Midrange phones have really gotten better over the years. They allow buyers to have a premium smartphone experience, without spending flagship-level money for it. With that, today we’ll be comparing the Huawei Nova 11 and OPPO Reno8 T 5G to help narrow down your options if you’re shopping in the Php25,000 price range.
The Huawei Nova 11 arrived in the Philippines together with the 11 Pro and the 11i, which promise to offer tons of flagship-level specs despite the lack of 5G connectivity and official Google Mobile Services support.
On the other hand, the Reno8 T 5G is one of the best midrange phones OPPO ever made thanks to its curved display, comfortable design, good cameras, and fast charging.
So, which of the two is best for you? We’ll find out in our Huawei Nova 11 versus OPPO Reno8 T 5G specifications and features comparison.
| Huawei Nova 11 | OPPO Reno8 T 5G | |
| Operating System | EMUI 13 | Android 13 ColorOS 13 |
| Display | 6.78-inch FHD+ OLED flat display 2412 x 1080 pixel resolution 395ppi 120Hz refresh rate 300Hz touch sampling | 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display 2412 x 1080 pixel resolution 394ppi 120Hz refresh rate 360Hz touch sampling rate 950-nits peak brightness |
| Processor | 2.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 4G octa-core | 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G octa-core |
| RAM | 8GB | 8GB |
| GPU | Adreno 642L | Adreno 619 |
| Storage | 256GB non-expandable | 256GB expandable via microSD |
| Front Camera | 60-megapixel (ultra-wide) | 32-megapixel |
| Rear Camera | 50-megapixel 8-megapixel (ultra-wide) LED flash | 108-megapixel (f/1.7) 2-megapixel (macro) 2-megapixel (depth sensor) LED flash |
| Audio | Stereo speakers No headphone jack | Stereo speakers No headphone jack |
| Connectivity | HSPA+, 4G LTE WiFi 6, dual-band Bluetooth 5.2 dual-band GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, NavIC, BDS NFC USB Type-C | HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band Bluetooth 5.1 GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS NFC USB Type-C |
| Security | Under-display fingerprint scanner Face unlock | Under-display fingerprint scanner Face unlock |
| Others | – | – |
| Colors | Green Gold Black | Dawn Gold Black Starlight |
| Dimensions and Weight | 161.3 x 75 x 6.9mm 168g | 162.3 x 74.3 x 7.7mm 171g |
| Battery and Charging | 4,500mAh 66W wired charging | 4,800mAh 67 SuperVOOC charging |
| Price | 8GB/256GB: Php24,999 | 8GB/256GB: Php23,999 |
Design and Build
As you know, deciding whether something looks good or not depends on your personal preference. However, the consensus shows that the Nova 11 looks better than the Reno8 T 5G thanks to its more unique camera layout, better color options, as well as a thinner and lighter build.
Unfortunately, neither has an official IP rating for dust and water-resistancd. So if you want something a bit more durable that you can take anywhere, look somewhere else.
Display and Audio
Both the Nova 11 and the Reno8 T 5G have identically-sized displays at 6.7 inches. They also use an OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, albeit the OPPO device has a slightly higher 360Hz touch sampling for better sensitivity.
The two also have stereo speakers, although both doesn’t have a headphone jack — which is no surprise considering how thin they are.
While they look similar on paper, we gotta hand the win to the Reno8 T 5G as its display is slightly curved, which adds to the immersion when looking at content. Plus, it just looks fancier.
Hardware and Performance
This one is a bit tricky. The Nova 11 uses a more powerful Snapdragon 778G processor, however, it doesn’t have 5G connectivity like all Huawei phones out today.
While it only has a Snapdragon 695 processor, the Reno8 T does have 5G connectivity. Since 5G is a lot more common now in the Philippines, this has become one of the main must-haves for a lot of people. The lack of 5G on the Nova 11 is a big deal-breaker. With that, we gotta hand the win to the OPPO contender.
Cameras
The OPPO Reno8 T 5G has a sharp 108-megapixel main camera, versus the 50-megapixel on the Nova 11.
Still, we gotta hand the win to the Nova 11 as it has a more usable 8-megapixel secondary camera with its ultra-wide lens. Plus, it also comes with a sharper 60-megapixel selfie camera with ultra-wide glass.
Battery and Charging
The OPPO Reno8 T 5G has a 4,800mAh battery, easily beating the smaller 4,500mAh capacity that the competition has.
OPPO’s bet also has 67W SuperVOOC charging, which is also slightly faster than Huawei’s 66W charging. The Reno8 T 5G clearly takes the win on this one.
Conclusion
While the Nova 11 has a slightly better design and camera, our choice would be the OPPO Reno8 T 5G in this head-to-head. It’s not perfect, but it’s a more well-rounded smartphone that has everything a consumer needs. Another reason is because it has 5G connectivity, making it future-proof as the ultra-fast network standard becomes more available in markets like the Philippines. The lack of 5G on the Nova 11, especially at this price point, is just disappointing to say the least.
What’s more, the 5G device is actually Php1,000 cheaper at Php23,999, as the Nova 11 retails for Php24,999. Both do have the same 8GB of RAM and 256GB of expandable storage.
But at the end of the day, picking the better smartphone depends on the user’s preference and needs. If you value faster performance and you can live without official Google Mobile Services support, the Nova 11 is also worth considering.