The Php 15K Mid-Range Specs Comparo: Motorola Moto G5s Plus vs Huawei Nova 2i

The Php 15K Mid-Range Specs Comparo: Motorola Moto G5s Plus vs Huawei Nova 2i

Same price, different features

Today is a big day for mid-range smartphones: Motorola launched its first dual-cam offering in the Philippines with the Moto G5s Plus, while Huawei officially announced its first quad-cam offering with the Nova 2i. Interestingly, both are priced a hair below Php 15K, and have near-identical specs. And since some of our readers are asking for this, here’s our quick specs comparison between the two new bang-for-the-buck midrange smartphones. Which is better? Let’s check their spec sheet first:

 

Huawei Nova 2i specs

  • Kirin 659 octa-core processor
  • 4GB of RAM
  • 5.9-inch Full HD display, 18:9 display aspect ratio
  • 64GB of storage, expandable via microSD
  • 16-Megapixel and 2-Megapixel rear cameras with PDAF and LED Flash
  • 13-Megapixel and 2-Megapixel front cameras with LED Flash
  • Dual SIM
  • 3G, LTE
  • WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, Fingerprint scanner
  • 3340mAh battery
  • Android Nougat with EMUI 5.0

Read: Huawei Nova 2i Unboxing, Quick Review: Is This The New Mid-Range King?

Motorola Moto G5s Plus specs

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor
  • 4GB of RAM
  • 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display, Gorilla Glass 3 protection, 1920 x 1080 resolution
  • 32GB of expandable storage
  • Dual 13-megapixel f/2.0 rear cameras with AF and dual LED flash
  • 8-megapixel f/2.0 front camera with flash
  • Dual SIM
  • 3G, LTE
  • WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, fingerprint reader, water-repellent coating
  • 3000mAh battery with TurboPower
  • Android Nougat

Read: Motorola Moto G5s Plus Hands On, Quick Review: Motorola’s Latest Dual-Cam Contender

 

Internals: Almost the same

As both have 4GB of RAM, the processor found on the Nova 2i and Moto G5s Plus is roughly the same. The Nova 2i’s Kirin 659 has four performance cores rated at 2.36Ghz and four power-saving cores rated at 1.7Ghz. As for the Moto G5s Plus, the Snapdragon 625 has eight cores, all rated at 2.0Ghz. On a more technical scale, the Kirin 659 is manufactured using a 16nm process, while the Snapdragon 625 is manufactured using a 14nm process.

The only key difference is with the internal storage: The Nova 2i offers a 64GB internal storage, while the G5s Plus has 32GB of internal storage.

 

Display: Higher PPI over 18:9 Displays?

Both the Nova 2i and Moto G5s Plus sport a Full HD IPS display. However, as much as the Nova 2i’s 5.9-inch 18:9 display looks sleeker, the Moto G5s’ smaller 5.5-inch display has a higher pixel per inch (PPI) ratio. The difference is barely noticeable, so we would say that both have impressive displays nonetheless.

 

Cameras: The more, the merrier?

Now here when things are different. While the Nova 2i has four cameras, do note that its secondary front and rear cameras are for depth of field, which is why they are only 2 megapixels. The G5s Plus, on the other hand, makes its camera setup different by using two 13-megapixel rear cameras, both having a f/2.0 aperture. Both phones can add artificial bokeh after the fact. As for the quality of the shots, we cannot say which has the better camera for now, as we are doing our field tests for both the Nova 2i and  Moto G5s Plus.

 

Battery: Long legs on the Nova 2i, but…

On paper, the Huawei wins here, as it has a larger battery at 3340mAh. However, even if the Moto G5s Plus has a smaller battery at 3000mAh, it boasts of TurboPower quick charging, which gives the Moto G5s Plus six hours of power in just 15 minutes of charging.

 

Verdict: It is a close fight

On paper, it is hard to determine which is the better smartphone. While the Nova 2i boasts of four cameras, a bigger battery, a bigger screen, and bigger internal storage, we should consider the fact that the G5s Plus runs on stock and vanilla Android, free of any bloatware. In addition, the G5s Plus is already confirmed to be updated to Android Oreo in the near future. As for the Nova 2i, there is no official confirmation yet from Huawei if be updating it to Android Oreo.

If you would ask us, both the Nova 2i and Moto G5s Plus offer great specs at a great price. We will be testing both phones extensively, so stay tuned for our full review!

Huawei Nova 2i Unboxing, Quick Review: Is This The New Mid-Range King?

Motorola Moto X4 Quick Review: Gorgeous Dual-cam Mid-ranger

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