screen with 2310 x 1080 FHD+ at 398 ppi.

Nova 5T punch-hole

Huawei Nova 5T has a 6.26-inch 2.5D curved screen with 2340 x 1080 FHD+ resolution at 412 ppi.

Huawei Nova 7i has a slightly taller screen. Both have punch-holes with a great screen-to-body ratio as well.

Both can play games quite well

Specs - For performance, Huawei Nova 7i has the 7nm 2.27GHz Kirin 810 octa-core processor with DaVinci NPU, Mali-G52 MP6 GPU with GPU Turbo, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128GB expandable UFS 2.1 storage, and 4,200mAh battery with 40W SuperCharge.

Huawei Nova 5T has the 7nm 2.6GHz Kirin 980 octa-core processor with Dual NPU, Mali-G60 MP10 GPU with GPU Turbo, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128GB UFS 2.1 storage, and a 3,750mAh with 22.5W SuperCharge.

Huawei Nova 5T still has flagship-level specs but Nova 7i already achieved performance that is as good as 2019 flagship devices. The latter also has a bigger battery with faster charging.

Nova 7i quad-cam

Cameras - The Huawei Nova 7i has a quad-camera setup with 48MP f/1.8 w/ PDAF, CAF,  + 8MP f/2.4 120-degree ultra-wide-angle + 2MP f/2.4 4cm macro + 2MP f/2.4 depth with LED flash. It also has a 16MP f/2.0 selfie sensor.

Nova 5T quad-cam

Huawei Nova 5T has a quad-camera setup with a combo of 48MP f/1.8 Sony IMX586 with PDAF, CAF + 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle sensor + 2MP f/2.4 4cm macro + 2MP f/2.4 depth with LED flash. It also has a 32MP f/2.0 selfie camera with AI HDR.

In terms of main camera specs, Huawei Nova 5T takes the lead with a better quad-camera system. However, both devices have a variety of sensors for different scenarios.

For selfies, 32MP is still higher than the Nova 7i's 16MP sensor.

Nova 7i with Huawei's own app store, the fast-growing AppGallery

Other features - Huawei Nova 7i has dual-band WiFi, 700MHz 4G LTE, 3.5mm headphone jack slot, fingerprint sensor, and USB-C port. The Huawei Nova 5T has OTG, NFC, dual-band GPS, dual-band GALILEO, dual-band QZZS, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, dual-mic, and USB-C port.

Nova 7i loads with Android 10 out of the box while Nova 5T runs with Android 9 that is upgradable to Android 10. Nova 7i uses HMS with AppGallery while Nova 5T still has GMS with Google Play Store.

Huawei Nova 7i advantages - Slightly bigger screen, bigger battery capacity, faster charging, more affordable price tag

Huawei Nova 5T advantages - Faster CPU and GPU, better rear quad-camera setup

Our thoughts

Based on specs, the advantage is still with the Nova 5T. That's expected since it is the pricier device. At its new PHP 16,990 SRP, it is arguably the best as well.

But at PHP 13,990, the Huawei Nova 7i can definitely hold its ground. The chipset Nova 7i used is arguably the best among all similarly priced mid-rangers and it has the fastest charging speed among them as well.

Our recommendation? If you can spend up to PHP 16,990, the Nova 5T is the better buy. But, if you only have 13,990 in your pocket, go for the Nova 7i. It even has a stronger battery performance and faster-charging speed than the Nova 5T.

Related: Huawei Nova 7i Review - Mid-range powerhouse!

What do you guys think?