Another mid-range phone battle
There’s been quite a number of mid-range devices released recently, which has made choosing a phone at the Php 15K to 20K price band ridiculously hard. Today we’ll be giving three phones the old comparo treatment to see how well each device stacks up to one another.
ASUS Zenfone 5 Specifications
- AI-powered Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor
- Adreno 509 GPU
- 4GB of RAM
- 64GB of storage (expandable via MicroSD)
- 6.2-inch Full HD+IPS display; 19:9 aspect ratio, 2246×1080 resolution, DCI-P3 wide color gamut
- 12-megapixel main rear camera, Sony IMX363 sensor, f/1.8 aperture, Night HDR, OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF, RGB sensor
- 8-megapixel secondary rear camera, 120-degree wide angle view
- 4G, LTE
- Dual SIM
- WiFi, Bluetooth
- GPS, A-GPS
- Fingerprint scanner
- Facial Recognition
- USB Type-C port
- 3300mAh battery with BoostMaster and Smart Charging
- Android Oreo with ZenUI 5.0
Huawei Nova 3i Specifications
- 2.2GHz HiSilicon Kirin 710 octa-core processor
- Mali-G51 GPU
- 4GB of RAM
- 6.3-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD Display; 1080×2340 resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio
- 128GB of expandable storage
- 16MP + 2MP rear camera, aperture f/2.2, PDAF, Contrast Focus, LED Flash
- 24MP + 2MP front camera, aperture f/2.0
- 4G, LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth v4.2
- Fingerprint Scanner
- Face Unlock
- Android Oreo 8.1 with EMUI 8.2
- 3340mAh Battery
OPPO F9 Specs
- MediaTek octa-core Helio P60 processor
-
ARM Mali-G72 MP3 GPU
- 6GB RAM
- 6.3-inch 19:9 aspect ratio Full HD+ LTPS IPS display, 2280 x 1080 resolution
- 64GB of expandable storage
- 16-megapixel f/1.8 and 2-megapixel rear cameras PDAF with LED flash
- 25-megapixel front camera with f/2.0 aperture, SONY IMX576, AI beautification
- Dual SIM
- 3G, LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, fingerprint sensor
- 3500mAh battery with VOOC quick charging
- Android 8.1 Oreo with ColorOS 5.2 UI
Externals
Despite what people say, picking a phone purely because of how pretty it is isn’t a terrible purchase strategy. After all, phones are incredibly personal gadgets, and most of us put a premium on pretty things. With that in mind, the Nova 3i is clearly the winner if we’re looking at pure aesthetics. That beautiful glass back is usually something you’d expect from a far more expensive phone.
Internals
Putting the internals of the three phones head to head is pretty interesting, considering each device are outfitted quite differently from one another: the Nova 3i is powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 710 chipset, the OPPO F7 is powered by an Helio P60 processor while the ZenFone 5 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 636 processor.
Each processor is similar in performance and in benchmarks, which isn’t surprising since they’re all supposedly mid-range chipsets.
Looking at RAM and storage, the Nova 3i holds an edge when it comes to the amount of stuff you can put in it, as it has 128GB of expandable storage compared to the plus 4GB of RAM, while the OPPO F9 and the ZenFone 5 only have 64GB of expandable storage.
The OPPO F9 does have an edge on RAM though, as it has 6GB compared to the Nova 3i and the ZenFone 5’s 4GB.
Displays
We’re quick becoming a broken record, but all three have roughly the same screen sizes, with the OPPO F9 and the Nova 3i coming in at 6.3-inches while the ZenFone 5 comes in a hair smaller at 6.2-inches.
While all three have notches, the OPPO F9 has the smallest one, though you can hide the one on the Nova 3i.
Unfortunately, we found that the OPPO F9’s display is the dimmest even with the display at max under direct sunlight. The Nova 3i is the brightest, while the ZenFone 5 is the middle of the pack.
Cameras
Here’s where it gets interesting. The OPPO F9 has a 16-megapixel f/1.8 and 2-megapixel rear cameras PDAF with LED flash along with a 25-megapixel front camera with f/2.0 aperture, SONY IMX576, AI beautification. The ASUS ZenFone 5, meanwhile, has a 12-megapixel main rear camera, Sony IMX363 sensor, f/1.8 aperture, Night HDR, OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF, RGB sensor along with an 8-megapixel secondary rear camera with a 120-degree wide angle view.
OPPO F9 photos
All three have some form of AI scene recognition technology that bumps up saturation and contrast depending on what you’re shooting at, though at the expense of artificial-looking images.
Nova 3i Photos
The Nova 3i meanwhile has the most cameras in the three phones we are comparing, since it has a 16MP + 2MP rear cameras, with a f/2.2 aperture for the primary shooter, PDAF, Contrast Focus, LED Flash along with 24MP + 2MP front cameras, with a f/2.0 aperture for the secondary shooter.
ZenFone 5 Photos
Images shot by all three phones are pretty impressive, though the Nova 3i’s images are a little on the saturated side.
The ZenFone 5 has impressive image quality, and a recent software update has added several new features to the camera, including the ability to shoot in RAW and Google Lens integration.
Battery
As far as battery capacity goes all three are pretty close: the OPPO F9 has a 3500mAh battery, while the Nova 3i has a 3340mAh in its body. The ZenFone 5 meanwhile has a 3300mAh battery.
All three last roughly the same with moderate use, give or take a few minutes, and all three have fast charging tech to some extent.
Annoyingly both the Nova 3i and the OPPO F9 have micro USB ports still with only the ZF5 possessing a USB Type-C connector.
Verdict: All three have something to offer
All three smartphones are very close in terms of specs and hardware, and all three have something unique to offer to the user. It all boils down to pricing though, and of the three the Huawei Nova 3i is the most affordable, at Php 15,990. The OPPO F9 comes in at Php 17,990 while the ASUS ZenFone 5 got a price reduction and is now priced at Php 17,995.
Huawei Nova 3i Unboxing, Review: An Heir to the Mid-Range Throne?