GadgetByte Nepal

When Huawei announced the Kirin 710 chipset, the company promised to deliver a performance equal to the Snapdragon 710. However, the chip was only capable of competing against the Snapdragon 660, a-year old chip, by then. And the Kirin 710 was Huawei’s go to chip for almost all of their and Honor’s mid-range phones. So, when the company released the Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 810 chipset, it came as a relief to Huawei fans.

When it comes to the phone chip-sets, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors are immensely popular. The company has segregated its chipsets into budget, midrange and flagship segments. And almost all of these processors are leading their respective segments. In that run, the recently launched midrange Snapdragon 730 processor also made quite a mark in the market. It recorded a remarkable 210,052 score in AnTuTu benchmark, amazing everyone. And probably no one thought there could be a better mid-range chip. However, the Kirin 810 (used on the Huawei Nova 5) scored a whopping 237,437 score, a notable 13% performance lead over the SD730.

Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 810 chipset Overview:

The Kirin 710 was based on a 12nm fabrication technique, which made it slightly inefficient than the Snapdragon 675 (11 nm) and the SD 710 (10 nm). And the SD 730 left it far behind with its 8 nm architecture. But, Huawei after taking a long time, finally has one-upped Qualcomm by launching a 7 nm mid-range chipset. But the Kirin 810 leads not only because of its nanometer architecture.

Also, the  Kirin 810 SoC houses an eight-core CPU. These cores comprise of two high-performance ARM Cortex-A76 cores, which clocks at 2.27 GHz. And the six power-efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores tick at 1.88 GHz. With this CPU setup, the Kirin 810 promises 11% better single-core and 13% better multi-core performance than the SD730.

In addition, Huawei has replaced the Mali-G51 MP4 GPU with Mali-G52 MP6 GPU. With this new GPU, Huawei claims to deliver 162% better performance than the Kirin 710. The Mali-G52 MP6 GPU is also a better performer than the Adreno 618 on the SD730. Games and graphics contents are supposed to run with up to 44% higher frame rates.

For the AI-related tasks, Huawei has integrated DaVinci NPU, which is based on the Rubik’s Cube Quantitative Stereo Arithmetic Unit. This NPU is even said to surpass the Snapdragon 855 and MediaTek Helio P90 in the AI-related tasks. However, I have my doubts.

Apart from the AI, this NPU also helps the GPU, CPU, and memory communicate faster. It also aids other components to run more efficiently, which ensures stable performance for prolonged periods.

Furthermore, with the cameras on phones improving significantly time, Huawei has equipped the flagship-grade IVP + ISP with upgraded pixel processing unit into the new SoC. The ISP also features an improved white balance algorithm and noise reduction in RAW image processing. So it might help the cameras deliver better low-light images with sharp and noise-less details.

The SoC first made its debut through Huawei Nova 5. In the coming days, this chipset will eventually come on other mid-tier Huawei and Honor devices as well.

Huawei has a good lineup of smartphones in almost all price ranges. Their flagships like the P30 and P30 Pro are still one of the best flagships out there. And they have some good mid-rangers like the Huawei Y9 2019 and the likes. But, the most desirable of them all is their Nova series. The Nova series combines the premium look and build with enough power and an affordable price tag. But, of course, Nova series comprise of phones in all price ranges, as well. And so, Huawei Nova 5 series launched in China very recently.

The Nova 3 series, with the Nova 3 and Nova 3i were highly popular. But the Nova 4 didn’t get as much attention, probably, because there was only one variant. However, this time, the Huawei Nova 5 series brings 3 variants: the Nova 5 Pro, Nova 5 and Nova 5i.

Huawei Nova 5 Pro Overview

The Nova 5 Pro is the most premium of the three phones it’s launching. This phone carries the Nova legacy forward – to provide flagship performance in a more affordable price. So, needless to say, it features the Kirin 980 processor, and combined with 8 GB RAM, it performs as good as the flagships from Huawei.

But of course, there has to be some difference between flagships and premium mid-rangers. So, this phone comes with a 6.39″ Full-HD+ OLED screen, with a water-drop notch. It does pack a quad-camera setup at the back, but they’re not as good as the ones on the P30 Pro. The camera comprises of a 48 MP main lens, a 16 MP ultra-wide lens, 2 MP depth sensor and another 2 MP macro lens. The macro lens is a new addition, but seems redundant, because the P30 and P30 series could do it without a dedicated lens. Anyway, there’s a quad-camera setup, which counts for something. In addition, the selfie camera is a 32 MP lens.

Besides these, the Nova 5 Pro packs a large 4000 mAh battery and the flagship grade 40-Watt SuperCharge as well.

Specifications:

• Display: 6.39″ OLED display with Full HD+ resolution (1080 x 2340 pixels), 19.5:9 aspect ratio
• Rear Camera: Quad-cameras, 48 MP primary lens with f/1.8 aperture with PDAF + 16 MP Ultra-wide with f/2.2 + 2 MP macro lens + 2 MP depth sensor
• Front Camera: 32 MP lens with f/2.0
• Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 980
• CPU: Octa-core (2×2.6 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2×1.92 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
• GPU: Mali-G76 MP10
• RAM: 8 GB
• Storage: 128 / 256 GB onboard, expandable via Nano-Memory
• Sensors: Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
• Battery: 4000 mAh, 40-Watt SuperCharge

Huawei Nova 5 Overview

The Nova 5 is the middle of the line in this series. This is a different approach, because, previously, the Nova 3 and the 4 held the helm. But with the arrival of the Nova 5 Pro, it changed. Still, this phone packs the latest mid-range chipset, the Krin 810. This comes as quite a relief because Huawei had been stuck on the 710 for its mid-range phones for quite some time. The 710 showed up on almost every mid-range Huawei or Honor phone, so, this is a great relief. Also, this Kirin 810 has a significant boost over the 710 and it even outscored the Snapdragon 730, which is another good news.

