With the news that Smart and Globe are starting to deploy 5G networks in the Philippines, it’s probably time to get a 5G-enabled smartphone now. While some of you may think that only some 5G flagship phones, Huawei has actually released two mid-range 5G smartphones: the nova 7 SE and the nova 7 5G. Of the two, the nova 7 5G is the latest version, and has higher specifications on paper with its Kirin 985 processor and its four-camera configuration with a 3x telephoto lens.
Thanks to its impressive specs, the Huawei nova 7 5G definitely turns out to be a smartphone worth buying now. In fact, I came back inspired when they put it in my hands just over a week ago. But now, after more time with the nova 7 5G, I can, in spite of everything, give my full verdict on Huawei’s last mid-range 5G.
As I pointed out in my first impressions, the nova 7 5G has a very striking design, especially in the Space Silver color. In addition to having a unique soft pattern, the back of the teleteletelephone is highly reflective due to the mirror-shaped finish. Even when you put a case on it, the back of the teleteletelephone is reflective, which makes the teleteletelephone very eye-catching.
The front of the phone is as eye-catching as the back thanks to the giant 6.53-inch FHD demonstration with its minimal frames and a small notch in the upper left corner. As I mentioned in my other reviews, this is my favorite notch taste, as it doesn’t take up much space like the notch of the flavor of an iPhone, and it doesn’t distract as much as phones with a notch drilled in the middle.
Speaking of demonstrations, the nova 7 5G screen is ideal for watching movies, TV shows, cartoons or any other type of demo you want. In fact, the phone’s 6.53-inch FHD demo is an OLED panel, which gets brighter colors that make it ideal for movie/series marathons. The Full HD solution and the right point of brightness on the screen also make it easy to view videos.
As for audio, the nova 7 5G’s bottom-firing onboard speaker outputs decent quality audio without much distortion even when near max volume. The trade off though is the speaker doesn’t get too loud, meaning headphones or speakers are recommended for movie watching or music listening.
Huawei’s latest mid-ranger is powered by a Kirin 985 processor, a new chipset with a 5G modem. Even though it seems to be part of the Kirin 9-series, the performance of the chip is reportedly in between that of the Kirin 820 and the Kirin 990.
So how do you paint for games? Pretty much actually!
Unsurprisingly, the nova 7 5G temporarily deals with popular titles that are too hardware-hungry, such as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Specifically, ML: BB worked well with the top graphical configuration. As the Kirin 985 is Huawei’s high-end chip, the Ultra setting is dimmed.
For more hardware-intensive titles, the nova 7 5G also didn’t disappoint, as it was able to run games like Asphalt nine with the best graphics settings. While you probably won’t be able to maximize each and every game, the Kirin nine85 is strong enough to run the maximum (if not all) of the Android games that are available lately.
Overall, the Kirin 985 is not as rugged as Huawei’s existing flagship chipset (the Kirin 990), it’s still a rugged SoC, making the nova 7 5G a capable gaming smartphone.
The Huawei nova 7 5G’s quad rear camera configuration consists of a 64MP F/1.8 main lens, 8MP ultra wide angle, 8MP with 3x optical zoom and a 2MP macro trigger. Meanwhile, the phone’s front trigger is a 32MP F/2.0 camera.
The rear camera configuration of the nova 7 5G is similar to that of the nova 7 SE 5G, but having a 2MP intensity sensor, the nova 7 features an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. The nova 7 selfie shot was also ahead compared to the SE at 32MP compared to 16MP.
First, the 64MP trigger. While many of the above photographs were taken in cloudy situations (rather than daylight), the images of the nova 7 5G remain of the best quality, with colors and details. The interior photographs are also top quality, with a quantity of sharpness and color.
For nighttime photography, the 64MP camera is also included, especially when using night mode. While soft images taken with auto mode can now be used, night mode offers even smoother images, with sharper main dots and brighter colors.
The 8MP ultra wide trigger is also suitable for photography during hours of sunlight. Although unlike the main 64MP, the ultra-wide nova 7 5G opposes low-intensity photography because this quick trigger can be used with the phone’s night mode.
Switching to the 8MP telephoto lens, this camera allows the nova 7 5G to capture images with 3x quality optical zoom, even at night through the phone’s night mode. 5x zoom also provides smart quality symbols, but with 10x and more, because the symbol quality decreases at those zoom levels.
As for the 2MP macro camera, image quality of macro shots are decent when there’s ample lighting. Though don’t expect to shoot high quality macro photos in low light (it is only a 2MP shooter after all).
Finally, the 32MP front camera allows the nova 7 5G to take high quality selfies in a position for social media.
Given the functionality of the nova 7 5G for gaming, I am not surprised that the phone also handles daily responsibilities with ease. Whether reviewing emails, chatting with friends or running certain documents, the nova 7 5G did not stutter in all the time I spent with it. Switching between apps and navigating the menu is also a living experience.
Aside from performance, the phone’s 4000mAh battery is also large enough to last more than a day of use on a single charge. The fingerprint scanner built into the nova 7 5G screen is also fast and responsive, allowing the phone to temporarily unlock.
Although the nova 5G is a perfect phone in general from the point of view of usability, I wish Huawei would not remove the 3.5mm headphone jack, as I still prefer phones with one for my stressed headphones. The nova 7 5G comes with at least a 3.5mm dongle inside the case.
One thing to keep in mind with the nova 7 5G is that it comes with AppGallery, Huawei’s own app store. To get apps on your phone, you want to download them here; so it’s smart that there’s an increasing number of apps published on AppGallery.
If you want to download apps that are not yet available on AppGallery, you can download them via the new petal search widget (the search bar at the symbol above). What Petal Search does is automatically locate the app you want through third-party apk stores. This means that you may not have to search for apps manually through sites like APKPure or APKMirror.
Overall, the Huawei nova 7 5G is an impressive smartphone thanks to its combination of rugged performance, stunning cameras and quality display. Although its killing ability is undoubtedly its 5G capability. As 5G networks begin to deploy in the Philippines, the nova 7 5G is definitely a smartphone with a value of PHP 23990.
Huawei nova 7 5G Specifications: