Huawei nova 7i Gaming Review with FPS Tests (ML, PUBG, Asphalt 9, COD & NBA)

The Huawei nova 7i is powered by a Kirin 810 chipset with a 2.27GHz octa-core CPU, Mali-G52 GPU, and 8GB of RAM.

I tested its gaming performance by playing some of the most popular mobile games and measuring the average frame rate using GameBench Pro. These games can be installed using the Huawei AppGallery, APKPure, and Phone Clone.

 

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Smartphone	Average Frame Rate in ML
Huawei nova 7i	60 fps
realme 6 Pro	60 fps
Samsung Galaxy A20	30 fps
OPPO A9 2020	60 fps

Average frame rate while playing Mobile Legends at High graphics quality.

 

The Huawei nova 7i supports up to Ultra graphics quality on the Huawei nova 7i. As usual, I also turned on the HFR mode, character outlines, and shadows during the test.

After 10 minutes of playing, GameBench Pro measured an average frame rate of 59 fps. The game feels smooth with occasional frame drops during clashes.

Lowering the graphics quality to High instead of Ultra yields a perfect 60 fps average frame rate. Frame drops become virtually absent even during clashes. However, take note that internet speed is a huge factor in the overall gaming experience.

 

Asphalt 9: Legends

Asphalt 9: Legends is one of the popular games now available for direct download from the Huawei AppGallery. I set its graphics quality to High during the test.

The game felt smooth with awesome animations and particle effects. However, the average frame rate is 30 fps only.

This is because the game doesn’t support 60 fps or higher. It’s not an issue with the device since this is also the resulting average frame rate for flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy S20 or Huawei P40 Pro.

 

NBA 2K20

Unfortunately, NBA 2K20 doesn’t work on the Huawei nova 7i. I tried re-installing the game and installing its prerequisites to no avail.

 

Call of Duty Mobile

Call of Duty Mobile on the Huawei nova 7i is set to Medium graphics quality and frame rate preset by default. I changed both to High for the test but it can even be set to Very High.

The resulting average frame rate is a near-perfect 59 fps! The game felt buttery smooth while I played a Frontline match in the Highjacked map.

In comparison, other smartphones in this price range usually need Call of Duty to be set at Low graphics quality in order to achieve near-60 fps of average frame rate.

 

PUBG Mobile

Smartphone	Average Frame Rate in PUBG
Huawei nova 7i	40 fps
realme 6 Pro	40 fps
Samsung Galaxy A20	24 fps
OPPO A9 2020	39 fps

Average frame rate while playing PUBG Mobile at HD graphics quality.

 

Unlike NBA 2K20, PUBG Mobile works well on the Huawei nova 7i. It’s set to Balanced graphics quality by default but I changed it to HD graphics quality. It achieved an average frame rate of 30 fps according to GameBench Pro.

Meanwhile, changing the graphics quality back to Balanced lets the user increase the frame rate preset to Ultra. This results in an average frame rate of 40 fps and virtually eliminates frame drops during clashes.

However, setting the graphics quality to Smooth doesn’t enable the Extreme frame rate preset. Hence, it’s impossible for the device to achieve 60 fps on PUBG Mobile without tweaks.

 

Huawei nova 7i Gaming Test Results

Here are all the results of my gaming tests on the Huawei nova 7i:

Game	Graphics Quality	Frame Rate
Mobile Legends	High	60 fps
Mobile Legends	Ultra	59 fps
Asphalt 9	High	30 fps
Call of Duty	High	59 fps
NBA 2K20	-	Incompatible
PUBG Mobile	Balanced	40 fps
PUBG Mobile	HD	30 fps

 

Conclusion

The Huawei nova 7i is a powerful mid-range gaming smartphone that can run many popular games smoothly at High graphics quality.

I recommend setting the graphics quality of Mobile Legends, Asphalt 9, Call of Duty, and PUBG Mobile to high for casual gaming and medium for more competitive gameplays.

However, some games are not compatible with the device. This is usually an issue with paid games like NBA 2K20 that needs Google Play for purchase verification.

UP NEXT: Huawei nova 7i Full Review!