Huawei’s most recent release is the Nova 5T which landed in the office to review this week. At first glance, it is an impressive device with flagship-like specs including a Kirin 980 chipset and quad camera all for a bargain price of £399.
Perhaps more impressive is that Huawei has managed to launch a phone in the UK with Google App even though they couldnt do this with their flagship phone the Mate 30 Pro.
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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HONOR 20 Dual SIM Smartphone, 6.26 Inch Display, 48 MP AI... | £179.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
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Huawei Nova 5T 128GB 6.26” LCD Display Smartphone with 48... | 127 Reviews | £119.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The reason behind this is the similarily it shares with the Honor 20, which was announced back in May and barely scraped through the trade bad to get its Google Certification.
When we compare the specification in the table below you will see not only do these phones have a striking resemblance, they don’t just share similar specs, it is the exact same specification.
During my early benchmarking of the Huawei Nova 5T when you load 3D Mark up, it identifies the phone like the Honor 20.
It is not the first time something like this has happened, the Honor 10 Lite and Huawei P Smart 2019 are also effectively the same. Huawei are not the only company that does it either, though they perhaps are the most blatant. Looking at the Oppo Reno Ace vs Realme X2 Pro they also bear a striking resemblance both in the specification and looks, however, in this case, they have at least differentiated themselves slightly with a different camera spec and charging functionality.
I assume the logic behind this is two-fold. Most consumers don’t pay that much attention to specs and having two phones on a shop floor increases the odd of Huawei winning that customer. I suspect that was the case back for the Honor 10 Lite and Huawei P Smart 2019.
This time around is perhaps more important. Huawei will want to be seen as carrying on as normal. Tech geeks may be quite aware of what is going, but your average punter will probably just hear that Huawei can’t launch phones with Google anymore. So by releasing the Nova 5T they can be perceived as still being in business (with Google).
The one issue here is that even though the phone is superb value for money, the Honor 20 was launched months ago and that means it has dropped below RRP. Thanks to Amazon being Amazon, you can bow buy the Honor 20 for just £310 whereas the Huawei Nova 5T is £399.
So at the moment, the Nova 5T is dead on arrival, at least until it drops in price further.
On the bright side, this has highlighted just what a good deal the Honor 20 is, this puts it £90 cheaper than the oft-recommended Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro, or £40 more than the less powerful Xiaomi Mi 9T.
[content-egg module=Amazon template=list]
| Huawei Nova 5T | Honor 20 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2019, August | 2019, May |
| Status | Available. Released 2019, September | Available. Released 2019, June |
| Dimensions | 154.3 x 74 x 7.8 mm (6.07 x 2.91 x 0.31 in) | 154.3 x 74 x 7.9 mm (6.07 x 2.91 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 174 g (6.14 oz) | 174 g (6.14 oz) |
| Build | Front/back glass, aluminum frame | Front/back glass, aluminum frame |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Type | IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Size | 6.26 inches, 96.2 cm2 (~84.2% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.26 inches, 96.2 cm2 (~84.2% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~412 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~412 ppi density) |
| Protection | ||
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), EMUI 9.1 | Android 9.0 (Pie); Magic 2.1 |
| Chipset | HiSilicon Kirin 980 (7 nm) | HiSilicon Kirin 980 (7 nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.6 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2x1.92 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) | Octa-core (2x2.6 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2x1.92 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP10 | Mali-G76 MP10 |
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM |
| Front Camera | 48 MP, f/1.8, 28mm (wide), 1/2", 0.8µm, PDAF | 48 MP, f/1.8, 28mm (wide), 1/2", 0.8µm, PDAF |
| 16 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1" | 16 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1" | |
| 2 MP, f/2.4, 27mm (wide), dedicated macro camera | 2 MP, f/2.4, 27mm (wide), dedicated macro camera | |
| 2 MP, f/2.4, depth sensor | 2 MP, f/2.4, depth sensor | |
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | LED flash, HDR, panorama |
| Video | 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS | 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS |
| Selfie | 32 MP, f/2.0, 0.8µm | 32 MP, f/2.0, 0.8µm |
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Video | 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS | 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic | Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic | |
| 32-bit/192kHz audio | 32-bit/192kHz audio | |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, aptX HD, LE | 5.0, A2DP, aptX HD, LE |
| GPS | Yes, with dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Po 3750 mAh battery | Non-removable Li-Po 3750 mAh battery |
| Charging | Fast battery charging 22.5W (50% in 24 min) | Fast battery charging 22.5W (50% in 24 min) |
| Colors | Black, Crush Blue, Midsummer Purple | Midnight Black, Sapphire Blue, Icelandic white, Phantom Blue |
| Price |
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the creative mind behind Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking, to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
Last update on 2023-12-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API