Just like most Asian countries, the Philippines is still one of the biggest markets for midrange smartphones. This is the reason why Android OEMs keep on feeding us with new budget-friendly releases from time to time.
A couple of months ago, Huawei introduced the Nova 3i. The company knows that the Philippines is one of their largest markets, so they actually released it here first. Its predecessor, the Nova 2i, has paved the way for Huawei’s current huge success in the country. As a result, people were really excited to see how the Huawei Nova 3i would turn out.
Fortunately, the Huawei Nova 3i was able to deliver and meet expectations. It has a drastically improved design, a totally new processor, and a decent pair of cameras. During its launch, it’s almost considered as one of the top choices in the midrange segment.
Since its release, the Nova 3i faced tons of competition from different brands. Today, we’re pitting it against the new Vivo V11. This new smartphone from Vivo will try to bring something new to the table. The in-display fingerprint scanner, a technology that Vivo has pioneered, is making its debut in the midrange space. The V11 also comes with features like the “Halo” notch, gradient colors, dual cameras, and more.
In this Vivo V11 versus Huawei Nova 3i specifications and features comparison, we’ll see which of these two phones worthy of consumers’ hard-earned money. Let’s start!
Vivo V11 | Huawei Nova 3i | |
---|---|---|
Operating System | Android 8.1 Oreo FunTouch OS 4.5 | Android 8.1 Oreo EMUI 8.2 |
SIM | Dual SIM Dual Standby | Dual SIM Dual Standby Hybrid |
Display | 6.41-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution ~402ppi 19:9 aspect ratio | 6.3-inch FHD+ IPS 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution ~409ppi 19:9 aspect ratio |
Processor | 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core | 2.2GHz HiSilicon Kirin 710 octa-core |
RAM | 6GB | 4GB |
GPU | Adreno 512 | Mali-G51 GPU Turbo Technology |
Storage | 64GB expandable via microSD up to 256GB | 128GB expandable via microSD up to 256GB |
Front camera | 25-megapixel f/2.0 AR Stickers | 24-megapixel + 2-megapixel f/2.0 AR Lens/ 3D Qmoji |
Rear Camera | 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel f/1.8 PDAF AI Capabilities LED flash | 16-megapixel + 2-megapixel f/2.2 PDAF AI scene detection LED flash |
Audio | Single loudspeaker Headphone Jack | Single loudspeaker Headphone Jack |
Security | In-display fingerprint scanner Face Unlock | Fingerprint scanner Face Unlock |
Connectivity | HSPA+, 4G LTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS FM Radio microUSB | HSPA+, 4G LTE WiFi 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth 4.2 GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS FM Radio microUSB |
Dimensions | 157.9 x 75 x 7.9mm | 157.6 x 75.2 x 7.6mm |
Weight | 156g | 169g |
Colors | Starry Night Nebula Fusion | Iris Purple Pearl White Black |
Battery | 3,400mAh non-removable Dual-engine fast charging | 3,340mAh non-removable |
Price | INR25,990 (~Php19,500) | Php15,990 |
It’s been a close fight between the two. The Huawei Nova 3i offer a more compelling value due to its cheaper price and much larger storage capacity, but the Vivo V11 still has a few features that aim to justify its price tag.
For starters, there’s the said in-display fingerprint scanner. We definitely expect this feature to go mainstream by 2019, but as of the moment, not a lot of smartphones have it — giving the Vivo V11 some kind of exclusivity.
In addition, the Vivo V11 sports a Super AMOLED display, which delivers better colors and contrast than the IPS panel of the Nova 3i. There’s also the marginally bigger 3,400mAh battery. But where the Vivo V11 gets the Nova 3i is in its new dual-engine fast-charging technology.
The two have processors that have identical performance based on benchmarks. Vivo V11’s bigger 6GB of RAM and the more powerful Adreno 512 GPU takes an edge in terms of overall performance, though. The Huawei Nova 3i will soon be able to make up for it with its GPU Turbo technology, although Huawei is yet to release that update for the 3i.
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But other than those major differences, everything is pretty much identical between the two phones. They both run on Android 8.1 Oreo with their own custom UI, has a headphone jack, and they even have a very similar color gradient design.
The camera setup is also comparable. The 25-megapixel selfie camera on the V11 is a tad bit better than the 24-megapixel sensor on the Nova 3i, but it compensates by having an extra 2-megapixel depth-sensing sensor for the bokeh effect.
Jumping on the back, the Huawei Nova 3i’s 16-megapixel primary shooter should offer sharper images than the 12-megapixel sensor found on the V11. But then again, the latter offsets the advantage with its more pixel-packed 5-megapixel secondary rear camera.
To wrap it up, if you really find the in-display fingerprint scanner technology amusing, then you might want to go with the Vivo V11 as there’s not a lot of its kind out there. Its official price in the Philippines is yet to be announced, but we expect it to be at around Php19,000 – Php20,000.
But if you want something more straightforward but still gets the job done, the Huawei Nova 3i and its cheaper Php15,990 price tag might be more suitable for you. And if you want to dive in further and learn everything about this device before finalizing that purchase decision, you can check out our full review here.