Huawei Nova 8i Review, Pros and Cons – Several experts are pointing out the downfall of the Huawei smartphone. It’s been half a year since we didn’t saw an impressive Huawei smartphone. The company took a bold step to launch its own operating system and Play Store. The company recently launched the Nova 8 series that offers subtle features including the Huawei Nova 8i smartphone. Unlike the previous phone, the Nova 7i, the latest Huawei Nova 8i, seems to downgrade some sections that we’ll discuss later in this article.
Even so, there is little hope that the company will have to produce something great for the midsize customer. Let’s start with a detailed review of the Huawei Nova 8i smartphone.
Table of Contents
Huawei Nova 8i Review
Highlights
- The Huawei Nova 8i has a standard 6.67 inch IPS LCD panel with FHD resolution.
- In the processing section, you’ll get the Snapdragon 662 chipset under the hood.
- The phone then offers the Android 10 operating systems with the EMUI 11 interface layer on top.
- A 64MP quad-camera appears as the main camera, while the front has a 16MP selfie camera.
- As for the battery, you are getting a 4300 mAh battery with a 66W super-fast charging.
Design and Display
The circular camera setup looks a little outdated compared to the current trend. But, it can be an aesthetic look for some users at the same time. There is generally a three-tone option that you can choose from in the promotion. The Moonlight Silver, Interstellar Blue, and Starry Black bring premium colors to you, choose whomever you want.
In addition to the design factor, let’s talk about built quality. On the Huawei Nova 8i smartphone, you’ll get a plastic body layout with a glossy finish. On the other hand, the phone looks a little bulky due to the 190g weight and size distribution. However, you will not receive any special coating on the back panel. Fortunately, for security features, there’s a side-mounted fingerprint reader.
In the front display section, the frameless 6.67 inches IPS LCD brings a sleek look to the Huawei Nova 8i smartphone. But the fact that cannot be overlooked is that this phone deserved an AMOLED panel. Anyway, the resolution is good enough to render beautiful colors while watching content. However, at the same time, the phone does not have gorilla glass protection.
Memory and Internal
The hardware factor of the Huawei Nova 8i smartphone achieves a decent 11nm Snapdragon 662 chipset, which may not have the best performance record. But, the phone will quickly earn its badge in everyday use. However, if you are expecting games with this phone, you will be disappointed because of the 4x 2.0 GHz clock speed. In heavy use, the heating problem may occur. The appearance is also average from a design standpoint.
Moving on to the software section, Android 10 might not be the best choice when you can get Android 11 on the basic smartphone for almost half the price. On the other hand, EMUI 11 has interesting features and alternative options for the Google service. But if you mainly rely on these services and buy this device, you will probably have to spend your time getting established in the operating system.
There are two RAM variants from which you can buy the Nova 8i. For starters, 6GB or 8GB RAM won’t be a concern, as you’re getting similar 128GB storage on both models. Unfortunately, secondary storage is not supported. It probably won’t be necessary when the phone offers 128 GB, which is more than enough to store your data for a long time.
Camera
Like most mid-range phones, the Huawei Nova 8i smartphone relies on numbers rather than camera quality. You’re getting a 64MP main-camera setup with an 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth camera. With a little tweaking in the AI software to improve exposure and focus to some extent.
On the other hand, the front that comes with 16MP also works very well and gives a relatively decent result in every scenario. The low-light aspect is something worth noting as it brings HDR saturation. Not to forget, the camera app offers a lot of amazing features.
However, the video recording section has some downgrade issues. You can only record videos up to 1080p resolution with the camera’s side panels. However, if you expect support from the gyro-EIS, you will be extremely dissatisfied. Fortunately, the phone’s AI software tries to bring about stabilization. The overall video recording experience would be slightly above average.
Battery and Others
Long story short, you’re not getting any performance-driven power-hungry hardware that will drain the battery quickly. Therefore, the Li-Po 4300 mAh battery will quickly provide 6 hours of screen time. On the plus side, you’ll also get a 66W fast charger in the box. Thus, it takes 40 minutes to fill the battery from zero to 100%.
The big advantage of the Huawei Nova 8i smartphone, apart from the main features, would be the sound output and the overall quality of the sensor. By default, they’re decent, but when it comes to the price point, there are several downgrades. The Huawei Nova 8i phone will cost around $299 (Rs 21,999).
Huawei Nova 8i Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Huawei Nova 8i smartphone.
Specifications | Huawei Nova 8i |
Network | 2G, 3G, 4G |
Announced | July 2021 |
SIM | Dual SIM |
Dimensions | 6.37 x 2.94 x 0.34 inches |
Weight | 190 g |
Size | 6.67 inches |
Display | IPS LCD 60Hz ~391 PPI density |
Protection | No |
Resolution | 1080 x 2376 pixels |
OS | Android 10, EMUI 11 no Google Play Services |
Chipset | 11nm – Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 |
CPU | Octa-core 4×2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver |
GPU | Adreno 610 |
Card slot | No |
RAM | 6GB, 8GB |
Internal | 128GB |
Camera | 64 MP (wide), PDAF 8 MP (120Ëš ultrawide) 2 MP (macro) 2 MP (depth) LED flash, Panorama, HDR Max – 1080p@30fps |
Selfie | 16 MP (wide) HDR Max – 1080p@30fps |
Loudspeaker | Yes |
3.5mm jack | Yes |
WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS |
NFC | No |
Infrared port | No |
Radio | No |
USB | USB Type-C 2.0 |
Sensors | side-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
Battery | Li-Po 4300 mAh Fast charging 66W |
Colors | Moonlight Silver, Interstellar Blue, Starry Black |
Expected Price | $299 (Rs 21,999) approx. |
Huawei Nova 8i Pros and Cons
Down below you can see the list of pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages) of the Huawei Nova 8i smartphone.
Pros
- Full HD 6.67 inches screen.
- Side-mounted fingerprint reader.
- Impressive camera quality.
- 66W fast charging support.
- 1080p video recording option.
- Huge battery life.
- Convenient customization of EMUI 11.
Cons
- Standard power chipset.
- Lacks video recording features.
- No extra refresh rate.
- Without gorilla glass protection.
- Works on Android 10 OS.
- Missing secondary storage slot.
- Not a good choice for gaming.
- Without google play services.
Conclusion
There are two main factors why you should buy Huawei Nova 8i, first for its premium bezel design and second for its fast charging support. If you don’t like the camera very much, but streaming online content is a daily necessity, it will provide enough screentime. Overall, the design look looks lovely and you’re also getting pretty decent camera quality. Not to forget, the quick charging support is also fabulous. However, all of these aspects may or may not justify the cost.
However, if you’re looking for a performance beast that enhances gameplay and delivers a smooth experience, then the Huawei Nova 8i lags behind. Another big reason would be that the phone didn’t have a higher refresh rate or an AMOLED panel. Anyway, if you’re looking for performance in the same price range the Samsung Galaxy F52 is the better alternative option for you.