When HUAWEI launched the Nova 5T it was integrating a new aesthetic identity with futuristic design and cutting edge technology. The HUAWEI nova 5T is an essential digital device in the modern age: avant-garde and fashionable, pushing the boundaries of style and functionality. The HUAWEI nova smartphone is aimed at a youth audience and was designed to empower users to create eye-catching visuals. Delivering an extraordinary mobile experience at an affordable price, the HUAWEI nova 5T packs a 32MP selfie camera on the front and a powerful quad-camera array on the back.

The AI-enhanced rear camera system is capable of ultra-wide-angle photography, macro shooting, and natural bokeh generation for portraits, as well as ultra-HD imagery that excels in any environment, light or dark.

It is powered by the premium Kirin 980 AI processor and comes with 8 GB of RAM. Together with the powerful EMUI 9.1 operating system, the components combine to offer a lag-free, fluid experience on par with expensive high-end models. 22.5W HUAWEI SuperCharge technology ensures that the phone is always ready to go.

With so many super feature packed into such a small device, and priced so affordably, we were excited to try out this phone ourselves.

 

Lets look at the Design Philosophy
The HUAWEI nova series was designed the fashion-savvy youth in mind; not solely young adults and millennials, but also those who are young at heart, fashion conscious, ready to embrace new experiences, and possessing an artistic eye.
Refined Ergonomics on a Slender Phone

The HUAWEI nova 5T has a 6.26-inch HUAWEI Punch FullView Display but weighs just 174 grams thanks to its wafer-thin 7.87 mm thickness, offering an immersive display on a slender body.
Colorful, Vibrant 3D Design on a Flat Surface

The HUAWEI nova 5 series is available in three striking color schemes: Crush Blue, Black, and Midsummer Purple. A refined finish provides a unique texture and accentuates lighting contrasts, creating a multi-layered 3D effect on a flat surface. An enhanced reflective design endows each phone with a holographic look.
Stunning Surface Design

Differing from previous nova models, HUAWEI nova 5T comes with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, rather than the rear. The only openings are two sets of camera lenses, breaking out from an otherwise unobstructed surface that radiates light. We tested the fingerprint sensor and they are much more reponsive that those in-screen sensor.

 

More Immersive Viewing on HUAWEI Punch FullView Display

The HUAWEI nova 5T represents a massive technological leap in the full-view display. The HUAWEI Punch FullView Display represents bleeding edge design, technology and craftsmanship. So far this is the best method to allow for front camera and yet without obstructing the full screen display.
Discreet Camera Technology

Underneath the HUAWEI nova 5T’s 6.26-inch HUAWEI Punch FullView Display is an underdisplay camera. By hiding the camera under the LCD panel, the smartphone’s screen retains its full integrity, free of irregularities like the notch, and achieves a high screen-to-body ratio. By eliminating the notch, the screen seamlessly dissolves into the user experience. Supporting up to a Full HD resolution of 2340×1080, the display is fully capable of showing off every speck of color in any content displayed on the screen.

 

 

HUAWEI is well known for its great camera phone, and in this model it does not disappoint.

This model has Five AI Cameras

As Huawei phones have become increasingly acclaimed as mobile photography powerhouses, the nova series has more than pulled its own weight, especially in the area of selfie cameras.

 

A Highly Dependable Selfie Camera
32 Million Pixels for High Resolution Selfies

The HUAWEI nova 5T’s 32MP ultra-clarity camera captures minute detail with unmatched sharpness, right down to fine strands of hair.
AI HDR+: Unfazed by Backlit Portrait Shooting

The stark contrast between the brightest and darkest areas can prove difficult for even a professional SLR camera to handle. On the HUAWEI nova 5T, multi-frame synthesis is also deployed for backlit scenes, which takes a number of images in one shot and merges the best parts of each to form one final photo in which the dynamic range is effectively widened, and image contrast, sharpness, and quality are substantially enhanced.
Beautification Tailored just for You

To avoid fake, one-size-fits-all beautification effects, the HUAWEI nova 5T utilizes artificial intelligence to “study” beauty and analyze excellent portrait shots from the database, and has therefore acquired professional-level aesthetic “taste”. By working in conjunction with the Kirin 980 chipset’s dual NPUs, the AI system is able to tailor beatification according to individual facial features, bringing out the best visual features for every person. AI-supported contouring avoids the infamous caked-on look that simply glosses over natural skin texture, ensuring that you retain your individuality, as you are simply the best and most natural presentation of yourself.

