In this episode of our specs comparison, two newly-released smartphones will be battling it out to see which one looks better on paper. Let’s go!
The Huawei Nova 2i is the company’s recently-released smartphone that sports a 5.9″ IPS display with 2160 x 1080 resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio, a Kirin 659 chipset, a 64GB internal storage, a 4GB RAM, a 16MP + 2MP dual rear cameras with LED flash, a 13MP + 2MP front cameras, and a 3,340mAh battery.
The Motorola G5s Plus was just launched in the country today. It comes with a 5.5″ display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, a Snapdragon 625 chipset, a 32GB internal storage, a 4GB RAM, 13MP + 13MP dual rear cameras with dual LED flash, a 8MP wide-angle front camera with LED flash, and a 3,000mAh battery.
Let us look at their detailed specs.
| Huawei Nova 2i | Motorola G5s Plus |
|---|---|
| 5.9-inch 18:9 IPS display @ 2160 x 1080 pixels | 5.5-inch Full HD display @ 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| - | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| 2.36GHz Huawei Kirin 659 | 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 |
| Mali-T830 GPU | Adreno 506 GPU |
| 64GB internal storage | 32GB internal storage |
| 4GB RAM | 4GB RAM |
| expandable via microSD up to 256GB (uses SIM2) | expandable via microSD up to 128GB |
| 16MP+2MP rear cameras with LED Flash | 13MP + 13MP dual rear cameras with dual LED flash |
| 13MP+2MP front cameras | 8MP wide-angle front camera with LED flash |
| 4G VoLTE | 4G LTE Cat. 7 |
| Hybrid Dual-SIM (nano+nano/microSD) | Dual-SIM (nano) |
| WiFi 802.11 b/g/n | WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 GHz + 5Ghz) |
| Bluetooth 4.2 | Bluetooth 4.2 |
| GPS, GLONASS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS |
| NFC | NFC |
| Fingerprint Scanner | Fingerprint Scanner |
| Huawei EMUI 5.1 (Android 7 Nougat) | Android 7.1.1 Nougat |
| 3,340mAh Li-Ion battery | 3,000mAh battery with TurboPower |
| 156.2 × 75.2 × 7.5mm | 153.5 x 76.2 x 8.0-9.5mm |
| 164g | 168g |
| Blue, Black, Gold | Lunar Gray, Blush Gold |
Here are the advantages of each smartphone:
Huawei Nova 2i
+ Bigger screen size
+ Higher aspect ratio and screen resolution
+ Slightly better CPU performance
+ Larger internal storage
+ Dual front cameras
+ Slightly larger battery
Motorola G5s Plus
+ Corning Gorilla Glass 3
+ Better performing GPU
+ Higher secondary lens camera resolution
+ Wide-angle front camera
+ Turbo Charge technology
When it comes to the display, the Nova 2i has the upper hand since it has bigger screen size, higher aspect ratio and screen resolution, and slim top and bottom bezels for a good viewing experience. In the case of the G5s Plus, it also offers a pretty good viewing quality and what’s good is that it comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen protection.
In terms of CPU and GPU, we will be comparing the Antutu benchmark of the Nova 2i and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X since the G5s Plus also has the same Snapdragon 625 chipset. The score that we got from the Nova 2i reached at 62,964 while the Note 4X reached 61,824. Looking at these scores, they are almost at par with each other with the former having a slight advantage over the latter. Which means that the Nova 2i and the G5s Plus almost have the same performance quality. In the GPU department, the Adreno 506 of G5s Plus has been proven that it is the better pick compared with the Mali-T830 of the Nova 2i. If compared with the Huawei GR5 2017, which holds the same GPU, the G5s Plus will proved more gaming potential in this comparison.
Camera-wise, the Nova 2i has quadcams (dual rear and front camera setup). You may check out our sample photos of the Nova 2i here. The G5s Plus, on the other hand, has a dual rear camera setup with a wide angle front camera. If we get our hands on the G5s Plus, we’ll definitely take lots of photos for you to see.
In terms of battery capacity, we have not yet tested the battery life performance of both smartphones but looking at their battery specs, the Nova 2i gives a slightly larger battery capacity, but take note that there are a lot of factors involved in determining the battery lifespan of a smartphone, such as the display, processor, and battery. The Nova 2i has a larger display which means it draws more power from the device. The G5s Plus, on the other hand, has a Snapdragon chipset which is known for its battery optimization and power efficiency. In addition to that, the G5s Plus has a TurboCharge technology (fast charging) while the Nova 2i doesn’t.
For overall performance, it is somewhat a draw but if users wish to have more viewing experience, then the Nova 2i is the right pick for you. But if you are more inclined to gaming, then the G5s Plus is your friend.
The Huawei Nova 2i is priced at Php14,990 while the Motorola G5s Plus is priced at Php 14,999 (see price listing here)
Read more: Huawei Nova 2i Review
In terms of CPU and GPU performance tests, it is unwise to compare 2i with other phones having the same CPU and GPU. Many factors affects the performance and speed like RAM capacity and what applications are installed in a phone. However, I agree that SoC’s in 2i and G5s are at par with each other but it is a mistake to say that one is SLIGHTLY better. You can only say that if you have the actual devices tested.