Huawei recently launched the toned-down version of the Nova 2i. Tapped as the Nova 2 Lite, the company packs the device with capable specs to battle out other smartphones in sub-10K segment. As we play around with the Nova 2 Lite, our team knew that the device is set to change its segment’s status quo.
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| Huawei Nova 2 Lite Review; Sub-10K Giant? |
PHYSICAL:
In terms of its design, there’s no doubt that it inherits some of Nova 2i’s mark. The handset is housed in a polycarbonate body that might flaunt either glossy or matte-like finish. Our team received a black matte-like unit, though. For us, it looks good in black as it sports a premium-looking design. It doesn’t attract fingerprints that much, however, removing these gave us a hard time. The device is big at 158.3 x 76.7 x 7.8mm, but isn’t too heavy as it only weighs 155 grams. One hand-usage is possible as well, but a solid grip is still needed due to its size.
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| 8MP Camera, Sensor, and Earpiece |
Its face flashes a 5.99-inch HD+ 18:9 display with 2.5D curved glass. Above the screen, you’d see its 8-megapixel shooter, sensor, and earpiece.
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| Company's Branding |
The device uses an on-screen navigation keys, so, the space below the display is just occupied by its company’s branding.
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| Volume Rocker, and Power/Lock Key |
Its volume rocker and power/lock key are placed on the right side, while its SIM card tray is sited on the left. It can accommodate two nano-sized SIM cards and has another slot for microSD card.
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| Bottom |
The top portion of the device is unoccupied, while its bottom part welcomes the loudspeaker, microUSB port, microphone, and the 3.5mm audio port.
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| Back |
Flip the device on its back to reveal its protruding 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel rear cameras along with its LED flash. Its fingerprint scanner is thoughtfully placed where your finger can easily reach it.
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| Multi-touch Test |
Jumping to its display, it has a huge 5.99-inch IPS screen that has 1440 x 720 HD+ resolution, which translates to 269 pixels per inch. It might be a downgrade for some, but the device still gave us a good viewing experience. The device has a decent brightness on both indoor and outdoor, too. Moreover, we enjoyed watching videos and playing games with heavy graphics. Also, it scored 10 on multi-touch test.
SOFTWARE:
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| Software |
The Nova 2 Lite runs on EMUI 8 based on Android 8.0 Oreo O.S. It comes with pre-installed apps, including Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Google apps, and other Huawei apps.
Just like other Huawei handsets, the device has no app drawer, which means users have to access their apps through its multiple home screens. Good thing, you can easily organize it by simply creating various app folders. Navigating the device is also easy compared to other smartphone that offers an iOS-like skin. To navigate, users have to use its on-screen Android keys. Swiping from the top of the screen would show your notifications and some of its control panel, too.
PERFORMANCE:
The Nova 2 Lite is packed with an aging Snapdragon 430 processor paired with Adreno 505 graphics. It is coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded through its dedicated microSD card slot.
We ran it on our preferred benchmark apps. Here are the results:
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| Benchmark Results |
- AnTuTu – 58412
- Geekbench – 676 (Single Core)
- Geekbench – 2671 (Multi Core)
- 3DMark – 9220 (Ice Storm Unlimited)
- 3DMark – 5694 (Ice Storm Extreme)
- 3DMark – 603 (Sling Shot)
- 3DMark – 312 (Sling Shot Extreme)
- PCMark Work 2.0 – 3876
Overall, the Nova 2 Lite has a smooth performance. It can handle basic tasks and multitasking, too. However, we noticed that it lagged when we continuously switch to multiple apps. Nevertheless, it can support mobile games with heavy graphics, including Tekken and Rules of Survival.
See Also: Antutu's Top 10 Android Phones for January 2018; Huawei Mate 10 Pro on Top
CAMERA:
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| Camera |
As a camera-centric smartphone, the device is geared with 13-megapixel f/2.2 main camera with a 2-megapixel f/2.0 depth sensor at the back. It comes with PDAF and LED flash for better mobile photography, as well. On the other hand, the handset bags an 8-megapixel f/2.0 front snapper that boasts Smart Selfie Toning Flash. This allows the device to take natural looking self-photos as it intelligently adjusts its flash brightness in low-light settings.
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| Camera Settings |
Its rear camera offers wide aperture mode, Face Beauty mode, HDR, panorama, and various filters. Unfortunately, it has no pro mode. Its front shooter, on the other hand, features its 10-level Beauty mode and usual filters.
Sample Photos:
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| Camera Test - Flowers |
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| Camera Test - Native of Bohol |
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| Camera Test - River |
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| Camera Test - Native of Bohol |
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| Camera Test - Tarsier Sanctuary Signage |
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| Camera Test - At Tarsier Sanctuary |
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| Camera Test - Tarsier |
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| Camera Test - Overviewing |
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| Camera Test - Man-made Forest (W/HDR) |
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| Camera Test - Man-made Forest (W/o HDR) |
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| Camera Test - Man-made Forest |
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| Camera Test - Flower |
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| Camera Test - Macro Shot |
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| Camera Test - At Amorita Resort (W/ Flash) |
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| Camera Test - At Amorita Resort (W/HDR) |
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| Camera Test - Night |
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| Camera Test - Night (W/ HDR) |
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| Camera Test - Selfie |
CONNECTIVITY:
The Nova 2 Lite is a dual-SIM device that supports basic connectivity features, including LTE, WiFi Bluetooth 4.2, and GPS. All of these worked well provided that we have good signal reception. Its non-wireless connection such as its Micro USB 2.0 port and 3.5mm audio jack worked fine, too.
BATTERY:
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| PCMark Battery Life Test |
Powered by 3000mAh juice, we’re quite worried if it could offer us enough battery life, considering that it has a huge 5.99-inch 18:9 display. However, our actual usage proved us wrong.
Used as our basic smartphone, it lasted for almost a day. Our basic tasks include occasional social media browsing, sending SMS and emails, answering calls, and some multimedia activities.
Meanwhile, it lasted for almost 10 hours when we heavily used it. By that, we continuously used it for browsing our social media accounts, basic communications, and playing games.
We also did our traditional video loop test to better test its battery. Doing this, its Wi-Fi connection was opened, while its brightness and volume were at their highest level. It lasted for 8 hours and 27 minutes.
On the other hand, the device recorded 8 hours and 30 minutes in our PCMark Battery Life Test.
CONCLUSION:
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| Huawei Nova 2 Lite |
Moreover, we just can’t argue that it might be the perfect smartphone for consumers who are after an affordable camera-centric device.
Battling out other smartphones in its segment might be a hard fight, but we’re sure that it is ready to face its competition. The Nova 2 Lite is now available for only Php9,990.
Huawei Nova 2 Lite Specs:
- Dual SIM, supports dual standby and LTE connectivity
- 5.99-inch HD+ IPS 18:9 (1440 x 720) Display
- Dimensions: 158.3 x 76.7 x 7.8mm
- Weight: 155 grams
- Android 8.0 Oreo with EMUI 8.0
- 1.4GHz 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor
- Adreno 505 GPU
- 3GB RAM
- 32GB ROM, expandable up to 128GB
- 13MP f/2.2 + 2MP f/2.0 w/ PDAF and LED flash
- 8MP f/2.0 w/ softlight LED flash
- WiFi
- Bluetooth 4.2
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
- Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, sound, magnetic
- Fingerprint sensor
- Face Unlock
- Battery: 3000mAh
- Price: Php9,990