Huawei Nova 5T vs Realme XT: Hands-on Comparison!

This is a hands-on comparison of the Huawei Nova 5T and Realme XT smartphones in four crucial aspects – design, camera, performance, and battery.

I have already used the two smartphones for more than one month each. Gaming reviews, camera samples, and full reviews are also already published here on Pinoy Techno Guide.

 

Design & Display

First of all, the Realme XT is a slightly bigger smartphone compared to the Huawei Nova 5T. It has a 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display while the Huawei Nova 5T has a 6.26-inch IPS LCD display.

The former also uses a better AMOLED screen technology. This means brighter images with more vibrant colors and deeper blacks.

However, the Realme XT has a small notch for its selfie camera while the Huawei Nova 5T has a punch-hole on the upper right corner of the screen. The latter looks better in terms of design.

When it comes to the overall design, the Huawei Nova 5T is boxier while the Realme XT has more pronounced curves on the back. Both smartphones also have decorative sheens and vertical quad-camera modules.

One design aspect that differs between the two is the position of the fingerprint scanner. The Realme XT has an under-display fingerprint scanner similar to flagship smartphones while the Huawei Nova 5T has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner embedded in its power button.

The side-mounted fingerprint scanner of the Huawei Nova 5T feels more natural to use while the under-display fingerprint scanner of the Realme XT is more futuristic.

 

Performance & General User Experience

The Realme XT uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 AIE chipset with 8GB of RAM while the Huawei Nova 5T has a Kirin 980 chipset with the same amount of RAM.

In my gaming tests, both smartphones were able to run Mobile Legends: Bang Bang at a perfect frame rate of 60 fps. However, the Realme XT only got 44 fps when playing NBA 2K20 while the Huawei Nova 5T still showed a perfect 60 fps frame rate.

This isn’t surprising since the Kirin 980 is a flagship chipset that powers the Huawei P30 Pro. On the other hand, the Snapdragon 712 is a mid-range chipset. It’s good for gaming but not quite as good as the former.

In terms of general user experience, the Huawei Nova 5T and Realme XT both run smoothly. Apps open quickly on both smartphones with smooth scrolling in social media apps and mobile websites.

The Realme XT uses OPPO’s ColorOS 6 software while the Huawei Nova 5T has EMUI 9. There are heavy customizations on both software that runs on top of Android 9 Pie.

 

Camera Quality

The 64 Megapixel main rear camera of the Realme XT produces more detailed pictures compared to the 48MP main shooter of the Huawei Nova 5T. It can be cropped to re-frame the picture or focus on a smaller part of the image without a huge loss in sharpness.

In default settings, the Realme XT outputs 16MP pictures while the Huawei Nova 5T produces 12MP pictures. Pictures from the Realme XT appear brighter and warmer while those from the Huawei Nova 5T have more natural-looking colors.

Both smartphones can also shoot ultra-wide pictures. Once again, the Realme XT’s 8MP ultra-wide camera produces brighter pictures while the Huawei Nova 5T’s 16MP ultra-wide camera preserves more details in the brighter parts of the image.

Furthermore, both smartphones produce good-looking selfies. This time, selfies from the Huawei Nova 5T look warmer than those from the Realme XT.

When it comes to low-light photography, the Huawei Nova 5T also makes brighter pictures in 3-5 seconds using its built-in Night mode. However, the Realme XT’s Nightscape Mode results in sharper details with a better dynamic range.

Overall, the difference between the cameras of the two smartphones isn’t that great. You can pick one and not really miss anything from the other choice. It just depends on your personal preference and I hope the sample pictures above can help you decide.

 

Battery Life & Charging

The last aspect of these two smartphones that we will compare is battery life and charging time.

The Realme XT has a bigger 4,000mAh battery compared to the 3,750mAh battery of the Huawei Nova 5T. However, Huawei has always been very good when it comes to battery life and the Huawei Nova 5T lasts around 2 hours longer than the Realme XT with casual usage.

Based on the PCMark Battery Life Test 2.0, the Huawei Nova 5T scored 12 hours and 8 minutes while the Realme XT only got 10 hours and 55 minutes. This test simulates a real-world heavy usage of a smartphone.

When it comes to charging, both smartphones have fast-charging with the Realme XT completing a full charge in a slightly shorter time.

 

Which is better – Huawei Nova 5T or Realme XT?

The Huawei Nova 5T is the better smartphone for its gaming performance and longer battery life. Meanwhile, the Realme XT has a better screen and slightly better set of cameras.

However, it’s easier to recommend the Realme XT since it’s a better package. Its gaming performance isn’t too far below the Huawei Nova 5T and that bigger AMOLED display provides a better overall experience.

The ultimate choice is yours. Which smartphone is better for you – the Huawei Nova 5T or Realme XT? Share your reasons in the comments!

SPECS	Huawei Nova 5T	Realme XT
Display	6.26" FHD+ IPS LCD Display with Punch-hole	6.4" FHD+ Super AMOLED Display with Notch
OS	Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9.1	Android 9 Pie with ColorOS 6
Chipset	HiSilicon Kirin 980	Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 AIE
CPU	Octa-Core (2x 2.6GHz Cortex-A76 + 2x 1.92GHz Cortex-A76 + 4x 1.8GHz Cortex-A55)	Octa-Core (2x 2.3GHz Krryo 360 Gold + 6x 1.7GHz Kryo 360)
GPU	Mali-G76	Adreno 616
RAM	8GB	8GB
Rear Camera	Quad Cameras: -48 MP Main Camera (f/1.8 Aperture, PDAF) - 16 MP Ultra-wide (f/2.2 Aperture) - 2 MP Macro (f/2.4 Aperture) - 2 MP Depth Sensor	Quad Cameras: -64 MP Main Camera (f/1.8 Aperture, PDAF) - 8 MP Ultra-wide (f/2.25 Aperture, 119° FOV) - 2 MP Macro (f/2.4 Aperture) - 2 MP Depth Sensor
Front Camera	32 Megapixels	16 Megapixels
Storage	128GB	128GB
Expansion	None	Up to 256GB via microSD
SIM	Dual SIM (Nano-SIM)	Dual SIM (Nano-SIM)
Networks	4G LTE, 3G HSPA+, 2G EDGE & GPRS Networks	4G LTE, 3G HSPA+, 2G EDGE & GPRS Networks
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (Dual Band)	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (Dual Band)
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.2	Bluetooth 5.0
GPS	A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS & BeiDou	A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS & BeiDou
USB	USB Type-C with USB OTG	USB Type-C with USB OTG
Audio	USB Type-C Audio Output	3.5mm Audio Jack with Dolby ATMOS
Sensors	Face Recognition, Fingerprint Sensor (Side Mounted), Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Compass, Gyroscope & Accelerometer	Face Recognition, Fingerprint Sensor (Under Display), Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Compass, Gyroscope & Accelerometer
Battery	3750mAh Li-Po Battery with 22.5W Fast Charging (Huawei SuperCharge)	4,000mAh Li-Po Battery with 20W Fast Charging (VOOC Flash Charge 3.0)
Dimensions	154.25 x 73.97 x 7.87 mm	158.7 x 75.2 x 8.6 mm
Weight	174 g	183 g
Colors	Black, Midsummer Purple and Crush Blue	Pearl Blue and Pearl White
Price	₱18,990 (₱17,990 Price Drop)	₱16,990