Truth be told, Huawei phones were known for packing amazing specs amid their competitive price tags. The company seeks to replicate the success of its previous offerings with the release of the Nova 7i, a powerful mid-range phone at a very affordable price. Would the unit provide the same winning experience we’ve had with its predecessors?
Let’s find out in our review.
A Smartphone for the Sleek Creative
The Nova 7i features a sleek, glossy two-tone design augmented by a metallic body frame. Its 6.4-inch LTPS IPS screen easily dwarfs other smartphones in comparison, and while larger sizes equate to a bulky user experience, the unit is surprisingly comfortable to hold.
The punch-hole camera introduced in Nova 5T makes a comeback for the 7i, albeit it sports a lower resolution than its predecessor. The same thing cannot be said for the quad rear cameras, however. The cameras are tucked in a square-shaped configuration with an LED flash placed underneath. The configuration houses a 48MP f/1.8 main lens, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP portrait lens.
The quad-camera setup produces great photos with vibrant colors and sharp details. The portrait mode does a good job of separating the subject from the background, exuding a sense of depth with the images. Despite that, the cameras tend to suffer in low-light areas. While settings can be adjusted to conform to darker environments, the details suffer a bit and the photos become somewhat softer.
A Smartphone That Packs a Punch
The Nova 7i utilizes a mid-range configuration punctuated by a Kirin 810 chipset with 8GB of RAM and a 128GB expandable storage. While not as powerful as other units, the phone manages to run multiple tasks in blazing speed without any issues. We have tested the phone in benchmark tests to assess its capacity to run demanding apps, and the results are shown below.
If anything, the benchmark scores prove that the Nova 7i can handle even the most strenuous tasks, including gaming applications.
The battery life is also commendable. Unlike other mid-range phones, the Nova 7i’s battery features fast-charging and can last up to three days in full-capacity, leaving you with plenty of time for playing and browsing.
A Smartphone for Gaming
Despite the amazing results it yielded from our benchmark tests, the Huawei AppGallery only features a few known games, and titles such as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Call of Duty Mobile are yet to appear in the application. Fortunately, games like Asphalt Legacy and Naruto Slugfest are available in the gallery.
We had the phone run Naruto Slugfest to see how it fares in terms of rendering 3D assets and movement. The controls play very well, and the 3D assets are displayed evenly. The unit also managed to handle the game’s various features including its rotating camera splits and varying skill effects.
For our next test, we used Sniper Honor to check how the unit can handle first-person shooters. The app consistently ran at 60 FPS and the controls didn’t show any hitches. Shooting targets from above sure felt surreal and exciting. Now if only we can play CODM on it.
Conclusion
For its price tag, the Huawei Nova 7i delivers a solid performance and a plethora of amazing features to boot. The lack of supporting games proves to be a concern, however we’re looking forward to seeing how it fares once known titles make their appearance onto the Huawei App Gallery.
Disclosure: Huawei provided us a Nova 7i unit for review purposes and we receive compensation from companies we review. However, our reviews and opinions remain unbiased and factual.