As scheduled, Huawei announced the Nova 7 Series in China. Given the specs of the three new phones, the company is making a push for the affordable 5G market. Availability will start April 28th with no word yet regarding the Philippine release. As for their prices, Nova 7 SE starts at CNY 2399(~P17,000) with the 5G-enabled version costing CNY 2799(~P20,000). The Nova 7 is on sale for CNY 2999(~P21,500) and CNY 3399(~P24,300) for the 8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB models, respectively. While the Nova 7 Pro is priced at CNY 3699(~P26,500) and CNY 4099(~P29,400) for the same configuration.
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Nova 7 SE features Kirin 820 5G
We already know the capabilities of the Kirin 820 5G, so having the Nova 7 SE means having a flagship-level of a device from last year. Among the three devices, the SE model is the only one with an IPS LCD, however, it supports FHD+ resolution and HDR10 playback. Furthermore, the cameras on the back remain to be of 64MP f1.8 + 8MP f2.4 ultrawide + 2MP f2.4 macro + 2MP f2.4 depth. On the flip end, the 16MP selfie camera is the least capable out of the series. The battery is rated 4000mAh and compatible with 40W Huawei SuperCharge for up to 70% charge in 30mins.
Nova 7 SE specs, price, availability in the Philippines
- Display: 6.5″ IPS LCD, FHD+, HDR10, pinhole cutout
- Design: glass backing, metal frame
- Dimension and Weight: 162.3 x 75 x 8.6 mm, 189g
- Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 820 5G (7nm)
- CPU: Octa-core (1×2.36 GHz Cortex-A76 & 3×2.22 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×1.84 GHz Cortex-A55)
- GPU: Mali-G57 (6-core)
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB via nano-memory slot
- Main Camera: 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), PDAF
8 MP, f/2.4, 17mm (ultrawide)
2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
| up to 4K@30fps video - Selfie Camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, (wide)
| up to 1080p@30fps video - Connectivity & Ports: 5G(sub-6GHz), 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C, audio jack
- Security: face unlock, side-mounted fingerprint scanner
- Battery: 4000mAh, 40W Huawei SuperCharge (70% in 30 mins), 5W reverse wired charging
- Audio: mono speaker
- OS: Android 10.0 (AOSP + HMS); EMUI 10.1
- Colors: Black, Purple, Green, Blue
- Price: CNY 2399(~P17,000) and CNY 2799(~P20,000)
- Release date: April 28, 2020 (China)
Kirin 985 starts with the Nova 7
The debuting Kirin 985 SoC is tagging along with the vanilla Nova 7. According to Honor’s President, the new chipset bridges the gap between Kirin 820 and Kirin 990. Based on a leaked Antutu benchmark, the 386,000 overall score shows another flagship-level performance. As much as we love to praise the processing power, the highlight is the integrated 5G modem. Based on the company’s claim, the downlink and uplink rates are 40% and 75% faster, respectively, than the Snapdragon 865.
Unlike the SE model, Nova 7 has an OLED screen that provides naturally vibrant colors and deep blacks. The expansion through the nano-memory slot here is gone, along with the headphone jack. The upgrades, however, come in the form of a 32MP wide selfie camera and 8MP f2.4 telephoto lens that delivers 3x optical zoom. Furthermore, video recording is assisted by EIS.
Nova 7 specs, price, availability in the Philippines
- Display: 6.53″ OLED, FHD+, HDR10, pinhole cutout
- Design: glass backing, metal frame
- Dimension and Weight: 160.6 x 74.3 x 8 mm, 180g
- Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 985 5G (7 nm)
- CPU: Octa-core (1×2.58 GHz Cortex-A76 & 3×2.40 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×1.84 GHz Cortex-A55)
- GPU: Mali-G77 (8-core)
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB UFS 3.0 non-expandable
- Main Camera: 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), PDAF
8 MP, f/2.4, 80mm (telephoto), PDAF, 3x optical zoom
8 MP, f/2.4, 17mm (ultrawide)
2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
| up to 4K@30fps video with EIS - Selfie Camera: 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.8µm
| up to 4K@30fps video - Connectivity & Ports: 5G(sub-6GHz), 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C, audio jack
- Security: face unlock, in-display fingerprint scanner
- Battery: 4000mAh, 40W Huawei SuperCharge (75% in 30 mins), 5W reverse wired charging
- Audio: mono speaker
- OS: Android 10.0 (AOSP + HMS); EMUI 10.1
- Colors: Black, Red, Purple, Green, Blue
- Price: CNY 2999(~P21,500) and CNY 3399(~P24,300)
- Release date: April 28, 2020 (China)
Nova 7 Pro gets better and more cameras
From the back, it’s hard to tell which is which due to the same design of the Nova 7 Series. But flip them upfront and you’ll see the difference — only the Nova 7 Pro comes with a curved OLED screen that’s also slightly bigger than the two at 6.57-inch. It even supports DCI-P3 color gamut. Furthermore, there’s a pill-shaped cutout for the two selfie cameras — 32MP f2.2 wide + 8MP f2.2 ultrawide. Like the Nova 7, it can do 4K selfie videos. The main cameras are still headlined by the 64MP f1.8 wide sensor. And if you’re fond of zooming in, the 8MP periscope lens offers 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, 50x digital zoom, and OIS. As for the rest, you get 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro.
Huawei has packed tons of features on the Nova 7 Pro’s cameras. Aside from the combination of OIS and AIS for a very stable video, image quality enhancements are also present, such as SLR-level BM3D noise reduction, Super Night 3.0, wide-angle distortion correction, and eye-tracking AF.
Do you think Nova 7, Nova 7 SE, and Nova 7 Pro are worth buying?
READ: Honor 30 Series: 50MP RYYB Camera, Periscope Lens, 90Hz Starting at P21K
Nova 7 Pro specs, price, availability in the Philippines
- Display: 6.57″ OLED, FHD+, HDR10, pill-shaped cutout
- Design: glass backing, metal frame
- Dimension and Weight: 160.6 x 74.3 x 8 mm, 178g
- Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 985 5G (7 nm)
- CPU: Octa-core (1×2.58 GHz Cortex-A76 & 3×2.40 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×1.84 GHz Cortex-A55)
- GPU: Mali-G77 (8-core)
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB UFS 3.0 non-expandable
- Main Camera: 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), PDAF
Periscope 8 MP, f/3.4, 125mm (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom
8 MP, f/2.4, 17mm (ultrawide)
2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
| up to 4K@30fps video with EIS and OIS - Selfie Camera: 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.8µm, PDAF
8 MP, f/2.2, 17mm (ultrawide)
| up to 4K@30fps video - Connectivity & Ports: 5G(sub-6GHz), 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C, audio jack
- Security: face unlock, in-display fingerprint scanner
- Battery: 4000mAh, 40W Huawei SuperCharge (75% in 30 mins), 5W reverse wired charging
- Audio: mono speaker
- OS: Android 10.0 (AOSP + HMS); EMUI 10.1
- Colors: Black, Red, Purple, Green, Blue
- Price: CNY 3699(~26,500) and CNY 4099(~P29,400)
- Release date: April 28, 2020 (China)
