The midrange smartphone segment became incredibly powerful and feature-packed that there’s almost no reason to spend twice as much on a high-end one anymore.
One of the latest devices to have these characteristics is the newly announced Huawei Nova 5T. With this device, Huawei aims to reclaim the spot of being one of the best bang-for-the-buck smartphone brands in the market.
However, for the price, Huawei’s offering is not the only available option out there. We also have the brand new Samsung Galaxy A50s, a follow-up to the tech giant’s most popular midrange smartphone. Which is, unsurprisingly, priced exactly the same as the Nova 5T.
With that, here in our Huawei Nova 5T vs Samsung Galaxy A50s specs comparison, we want to see which between these two sub-Php18k devices is really worth your time and money.
| Huawei Nova 5T | Samsung Galaxy A50s | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 9 Pie EMUI 9.1 | Android 9.0 Pie Samsung One UI |
| SIM | Dual SIM Dual Standby | Dual SIM Dual Standby |
| Display | 6.26-inch FHD+ IPS 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution ~412ppi NTSC 96% | 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution ~403ppi Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Processor | 2.6GHz Kirin 980 octa-core | 2.3GHz Exynos 9611 octa-core |
| RAM | 8GB | 6GB |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP10 GPU Turbo 3.0 | Mali-G72 MP3 |
| Storage | 128GB UFS 2.1 non-expandable | 128GB UFS 2.0 expandable via microSD up to 512GB |
| Front camera | 32-megapixel Punch-hole f/2.0 | 32-megapixel |
| Rear Camera | 48-megapixel (Sony IMX 586, f/1.8) 16-megapixel (ultra wide) 2-megapixel (macro) 2-megapixel (depth sensor) PDAF LED flash | 48-megapixel (f/1.7) 8-megapixel (ultra wide) 5-megapixel (depth sensor) PDAF LED flash |
| Audio | Single loudspeaker No headphone jack | Single loudspeaker Headphone jack Dolby Atmos |
| Security | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner Face unlock | In-display fingerprint scanner Face unlock |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE, VoLTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band Bluetooth 5.0 Dual-band GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, QZSS NFC USB Type-C | HSPA+, 4G LTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo USB Type-C |
| Dimensions | 154.25 x 73.97 x 7.87mm | 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7mm |
| Weight | 174g | 169g |
| Colors | Midsummer Purple Crush Blue Black | Prism Crush White Prism Crush Black Prism Crush Violet Prism Crush Green |
| Battery | 3,750mAh 22.5W Huawei SuperCharge | 4,000mAh 15W charger |
| Price | Php18,990 | Php18,990 |
The table above shows a clear winner between the Huawei Nova 5T and the Samsung Galaxy A50s. The former’s monstrous processor and a killer set of cameras put it in a major lead over the latter.
However, Samsung’s bet did outshine the Huawei’s offering in some areas. One of which is in the display department.
Samsung makes the best displays in the industry, so it would be ironic if the Samsung Galaxy A50s didn’t have it. It comes with a bigger and more colorful 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED panel, while the Nova 5T only comes with a 6.26-inch IPS screen.
Also, the use of an OLED panel allowed Samsung to put their ultrasonic fingerprint scanner on this device. However, Huawei was able to make up for it by cleverly relocating the fingerprint scanner on the side and merging it with the lock/power switch.
It’s quite bizarre that Huawei used a smaller 3,750mAh battery when having a 4,000mAh capacity have started to become a standard in most smartphones today. Including the Galaxy A50s.
But to make up for it, Huawei did include a faster 22.5W Huawei SuperCharge support. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A50s only comes with a 15W charger.
We also commend Samsung for keeping the headphone jack on the Galaxy A50s. Unlike what they did on the Galaxy Note 10 series, and Huawei on the Nova 5T.
Related
- Samsung Galaxy A50 vs Galaxy A50s: What’s the difference?
- Samsung Galaxy A70 vs Huawei Nova 5T: Specs Comparison
But other than those minor things, if an overall value for money is what you’re after, then it’s a no brainer to pick the Huawei Nova 5T over the Galaxy A50s.
One of the most obvious reasons is its powerful Kirin 980 octa-core processor. That’s the same chipset found on Huawei’s flagship devices like the P30 Pro, which costs two times more.
The Huawei Nova 5T also offers 8GB of RAM, which is 2GB more than what the Galaxy A50s have. The two share the same storage capacity, but the UFS 2.1 standard on the former is obviously faster than UFS 2.0 of the latter.
Of course, we have the cameras. Both devices do come with 48-megapixel primary shooters and ultra-wide snapper. But, the Nova 5T gets the one up by having a 16-megapixel sensor on its ultra-wide (vs 8-megapixel) and extra two 2-megapixel sensors for depth sensing and macro shots.
I also prefer the less distracting punch-hole cutout for the Huawei Nova 5T’s selfie camera than the Infinity-U notch that the Samsung Galaxy A50s.
Well, basically that’s it. Clearly, for the same price of Php18,990, the Huawei Nova 5T offers better overall value for the money. Not unless having a Super AMOLED panel and a headphone jack really means a lot to you.
Samsung has been dead for quite some time now, their only saving grace as their flagships. Look at India, for exemple, where they are already vanquished by chinese brands.