Launching next month, the nova 5T is the first Huawei phone you can pick up in the UK with a hole punch display à la Samsung’s Galaxy S10 series. The device boasts a 6.26-inch LCD display with a 1080p resolution.
Huawei’s nova 5T is visually striking, whether you pick up the midsummer purple, crush blue, or black finish, you’ll be treated to a rear panel that glows in a variety of tones depending on the angle light catches it.
Like all smartphones from Huawei, the nova 5T is equipped with an array of cameras. Four to be precise.
In addition to a pixel-packed primary camera, the nova 5T also boasts an ultra wide-angle lens, a macro sensor, and another module dedicated to applying bokeh effects on its rear.
The ultra wide-angle is certainly one of the most important additions. It allows Huawei fans to cram more into a single shot, meaning you won’t have to awkwardly retreat to snap a picture of a towering skyscraper, for instance.
Now, to the elephant in the room. Although the nova 5t doesn’t have a curvaceous display, 5G support, or super slow-motion video recording, it does indeed come with support for Google apps and services… which is more than can be said of the Mate 30 Pro.
That’s because although the device is debuting in the UK for the first time, it was already available in a number of Asian regions. Only new Huawei phones debuting globally are impacted by the US’ ongoing trade ban.
So when you unwrap the nova 5T it will come with all the Android apps and services you expect, like the Play Store, Google Maps, Chrome and more pre-installed.
This certainly makes the set-up process much more streamlined than the Mate 30 Pro is expected to be.
When it comes to performance, Huawei hasn’t held much back. The nova 5T is fitted with the firm’s own Kirin 980 chipset the should keep it ticking along nicely. Accompanying its snappy processor is 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
Battery life shouldn’t be a problem for the nova 5T either, the phone is fitted with a generous 3,750 cell that should still have juice after a full day of usage.
When you do run out of juice, the nova 5T supports 22.5W fast wired charging that Huawei claims can refill the phone from zero to 50 percent in half an hour. The phone can’t be charged wirelessly though.
Topping everything off is the phone’s price. Coming in at £399, the phone is about £600 cheaper than Huawei’s Google-less Mate 30 Pro is expected to be when it finally releases.
On paper, the Huawei nova 5T seems like a great mid-ranger.
Really the only complaint we have is that it comes pre-installed with Android 9.1 and not Google’s Android 10. It’s currently unclear when the device’s operating system will be upgraded, but our bet is that it won’t come until 2020 at the very earliest.