 

Powerful Quad-Camera Configuration for All Shooting Scenarios

Equipped with four AI cameras that support high-definition, ultra-wide-angle, macro, and depth of field photography, the HUAWEI nova 5T is able to capture rich and clear images within a singleshot in all scenarios, from vast landscapes to close-up shots.
It also combines AI-powered image semantic segmentation and partition optimization technology with the 48MP HD lens, 16MP wide-angle lens, 2MP macro lens, and 2MP bokeh lens which can clearly present details in the photo and balance the exposure under all lighting conditions, thus preventing blown highlights and crushed shadows.
Together with its ultimate photography algorithms, the HUAWEI nova 5T offers all kinds of shooting modes for capturing colorful and high-resolution images anytime and anywhere.

 

Vivid 48MP HD Imaging with Lifelike Details

With a Sony sensor and 4-in-1 pixel fusion, the HUAWEI nova 5T supports 48MP resolution and 1/2-inch light sensing unit with stunning clarity in every detail. The impressive chip calculation and AI HDR+ algorithm for low light and high dynamic range compensate for exposure or shadows to produce clear and vivid shots.

 
Breathtaking Handheld Night Photography

Huawei’s pioneering Handheld Super Night Mode breaks new ground for night shooting with smartphones thanks to its intelligent light sensing, image denoising, and enhancement technologies, as well as its long exposure and multi-frame stabilization and calibration. The HUAWEI nova 5T offers users the chance to take professional and crystal-clear night shots with a quality that is comparable to photos taken with a tripod.
In addition, the large sensor in the 48 MP lens, updated Image Signal Process + Neural Processing Unit (NPU) hardware, AI Image Stabilization (AIS) technology, and RAW image multi-frame synthesis algorithm improve the imaging quality of each frame by enhancing the clarity, image layers, and color saturation. In this way, users are able to achieve professional night photography at the touch of a shutter and without the need for adjusting the camera settings or post-editing.

 

Ultra-Wide-Angle Lens Broadens Your Horizons 

Bolstered by a f/2.2 17 mm ultra-wide-angle lens, the HUAWEI nova 5T broadens your horizons, fitting vast cityscapes and landscapes within the frame in striking detail.

 

Playing Around with Macro Shooting 

Capturing close-up details when taking macro photos doesn’t require you to break the bank. With the reasonably priced HUAWEI nova 5T, you can take photos of objects as close as 4cm away.

 

Bokeh Lens and Hardware-level Portrait Blurring 

To obtain a better blurred background for portrait shots, the HUAWEI nova 5T fully utilizes the bokeh lens and software algorithms. This results in the subject of the shot standing out without the distraction of anything in the background. In addition, thanks to the Kirin chipset’s ISP real-time depth processing capabilities, the wide aperture bokeh has been enhanced for even more natural and seamless effects when taking shots with the HUAWEI nova 5T.

 

AI-Enhanced Photography

HUAWEI nova 5T comes with a wide range of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to empower users to capture incredible moments on their phone, both as stills and as video.

A Versatile Camera with Next-Level Video 

The HUAWEI nova 5T packs a rear AI quad-camera, which features a 1/2-inch 48MP main sensor and a 16MP ultra-wide sensor. The front camera’s 32MP high-definition lens is also a top performer.

The lenses interact to generate a wide variety of images from diverse settings, something that was previously inconceivable on a palm-sized handset. AI Image Stabilization, Auto Exposure Lock (AEL), and Auto Focus Lock (AFL) technologies work together to ensure that images are sharp and detailed, laying the groundwork for top-level video shooting.

 

  AI Spotlight Reel 

Spurred by powerful NPU and AI algorithms, the HUAWEI nova 5T comes equipped with an automatic video editing feature that is perfect for novices, bringing simplicity to the video editing process. An AI-enabled function endows the camera with the ability to automatically recognize recurring subjects in videos. This saves you the hassle of sorting through clips by creating edited subject-based videos.

