Huawei launches the Nova 5T, its $598 camera powerhouse (still) running on Android

Let’s get this out of the way first — Huawei’s newly released phone is running on Android. Yes, the world’s No. 2 smartphone maker might not be able to promise licensed Google apps (like Gmail, Maps, YouTube) for its upcoming Mate 30 flagship, but you’ll face no such issues with the Nova 5T. 

The Chinese tech firm today (Sept 5) launched the latest iteration of its Nova series, which according to the marketing spiel, is considered a “junior flagship” phone, sitting somewhere between midrange and premium. 

Further PR rigmarole reveals that the Nova 5T is “emblematic of modern living” thanks to Huawei pushing the “boundaries of style and functionality” with an “avant-garde, fashionable, and idiosyncratic” device designed for the youth market. 

On the surface, it looks pretty standard for a 2019 smartphone. It sports a nearly bezel-less 6.26-inch screen display with a 2340x1080 resolution and a hole-punch selfie camera. And it’s superbly, weirdly light! Weighing in at 174 grams with a 7.87mm thickness, it feels highly likely that it might fly off your hand if you’re not careful. 

A physical lightweight it may be, but under the hood lies a heavy-duty processor: Huawei’s top-end Kirin 980 chip that’s used in its flagship phones like the P30 and Mate 20 Pro. Combine it with the phone’s equipped GPU Turbo 3.0, the mobile gaming experience on the Nova 5T is supercharged with faster touch response, lower battery consumption, and higher average frame rate. 

In other words, smoother mobile gameplay on titles like Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends, FIFA Mobile, Minecraft, and 20 other popular games. After all, there’s a reason why Huawei chose to launch the Nova 5T at the Esports Festival Asia segment of Comex 2019. 

As much as Huawei would like to position the device as a gaming powerhouse, its true might lies in its shooting abilities — although it shouldn’t be a surprise, considering this is Huawei we’re talking about. The phone comes equipped with four AI cameras in the back: a 16MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 48MP high-definition lens, a 2MP bokeh lens, and a 2MP macro lens. 

In the front is a “selfie-centric” 32MP camera with an integrated AI-driven beautification algorithm that’s able to contour faces naturally and highlight “the personalised beauty present in every subject”. Knowing how Chinese-made beautification tech typically makes it look like our faces are smothered with foundation, this is kinda doubtful, but Huawei promises that our self-shot portraits won’t look “obviously fake”. 

AI is embedded within the quad-camera setup in the rear as well, ensuring that every still and video focuses where you want it to in high resolution. Having a separate depth-of-field lens with the chipset’s real-time depth processing capabilities allows for a more authentic bokeh effect, which complements the macro lens that can take pictures from as close as 4cm away. 

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Like it’s big premium-priced brother the P30 Pro, there’s Handheld Super Night Mode on the Nova 5T. It works pretty much the same way (intelligent light sensing, image denoising, multi-frame stabilisation, etc) and that means better low-light shots that require minimal edits. 

If you ask me though, the best part of the decently mighty phone is the price: just $598. The Nova 5T comes in Black, Crush Blue, and Midsummer Purple, and is available for pre-order here when the clock strikes 12 tonight. Pre-orders made between Sept 6 and 12 come with a free pair of Huawei Freebuds Lite worth $188 (while stocks last), so that’s another reason to do so. More info on Huawei's website. 

ilyas@asiaone.com