The quad camera Huawei Nova 3i (below, left) and Nova 3 (right) were officially launched on July 28 at Glorietta Activity Center (yes, they’re nearly indistinguishable), but the Nova 3 has a faster processor (Kirin 970 vs Krin 710), more RAM (6GB vs 4GB), has a bigger battery (3750 mAh vs 3340 mAh), features a better rear camera set up (24MP Mono + 2MP F2.0 and 4K video vs 16MP + 2MP F2.0) and is priced higher (P25990 vs. P15990). The Nova 3i is also available starting July 28 (those who pre-ordered will get a Bluetooth speaker worth P2,990). The Nova 3, which can be pre-ordered from August 4 to 10 (pre-order buyers get a free premium Bluetooth speaker), will be available on August 11. James Reid is the new Huawei brand ambassador. Specs comparison between Nova 3i and Nova 3 below, with major differences highlighted in orange. You can also find Smart and Globe postpaid plans for the Nova 3i below.
| Huawei Nova 3i Specs | Huawei Nova 3 Specs | |
| Display | 6.3-inch 2.5D curved IPS screen with FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution at 409 ppi | 6.3-inch 2.5D curved IPS screen with FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution at 409 ppi |
| CPU | 2.2GHz 64-bit Kirin 710 octa-core processor | 2.36GHz 64-bit Kirin 970 octa-core processor with NPU and i7 co-processor |
| GPU | Mali-G51 MP4 with GPU Turbo | Mali-G72 MP12 with GPU Turbo |
| RAM | 4GB | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 256GB | 128GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 256GB |
| Rear Camera/s | 16MP f/2.2 + 2MP with PDAF, contrast focus, Master AI, and LED flash | 16MP f/1.8 RGB sensor + 24MP f/1.8 monochrome sensor with PDAF, contrast focus, Master AI, and LED flash |
| Selfie Camera/s | 24MP f/2.0+ 2MP with AF, Master AI, HDR Pro, and screen flash | 24MP f/2.0+ 2MP with AF, Master AI, HDR Pro, and screen flash |
| Battery and Charging | 3,340mAh | Micro USB port | 3,750mAh with 18W fast charging | Type C port |
| OS | Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8.2 | Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8.2 |
| Connectivity | WiFi 802.11b/g/n, 700MHz 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, BLE, HWA, aptX, and aptX HD, FM Radio, OTG, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, dual SIM (hybrid) | WiFi 802.11ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), dual 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, BLE, HWA, aptX, and aptX HD, FM Radio, OTG, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, dual SIM (hybrid) |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic | Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic |
| Others | Fingerprint sensor, 3D face unlock | Fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C, 3D face unlock with IR light sensor |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Purple, Red | Black, Teal, Blue, Yellow |
| Dimensions | 157.6 x 75.2 x 7.6 mm | 157 x 73.7 x 7.3 mm |
| Weight | 169 g | 166 g |
| Price | PHP 15,990 | PHP 25,990 |
While the Nova 3i may be the most feature-packed quad camera midrange smartphone right now, its beefier spec’d sibling, the Nova 3 steals the show, with 3D curved glass (the Nova 3i has 2.5D glass) and a Kirin 970 processor, the same one inside Huawei flagships such as the P20 / P20 Pro and Mate 10 / Mate 10 Pro. (The P23,990 Honor 10 also runs the same Kirin 970 chip, since Honor is also owned by Huawei, although Honor operates independently. Also, the Honor 10 has 4GB RAM while the Nova 3 has 6GB.) The Nova 3’s GPU is also much better: Mali-G72 MP12 with GPU Turbo compared to the Nova 3i’s Mali-G51 MP4 with GPU Turbo. Also, while both Nova 3 and 3i have face unlock, only the Nova 3 has infrared light to make 3D face unlock work even in low light. Lastly, the camera markings on the rear of both phones differ: Dual Lens on the Nova 3i, and AI Camera on the Nova 3. The Nova 3 is also available at Home Credit for 0 percent (at 6 months or 9 months).
Update July 30, 2018: According to Huawei Philippines, the Nova 3i sold 20,000 units in just one day (during its launch on July 28), raking in P320,000,000.00 for the company.
Get the Nova 3i via Postpaid Plans from Smart and Globe
Smart GigaX Plan 1299 offers:
- FREE device cashout
- monthly 4.5GB of data for all apps and sites
- 0GB video streaming data
- unlimited texts to all networks
- 50 minutes all network calls
Globe ThePlan 1499 offers
- FREE device cashout from July 28 to August 03, 2018 with monthly 8GB data allocation
- unlimited all network texts
- unlimited calls to Globe or TM
- free Disney life for 6 months
- free Spotify for 3 months
- monthly free 1GB Facebook data allocation
The Huawei Nova 3 and Nova 3i were launched at the Glorietta Activity Area on July 28, 2018.
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