Armed with two back-facing cameras and a taller LCD that spans almost 6 inches, the Huawei Nova 2 Lite has been recently announced for the Philippine market.
What’s left to be made official is the price, and we have a feeling that the company will delay the reveal until the phone is ready to go on sale. (Again, there’s no word on how much the Nova 2 Lite will officially cost domestically, at least none from the source that matters — Huawei.) Gun to our head, we think it won’t go any higher than P10,000 (about $193).
SEE ALSO: This is the Huawei Nova 2 Lite, arriving in the Philippines soon
The specs and key features of the device have been outed, though, which is more than enough to start a conversation, or a comparison against existing Android devices that are likely to compete with the Huawei Nova 2 Lite when it drops in stores. Having said that, we’ve compared the company’s newest handset with five others that might give it a run for its money. Here’s how the comparison breaks down, side by side.
Huawei Nova 2i
No device exists in a vacuum, so the former can’t be evaluated purely on its own merits. If you ask Huawei, the nightmare scenario for the Nova 2 Lite would be that it ends up slowing down the sales of its quad-camera cousin, the Nova 2i, or the other way around. It could happen, you know, especially if their price tags aren’t too far off.
If the lesser Nova 2 Lite indeed comes in at around P12,000 ($231), as some had predicted, it would be easier to recommend paying extra for the Nova 2i, which gets a more functional set of cameras; a sharper display; and, importantly, a faster processor mated with beefier memory.
Specs comparison: Huawei Nova 2 Lite vs Huawei Nova 2i
Vivo V7
Vivo Philippines previously knocked down the price of the V7 to P12,990 ($250), which probably puts it in the same pricing tier as the Nova 2 Lite. Under the hood, both use octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, though the V7 benefits from a newer, faster, and more efficient chip in the Snapdragon 450, in addition to getting 1GB more RAM for a total of 4GB.
Where the Nova 2 Lite appears to shine brighter is in the camera department, with two rear cameras doing the work as opposed to one. The Huawei phone also ships with Android Oreo, the latest version of Android. By comparison, the Vivo V7 has been running Nougat since launch.
Specs comparison: Huawei Nova 2 Lite vs Vivo V7
OPPO A83
The A83 is one of OPPO’s strongest offerings to date, pairing an 18:9 HD display with arguably the most capable processor at this price point. But it’s missing a fingerprint reader, something the Nova 2 Lite has. Both devices can be unlocked using face recognition.
In terms of having more screen real estate to work with, the 6-inch Huawei Nova 2 Lite has the obvious advantage over the smaller OPPO handset. Another plus is the Lite’s ability to snap portraits with blurred backgrounds using smartphone hardware, as opposed to relying solely on the camera app like some phones, including the OPPO A83, do.
Specs comparison: Huawei Nova 2 Lite vs OPPO A83
ASUS ZenFone Max Plus (M1)
Compared to Huawei’s Nova 2 Lite, the latest ZenFone Max model offers a larger battery; a sharper, albeit smaller, display; and a more versatile camera system that includes a wide-angle lens.
But the deal-breaker for us is this: The ASUS ZenFone Max Plus (M1) is built on a MediaTek platform that, frankly, should not be included in any midrange phone released in 2018. The MediaTek 6750T is a poor match for gaming, and its power efficiency is questionable, to say the least. Of course, it can be said that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 430 is old news as well, but it represents decent value in today’s market.
Specs comparison: Huawei Nova 2 Lite vs ASUS ZenFone Max Plus (M1)
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
While not officially available in the Philippines at the moment, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is an excellent alternative, even if Huawei values the Nova 2 Lite at under P10,000 ($192) at retail. Physically, they’re about the same size, and the Redmi 5 Plus incorporates a fingerprint sensor at the rear, too.
There’s only one camera on either side of the Xiaomi, though, which gives the Lite a bit of leverage when shooting portrait-style shots. For those serious about mobile gaming, the Plus offers more firepower under the hood and a larger 4,000mAh battery to light up the full-resolution screen. It’s a pity that you can’t purchase the Redmi 5 Plus from an authorized seller here. The Nova 2 Lite won’t have that problem in that respect.
Specs comparison: Huawei Nova 2 Lite vs Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
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