 

9.1 Channel Immersive Surround Sound Effects

Histen 6.0 is Huawei’s third generation headset 3D audio technology, and supports 9.1 channels, delivering a 3D audio experience unlike any other. Sparkling sound quality brings music, movies, and gaming to a whole new level.

 

The HUAWEI nova 5T is not just about design and cameras, it is also about GAMING

Enhanced Performance and Gaming

The HUAWEI nova 5T comes with enhanced battery and gaming performance to enable a truly immersive mobile experience in the era of social media and social gaming.
Flagship Kirin 980 chipset

The HUAWEI nova 5T comes with Huawei’s flagship Kirin 980 chipset, instantly making it one of the top-performing Huawei phones. The lightning fast Kirin 980 chip is the world’s first commercial 7nm SoC chip, and the first SoC to embed Cortex-A76 based cores. The DUAL-NPU offer outstanding AI capability, increased performance and greater efficiencies, bringing you a smarter and more engaging user experience.

 

22.5W HUAWEI SuperCharge to Juice Up Battery

Fast charging means you don’t have to worry about the battery of your HUAWEI nova 5T running out – even under heavy use. The cutting-edge 22.5W HUAWEI SuperCharge will refuel the battery in your HUAWEI nova 5T phone from 0% to 50% in 30 minutes.
Industry-leading  GPU Turbo 3.0

The new generation GPU Turbo greatly increases CPU and GPU processor performances, leveraging the Kirin 980 chips for a revolutionized immersive gaming experience. It allows users to play more graphically demanding games, boosts the average frame rate to the maximum level, and extends the battery life by reducing the SoC power consumption. Currently 25 games are supported by GPU Turbo 3.0, covering some of the world’s most popular games.

 

EMUI 9.1: The Perfect Platform for Your Mobile Life

A More Secure File System that Gives You More Storage Space 

Huawei’s proprietary Extendable Read-Only File System (EROFS) increases the average random read speed by 20%. It also helps you save system storage space by reducing the ROM size. In addition, it can convert files into read-only files, improving the security of the device.

EROFS speeds up the top app launch speed and significantly improves system responsiveness. Following Huawei’s collaboration with top app developers, EMUI 9.1 comes with noticeable improvements to frequently used features. For example, you can make QR code payments and load images and multimedia content even more quickly. The speed at which images load has improve dramatically.

 

Huawei Share Makes Data Sharing Easy

Huawei Share helps you to quickly and easily transfer data. You can quickly share photos from your Huawei phone to other Huawei phones, laptops, or wireless printers with just one tap.

Hold the NFC area of a Huawei phone that runs EMUI 9.0 or later against the Huawei Share label of a Matebook3 to quickly transfer pictures, videos, and files between the two devices. The text in the images you transferred can also be recognized for you to copy and paste onto a clipboard. You can even tap the phone against the MateBook to record a video that is playing on the MateBook.

 

Specifications
54.25mm x 73.97mm x 7.87 mm 174g

HUAWEI Punch FullView Display, LCD 6.26 Inches

Rear Camera: 48MP HD Lens 16MP Ultra Wide Angle Lens 2MP Macro Lens 2MP Bokeh Lens

Front Camera: 32MP f/2.0

Video: 4k, 30fps

Chipset Kirin 980

Operating System:  EMUI 9.1 (Based on Android 9)

RAM and Storage : 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM

Battery :3750mAh (typical value) HUAWEI 22.5W SuperCharge

Fingerprint Sensor:  Side-mounted

GPU Turbo 3.0 : Yes

Headset: Histen 6.0 supporting 9.1 channel

 

 

PROS
Solid, compact build phone
Reliable all-round performance
Great cameras
Responsive fingerprint sensor
CONS
LCD display is decent, but not OLED
No headphone jack
No expandable storage
No water resistance

VERDICT:

This is a great phone to go for, without paying for the high price of P30Pro

It does include latest technology and it does not disappoint. We find this phone great value for money, especially now you can get this below SGD$500