Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro vs Huawei Nova 5T specs comparison

The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro recently launched in the Philippines. It’s a flagship-grade smartphone with a very competitive price. However, there’s another smartphone out there that shares the same caliber, the Huawei Nova 5T. So, which phone can provide the most value on paper? Let’s find out.

Summary of advantages

Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro:
• Gorilla Glass 5
• Has a 256GB model
• Dedicated telephoto camera
• Dual-band GPS
• 3.5mm audio port
• Larger battery

Huawei Nova 5T:
• Higher ultrawide camera resolution
• Dedicated macro camera
• Dedicated depth camera
• Higher front camera resolution
• Faster side-mounted fingerprint scanner

Let’s start with the display. Both have more than 6-inch screens with Full HD+ resolution. However, the Mi 9T Pro has a full-screen display for a more immersive viewing experience, Gorilla Glass 5 for protection, and an AMOLED panel that takes advantage of Dark Mode.

The Nova 5T, on the other hand, uses a hole-punch design which can be distracting for some. It uses an IPS panel and doesn’t support Dark Mode. There’s no mention of special glass protection but comes pre-installed with a screen protector.

Looking at the cameras, both have the same 48MP Sony IMX586 primary sensors. However, the Nova 5T looks like a more versatile shooter for having four rear cameras with dedicated sensors for macro and depth sensing. It also has a higher resolution for the ultrawide camera.

When it comes to selfies, the Nova 5T has a higher resolution front camera. As for overall quality, we’ll know once we’re done with our comparison review of both units.

Looking at the memory, the Mi 9T Pro offers three variants – 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. However, only the 64GB and 128GB UFS 2.1 with 6GB of RAM is available in the Philippines. The Nova 5T, on the other hand, only has the 128GB UFS 2.1 but with 8GB of RAM. The latter looks better as of the moment if you want something that can handle plenty of background tasks.

For the chipsets, both sport flagship SoCs from Qualcomm and HiSilicon. Both perform very well in all tasks, including gaming. When it comes to day-to-day usage, you won’t notice the difference. But if you want to see their benchmark performance, see the table below:

Software-wise, both run on Android 9 Pie with their custom UI. The Mi 9T Pro has MIUI with Game Turbo 2.0, while the Nova 5T has EMUI 9.1 with GPU Turbo 3.0.

As for other features, the two devices have the basics covered. There’s dual-SIM, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS, and USB 2.0 Type-C. If you have wired headphones, plus points for the Mi 9T Pro as it has a 3.5mm audio port. The two also has fingerprint scanners but of different implementations. The Mi 9T Pro has an in-display type, while the Nova 5T has a side-mounted one. Based on our experience, we find the Nova 5T’s scanner to be faster as the unlock is instantaneous, unlike the Mi 9T Pro’s optical scanner that takes almost a full second.

When it comes to battery, the Mi 9T Pro has a larger capacity at 4,000mAh compared to the Nova 5T’s 3,750mAh. The former performed better in our video loop test for getting 27 hours of playback, as opposed to the latter’s 15 hours.

Lastly, the price. The Mi 9T Pro starts at PHP 18,990USD 324INR 27,433EUR 308CNY 2,357 for the 6GB + 64GB. If you want bigger storage, you need to shell out PHP 20,490USD 349INR 29,600EUR 333CNY 2,543 for the 6GB + 128GB model. There’s no word yet if the 8GB + 256GB model will arrive. The Nova 5T, on the other hand, is priced at PHP 18,990USD 324INR 27,433EUR 308CNY 2,357 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB model.

In my option, I’ll go for the Nova 5T if my budget is PHP 18,990USD 324INR 27,433EUR 308CNY 2,357 since I need the most storage given both have non-expandable memory. But if you can shell out PHP 1,500USD 26INR 2,167EUR 24CNY 186 more, I think you’d be more comfortable with Mi 9T Pro’s 6GB + 128GB model.

What do you guys think, Mi 9T Pro or Nova 5T? Let us know in the comments below.