Huawei Nova 5T phone folds bet where Chinese already hit

Huawei Nova 5T recycles P30 processor and photographic resources

Huawei Nova 5T recycles P30 processor and photographic resources

The Nova 5T, a Huawei phone that arrived in Brazil for R $ 3,000 at the end of April, causes that feeling that we know each other from somewhere, right? Well, if the user had contact with the P30 line, which marked the Chinese manufacturer's return to the country last year, it is possible that it did.

The device recycles many of the features seen at China's top of the line, including the Kirin 980 processor and photo software features. It is the first cell phone launched by the brand in Brazil in 2020. The name's 5T refers to its five cameras, one for selfies and a rear set with four lenses. It had been launched last October in Europe, so why the delay? For the report, the company said: As a global brand, we need to be in compliance with the regulations of each country where we launch our products. Sometimes it takes more time in some regions, which is why we are unable to maintain the same pace in all countries.

When it comes to Huawei phones, one of the main questions is whether they will have Google services, after all, since May 2019 the manufacturer has been on a list of restrictions by the U.S. government and cannot maintain business with companies in the country. Instead, Huawei installed its own apps, but buying an Android phone and not being able to have Google apps would be tantamount to going to a rodzio steakhouse and having to be satisfied with the salad.

Fortunately, the Nova 5T does not suffer from the possible problem that the company obtained the licenses for use before the cut promoted by Donald Trump (and the older hardware seen in other devices of the company should collaborate with that). He still has the services of Google, in what must be one of the last sighs of the partnership questioned on the subject by the report, the company shied away and said only We are investing substantial resources to offer the best possible experience to consumers and application developers. The feedback we received is incredibly positive and shows that we are on the right track.

For the user, the important thing to know is that Google Maps, YouTube, Google Drive, Gmail and PlayStore will be available the combination still has Android 9 with the EMUI 9.1 interface. Huawei's interference on Android is minimal, as are pre-installed apps. Finding Netflix and recorder and notepad apps is not a problem. Point to Huawei.

Thumbs up for the digital player

The Nova has a classy body: it is all glass and the tested model is black. There is also a vertical row with the four cameras at the rear. On the front, the design keeps only one hole for the camera, as some competitors from Motorola, Samsung and Xiaomi already do. The body feels quite light. So 174 grams. The 6.26-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels is doing well. It has good definition and color display.

The design also has an experience worthy of the Chico Buarque meme: it has a digital player (cheerful), but it does not have a headphone jack (sad). The digital reader deserves a separate comment: it is positioned on the right side of the cell phone, at the point where the finger usually lands when you pick up the phone. This guarantees a slight unlock – a very clever solution and further proof to question the reasons why certain manufacturers (al, Apple) have discouraged the method.

Before anyone gets up to say that Apple prefers facial recognition, I'm already saying that Nova has it too. But Huawei is more open about the efficiency of the technology. When the user registers the face, the cellphone warns that, perhaps, the technology does not always work so well and suggests combining facial and digital unlocking.

In the tests, facial unlocking did not work in two obvious situations: one in totally dark environments. In low light, the results were average. The second is when the face is covered with a mask (made with two layers of cotton, ideal to protect against covid-19; don't forget yours!). The combination of facial and digital recognition, however, ensures that there is no thread to unlock the phone.

Nova 5T digital reader is on the side of the device

Nova 5T digital reader is on the side of the device

Battery and performance

With 8 GB of memory and the Kirin 980, a chip that was already top of the line, the Nova does well and does not choke. This includes games, which a segment targeted by the company with the launch. In our tests, we played a lot and there was no bottleneck.

The same goes for transitions and app launch. The cell phone even allows the split-screen feature, a tool already found in devices from brands like Samsung and Xiaomi. s press and hold the square button on the bottom bar that two apps are active on the screen at the same time. Although the space does not make it very comfortable to use two apps at the same time, it is interesting to see the phone perform this smoothly.

The performance may indicate an impact on the battery, but what we saw was a very satisfactory performance at the capacity of 3,750 mAh. With only 67% battery life, I had eight hours of autonomy. Evidently, these numbers grew with a full charge. It is worth mentioning that the tests were all done at home, due to the pandemic. This means that the mobile network and GPS uses, two known battery glutes, are reduced, which increases the autonomy.

Still, it is possible to say that the Nova did well in the battery test. Better yet, your standard 22.5W charger. With a technology called Huawei SuperCharge, it guarantees fast charging. In just 50 minutes, it was possible to achieve full charge.

Photos: today in Faro!

As it is a kind of recycled P30, the photo system of the Nova causes expectation. Last year's phone had one of the best sets on the market. The Nova has one more camera than the P30. There are four cameras at the rear (48 MP, 16 MP wide-angle lens, 2 MP macro lens and 2 MP bokeh lens) against three of the predecessor (40 MP, 20 MP and 8 MP). In addition, the newbie still carries the AI ​​and software features also found on the P30. So, would I buy Nova just for the camera? Not today, Faro.

Not that the results are bad, but there is nothing special in general. Night mode works very well. The portrait mode also effectively blurs the background. For those who like it, there is also the beautifying way that removes wrinkles, stains, chicken feet and other facial imperfections of course, if you were really ugly, it does not make a miracle. In bright places, he is also far from embarrassed, doing interesting work in colors.

However, in some situations, the image lacked definition. Nova also usually saturates colors. It's not always bad, but when it doesn't work, it bothers a lot. The software has the option of AI to identify objects to supposedly choose the best photo mode. Some results were quite artificial, most of the time. You may conclude that it is best to keep the tool off.

Without the P30's optical zoom and a macro lens that does not reproduce the same results as the brother, using any of these features is not very inspiring. The 32 MP selfie camera does a good job, with interesting colors and good definition. But here, the embellishment feature is usually on the stem. Worth deactivating.

The videos are shot in 4K and to handle all that content, Nova has 128 GB of storage. good, of course. But he has no memory card slot in case he needs more. Overall, the whole camera kit leaves a taste of what could be better.

Nova 5T rear set has four cameras

Nova 5T rear set has four cameras

It is not the P30

Considered the whole package, the Nova 5T is an interesting option. It has performance, battery, hardware and software resources that together are worth the price and don't forget the Google package. This demonstrates a change in the company's strategy in the country, which initially planned an entry with high-end models.

When questioned, the company quipped about the change in strategy. Our strategy is always to: listen to the needs and demands of consumers and provide the best experience. Apparently, the Brazilian's response was the same as always: lower the price and give me something decent.

If the idea of ​​betting on Nova just for the camera, something that would make sense on the P30, hold the wave, little brother. The path to success is to understand this tool within the overall package of the device. Under this tactic, Nova shows that Huawei can offer good devices at more competitive prices, which can guarantee a greater capacity for the company to fight for our market.

Of course, Huawei's future in the country also depends on its ability to continue offering Google services. However, if everything goes wrong, the Nova 5T will have provided a worthy farewell.