It feels like smartphone brands are giving us more reason to disregard their flagship offerings. Thanks to high midrange devices who offers top-caliber features, it almost doesn’t make sense to spend twice as much on a flagship smartphone.
One of the latest devices to have such characteristics is the Huawei Nova 5T. This one features four cameras on the back, a stylish design, and more importantly, a flagship processor for half the price of an actual flagship device.
But not wanting to be left out, Xiaomi also introduced the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro. This is the global version on the Redmi K20 Pro that was launched in China a couple of months back.
Just like the former, Xiaomi’s latest offering will also try to offer a couple of high-end specs that we never thought we’d see on a device at this price.
With that, our Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro vs Huawei Nova 5T specs comparison will help you figure out which between these feature-packed entry-level smartphones is actually the better flagship alternative.
| Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro | Huawei Nova 5T | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 9 Pie MIUI 10 | Android 9 Pie EMUI 9.1 |
| SIM | Dual SIM | Dual SIM |
| Display | 6.39-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution ~403ppi NTSC 103.8 % HDR support Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | 6.26-inch FHD+ IPS 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution ~412ppi NTSC 96% |
| Processor | 2.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core Water-cooling | 2.6GHz Kirin 980 octa-core |
| RAM | 6GB/8GB | 8GB |
| GPU | Adreno 640 GPU Game Turbo 2.0 | Mali-G76 MP10 GPU Turbo 3.0 |
| Storage | 64GB/128GB/256GB non-expandable | 128GB non-expandable |
| Front camera | 20-megapixel Pop-up mechanism f/2.2 | 32-megapixel f/2.0 |
| Rear Camera | 48-megapixel (Sony IMX 586, f/1.75) 8-megapixel (2x zoom) 13-megapixel (ultra-wide, f/2.4) PDAF LED flash | 48-megapixel (Sony IMX 586, f/1.8) 16-megapixel (ultra wide) 2-megapixel (macro) 2-megapixel (depth sensor) PDAF LED flash |
| Audio | Single loudspeaker Headphone jack Qualcomm WCD9375 Hi-Res audio | Single loudspeaker No headphone jack |
| Security | In-display fingerprint scanner | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE, VoLTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 dual-band GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BDS, A-GPS Headphone jack USB Type-C | 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 |
| Dimensions | 156.7 x 74.3 x 8.8mm | 154.25 x 73.97 x 7.87mm |
| Weight | 191g | 174g |
| Colors | Carbon Black Flame Red Glacier Blue | Midsummer Purple Crush Blue Black |
| Battery | 4,000mAh 27W charger | 3,750mAh 22.5W Huawei SuperCharge |
| Price | 6GB/64GB: Php18,990 6GB/128GB: Php20,490 | Php18,990 |
Both the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro and the Huawei Nova 5T are two of the best smartphones that you can get for under Php20k. That’s primarily due to the fact that they both run on powerful, flagship-level processors.
The Mi 9T Pro comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset, which is seen in most Android flagships today. Meanwhile, the Nova 5T uses the company’s in-house Kirin 980 processor. That’s the same chipset found on the highly-celebrated P30 Pro.
However, if we really have to choose who’s the best between the two, we’ll have the pick the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro. Here are some of the reasons why:
The most obvious one that you would see in the specs list is the display. With the Mi 9T Pro, you’re already getting a 6.39-inch Super AMOLED screen, with HDR support and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
It even has an all-screen design thanks to its pop-up selfie camera. Meanwhile, the Nova 5T settles for a 6.26-inch IPS panel with a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera.
Xiaomi also managed to put a 4,000mAh battery on the Mi 9T Pro. That’s relatively bigger than the 3,750mAh capacity on the latter. The former also has a faster 27W charging support, versus the 22.5W on the Nova 5T.
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We also liked how more useful the cameras on the Mi 9T Pro is, despite only having three shooters on the back. There’s your standard 48-megapixel Sony IMX 586 sensor, bundled with an 8-megapixel camera with a 2x telephoto lens, and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide shooter.
The Huawei Nova 5T uses the same Sony sensor and has a more pixel-packed 16-megapixel ultra-wide shooter. Although I doubt that the two extra 2-megapixel sensors will have more use than the telephoto lens on the former.
But to give the Nova 5T some credit, it does have a better 32-megapixel selfie camera on the front. While the Mi 9T Pro only has a 20-megapixel front sensor.
But still, we got to hand the win to the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro. What adds up to its already great features is the in-display fingerprint scanner, which one-ups the side-mounted biometric sensor on the Nova 5T.
Huawei also removed the headphone jack on the Nova 5T, while the Mi 9T Pro even have Qualcomm WCD9375 hi-res audio.
Still, the Huawei Nova 5T is not a terrible device. For a price of Php18,990, you’re getting more things that you never thought you can for the price.
The only problem is, Xiaomi positioned the Mi 9T Pro head-on. This device also starts for Php18,990, and goes up to Php20,490 for the 128GB variant.