The arrival of the Huawei Nova 7SE 5G in the local market proves that 5G connectivity is not just for flagship smartphones. As the world prepares for the full deployment of 5G connectivity in the next few years, the mobile industry invests more of its resources in developing affordable 5G-ready smartphones. Another model that qualifies under this category is the realme X50 5G. So, which mid-ranger offers more features? Read more below to find out.
Author’s note: We based the specs of the Nova 7SE 5G from the review unit that Huawei sent us. Since it is not the retail unit for the Philippines, we might still see changes in the specs once it launches in the country.
| Huawei Nova 7SE 5G | Realme x50 5G | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) LTPS IPS display | 6.57-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) LCD display, 120Hz refresh rate | |||||
| HDR10 | ||||||
| Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | ||||||
| Huawei Kirin 820 5G 2.36GHz octa-core CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G octa-core CPU | |||||
| Mali-G57 GPU | Adreno 620 GPU | |||||
| 8GB RAM | 6GB/8GB/12GB RAM | |||||
| 128GB storage | 128GB/256GB storage, UFS 2.1 | |||||
| Huawei NM card support | ||||||
| Quad-rear cameras: • 64MP main • 8MP ultra-wide • 2MP depth • 2MP macro | Quad-rear cameras: • 64MP main • 12MP 2x telephoto • 8MP ultra-wide • 2MP macro | |||||
| 16MP front camera | 16MP + 8MP 105-degree ultra-wide-angle dual front cameras | |||||
| Dual-SIM | Dual-SIM | |||||
| 4G LTE, 5G connectivity | 4G, 5G connectivity | |||||
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi | |||||
| Bluetooth 5.1 | Bluetooth 5.0 | |||||
| Dolby Sound | ||||||
NFC support | ||||||
| GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS | Dual-GPS | |||||
| USB Type-C port | USB Type-C port | |||||
| 3.5mm audio jack | ||||||
| Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted) | Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted) | |||||
| EMUI 10.1 (Android 10) | ColorOS 7 with custom Realme UI (Android 10) | |||||
| 4,000mAh battery w/ 40W SuperCharge | 4,200mAh battery w/ 30W VOOC flash charging | |||||
| 162.31 x 75 x 8.58 mm | 163.8 x 8.9 x 75.8 mm | |||||
| 189 g | 202 g | |||||
| Space Silver, Crush Green | Polar, Glacier |
Summary of advantages
- LTPS IPS display
- HDR10
- 40W charging
- Bluetooth 5.1
- Comes with expandable memory via Huawei NM card
- With 3.5mm audio jack
Realme X50 5G:
- 120Hz refresh rate
- Dual-front cameras
- Slightly bigger battery capacity
- Telephoto camera
- Available in three configurations
- Dual GPS
- Has NFC support
- Google Mobile Services
Table of Contents
Display
The Huawei Nova 7SE 5G has a 6.5-inch LTPS IPS display, which gives better viewing angles while the realme X50 5G has a 6.57-inch LCD. Although both have a punch-hole design and allows users to watch digital content in high-resolutions (2400 x 1080), the former supports HDR10 ideal for watching HDR content in punchy colors. Meanwhile, realme sports 120Hz refresh rate for smoother animations, especially in gaming and a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Protection, which protects the display from unwanted scratches and accidental drops.
Chipset and Memory
As expected, the Huawei Nova 7SE 5G is powered with the brand’s dedicated octa-core Kirin 820 5G chipset. Although it is only available in one configuration—8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal memory—the smartphone offers an expandable memory via Huawei NanoMemory card up to 256GB.
Onboard the realme X50 5G is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G processor and offers a bigger RAM and internal storage. It comes in three variants: 6GB RAM + 128GB memory, 8GB RAM+ 128GB memory, and 12GB RAM +256GB memory to compensate the absence of a microSD slot. It also comes with a UFS 2.1 boost for faster loading and booting of apps.
We’ve got the chance to get a first look at both smartphones, and based on its performance benchmarks, we found slight differences. The realme X50 5G could handle mobile games with heavy graphics. The same story also goes with the Nova 7 SE 5G garnering a higher score of 355,324 versus X50 5G’s 328,335 in AnTuTu V8. Both allow users to switch on various productivity, navigation, and social media apps smoothly.
Camera
In terms of camera, both smartphones sport quad-rear camera module with 64 MP main, 8 MP ultra-wide, and 2 MP macro sensors. However, the realme X50 5G has a 12 MP telephoto lens while the Huawei Nova 7SE 5G has a 2 MP depth lens.
For front cameras, the realme wins with a 16MP primary and an 8MP ultra-wide, dual front cameras housed in a pill-shaped camera module. On the other hand, the Huawei Nova 7SE 5G has a 16MP front camera that can be found at the top left corner of the phone.
Other features
Apart from 5G connectivity, both smartphones feature Wi-Fi, dual-nano SIMs, and USB Type-C ports. However, realme offers Dolby-powered speakers, dual-GPS for better navigation, NFC support, and Bluetooth 5.0. Unlike the Nova 7SE 5G, it doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio jack. Meanwhile, the former has a more advanced Bluetooth 5.1. Both have a side-mounted fingerprint scanner that doubles as the power button.
OS and Battery
Both run on its respective customized UI based on Android 10. The Huawei Nova 7SE 5G features the EMUI 10.1 while the realme X50 5G has ColorOS 7 with custom Realme UI. As expected, the Huawei Nova 7SE 5G does not support Google Mobile Services and instead rely on Huawei’s App Gallery for apps.
When it comes to battery capacity, realme has an advantage with a total of 4,200mAh. This is 200mAh more than Huawei’s 4,000mAh. But looking further, Huawei has a faster wired charging capabilities at 40W compared to realme’s 30W. We previously reviewed the X50 5G, and based on our battery test, it can last up to 20 hours and 37 minutes. On paper, the 5G variant of Huawei Nova 7SE can get up to 70% of battery in just 30 minutes of wired charging.
Which one to get?
The realme X50 5G definitely has a lot to offer. Having a 120Hz refresh rate display, additional telephoto lens, NFC support, variations in configurations, and longer battery life is something that you should consider if you consume multimedia more than the average Joe. The absence of Google Mobile Services in the Huawei Nova 7 SE 5G might also turn off those who are experienced Android users.
Even so, the Huawei Nova 7SE 5G brings several features on the latest Android smartphones such as expandable memory, ideal display for streaming HDR content on streaming services such as Netflix, more reliable Bluetooth 5.1 for connecting smart devices, 4G LTE, and 3.5mmm audio jack for plugging in external speakers or wired earphones. It also has faster wired charging at 40W and Huawei App Gallery for downloading Android apps. So if the absence of some Google apps and a telephoto lens isn’t much of an issue, then you should get the Huawei Nova 7SE 5G.
The caveat of the realme X50 5G though, is its local availability. We haven’t heard any words from the smartphone brand as to when they will bring it in the country. But just to give you a ballpark figure of the price, its base model starts at less than PHP 20,o00. We’ve seen its 8GB + 128GB variant being sold via XUNDD Philippines at PHP 20, 600. Do note that it is the Chinese version and not the global variant.
Available in Space Silver and Crush Green, the Huawei Nova 7 SE 5G is now on sale in Lazada for PHP 19,990.