Besides the new processor, the Nova 5 packs identical specs to the Nova 5 Pro – the same screen, same camera setup, same battery and everything else. But with these specs, this phone will probably lie somewhere between a mid-range device and a premium mid-range one…

Specifications:

• Display: 6.39″ OLED display with Full HD+ resolution (1080 x 2340 pixels), 19.5:9 aspect ratio
• Rear Camera: Quad-cameras, 48 MP primary lens with f/1.8 aperture with PDAF + 16 MP Ultra-wide with f/2.2 + 2 MP macro lens + 2 MP depth sensor
• Front Camera: 32 MP lens with f/2.0
• Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 810
• CPU: Octa-core (2×2.7 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×1.88 GHz Cortex-A55)
• GPU: Mali-G52 MP6
• RAM: 8 GB
• Storage: 128 GB onboard, expandable via Nano-Memory
• Sensors: Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
• Battery: 4000 mAh, 40-Watt SuperCharge

Huawei Nova Nova 5i

Even with the Kirin 810 out, Huawei couldn’t let go of its ever-faithful 710 chip, it seems. Because… they still packed the chipset into the Nova 5i, which is the most affordable of the bunch. And this one has quite a few differences from the other two. For starters, there’s an IPS LCD display with a punch-hole on the left. I would’ve liked similar approaches on the Nova 5 and 5 Pro as well, but they stuck with a water-drop notch in there.

Anyway, the resolution is still Full HD+ in here. You still get the quad-camera setup with some adjustments. While the dedicated macro lens and the depth sensor stay the same, the other sensors got toned down by half. It packs a 24 MP main lens and an 8 MP ultra-wide lens. And the selfie camera is a 24 MP sensor, too. Also, the memory options rest at 6 / 8 GB with 128 GB storage. In addition, the battery is still a 4000 mAh unit, but it packs the standard 18-Watt Fast Charging instead of a SuperCharge.

So, you can say it is an aggressively mid-range smartphone with the specs it packs.

Specifications:

• Display: 6.4″ IPS LCD display with Full HD+ resolution (1080 x 2310 pixels), 19.5:9 aspect ratio
• Rear Camera: Quad-cameras, 24 MP primary lens with f/1.8 aperture with PDAF + 8 MP Ultra-wide with f/2.2 + 2 MP macro lens + 2 MP depth sensor
• Front Camera: 24 MP lens with f/2.0
• Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 710
• CPU: Octa-core (4×2.2 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
• GPU: Mali-G51 MP4
• RAM: 6 / 8 GB
• Storage: 128 GB onboard, expandable via Nano-Memory
• Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, proximity, compass
• Battery: 4000 mAh, 18-Watt Fast Charge

Nova 5 Series Prices and Availability

Right now, all these phones are only available in China, where it launched. It makes sense, because, it’s the only place where the recent hurdles don’t affect the company much at all. The Nova 5 Pro starts at CNY 2,999 ($435) and CNY 3,399 ($500, 256 GB model), while the Nova 5 costs about CNY 2,999 ($435), too. The 5i starts at a very affordable price of CNY 1,999 ($290)!

Despite all of the hurdles, Huawei does plan to launch the Nova 5 Series in Nepal as well. Because the Nova 3 series did make quite a splash in here. So, it somewhat makes sense. And if you’re worried about the Android ban thing, Huawei Nepal promises to refund you fully if Google apps stop working on your Huawei phone. So, I guess, there’s nothing to worry about, really.

These days, Huawei is under a lot of pressure due to the trade ban sanctioned by the US Government. Last month, the White House signed an executive order that blocked US companies from dealing with foreign companies that built telecommunication equipment. The target of this sanction was Huawei, and that’s why the company has been getting a lot of cold responses from US-based companies.

Google was among the first companies to react to this ban as it detained Huawei’s Android license. While that is a little loose right now, it is still unclear as to how Huawei will proceed with the software in its future devices.

Amid all this, Huawei’s importer for Nepal, Call Mobility, recently circulated a notice among its customers and channel partners addressing the software fiasco.

In the notice, Huawei Nepal has mentioned that the company will continue providing the best after sales service to its customers even under all the pressure it is facing. The major talking point in this notice is definitely the ‘full money-back guarantee’ for smartphones and tablets from Huawei if they ever happen to lose access to the necessary applications. These applications could be Google apps like Google Play, Youtube, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps, etc. or non-Google apps like Facebook, Instagram, Viber, Whatsapp, etc.

This offer will be valid for the smartphones and tablets that have been officially bought in Nepal through Huawei Nepal’s channels. Huawei has also included the list of applicable phones:

• Y-series: Y3 2017, Y3 2018, Y5 Lite, Y5 Prime 2018, Y5 Pro 2019, Y6 Prime 2018, Y6 Pro 2019, Y7 Pro 2018, Y7 Pro 2019, Y7 Pro 2019 (64 GB), Y9 2018, Y9 2019, Y Max
• Nova-series: Nova 2 Lite, Nova 2i Lite, Nova 2i, Nova 3e, Nova 3i, Nova 3, Nova 4
• Tab-series: Mediapad T3 7″, 8″, 10″
• P-series: P30 Lite, P20, P20 Pro, P30, P30 Pro
• Mate-series: Mate 10, Mate 20 Pro

This news follows Huawei Philippines’ step. Huawei had introduced the same refund offer for its Philippino users on June 19.

Huawei users around the world have been worried about their phones and tablets after the USA’s ban. However, this refund news is certainly Huawei listening to and respecting its customers.