REVIEW: The Huawei Nova 8 is a solid and reliable mid-range device
The new Huawei Nova 8 is an attractive mid-range device, with an affordable price tag that gives the user a rather impressive performance.
Huawei gave Guzzle the opportunity to review a Nova 8 device in the colour Blush Gold for two weeks.
From a design perspective, the Nova 8 looks great and the in-hand feel is not something we would come to expect from a mid-range device.
The device casing is extremely well-built, gently curved, which makes it easy to hold, and it doesn't feel nearly as slippery in the hand as other aluminium-framed devices.
The device also features an eye-catching detail and features minimal bezels that the company has utilised of late, with the Blush Gold colour option.
Other elements that I have enjoyed on the Nova 8 are its large 6.57″ OLED FullHD+ display that serves up great visuals and crisp detail and just the thinness of the device too at 7.64mm too is great and it feels well balanced when holding it.
The Huawei Nova is equally impressive in terms of the actual display panel itself as the contrast ratio is great, the colour is rich and vivid, while the 1,920 x 1,080 resolution is more than sharp enough for day-to-day use on the display.
The Nova 8 is running EMUI 12.0 and, unlike its predecessors, there is still some refining that is needed.
I enjoyed the overall aesthetic and the ability to customise visuals elements like the Always-On Display and Themes of the device.
One thing to keep in mind when buying the Nova 8 is that there are still no Google apps or Play Store featured on the device.
The available Huawei apps on the phone are fine to use but if you'd prefer Google apps, you can work around it and get them via APKs.
If you're someone like me that loves to game on their phone, the Nova 8 is capable of that.
The display is large enough, the AI-supported “Mistouch” prevention and TÜV Rheinland-certified Eye Comfort features, allows the device to offer a vivid and smooth gaming experience.
Not only that, the 66W Huawei SuperCharge support saves you the trouble of having to wait long to charge your phone or having to charge it too many times while gaming.
The Huawei nova 8 can be charged to 60% in just 15 minutes and 100% in 35 minutes.
Lastly, I really enjoyed the Huawei Nova 8 camera, as it took some beautiful vividly sharp photos. The camera features a quartet of lenses on the rear comprising of a 64MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP depth-sensing and 2MP macro lenses.
The device also features a 32 MP front camera and it allows you to record HD 1080p videos.
As for the AI aspect, this allows the camera to do object recognition, with the camera settings adjusting depending on what is being framed, with it picking up flowers, food, pets and buildings with relative ease.
The low light performance is still to be ascertained, but for now, we are quite impressed by what is on offer here.
(Image taken on the Huawei Nova 8 during the day)
(Image taken on the Huawei Nova 8 at night)
Another feature I enjoyed with the Huawei camera when taking videos was the new Dual-View video feature. How it works, is that the display will split in two, with one showing a close-up shot captured by the Ultra-Wide-Angle Camera, and the other displaying the whole picture seized by the Main Camera.
Other features include the Huawei Nova's fingerprint sensor which is mounted on the rear of the device and the device is equipped with dual-SIM capabilities, so frequent flyers can have both local and international SIMs at once.
This does mean that you'll lose out on the expandable memory, however, as the second SIM occupies the MicroSD card slot.
The Huawei Nova is a pretty solid mid-range handset, all things considered. The Nova 8 is a capable, attractive phone that offers good performance without breaking your bank balance.
The Huawei nova 8 will be on sale from 1 September 2021, you can get it for a bundle deal with the Huawei FreeBuds 4i for R12 999.
The smartphone comes with a two-year warranty, one-time free screen guard service, free unboxing service at store and 50-days screen insurance. Also available from Huawei Store (Online) Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, Cell C and Takealot.
Written by: Shihaam (Gabriella) Steyn.
Guzzle Media
