Huawei Nova 7 SE review: An almost-excellent, mid-range, 5G-capable phone
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Page 3 of 3 - Benchmark Performance, Battery, Conclusion
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Benchmark Performance, Battery, Conclusion
Benchmark Performance
Powering the Huawei Nova 7 SE is an upper mid-tier Kirin 820 octa-core processor with a clock rate of up to 2.36GHz. At its unveiling announcement, Huawei said it has 21% better overall performance than its preceding chipset, which was the Kirin 810 on phones like the lower-endHuawei Nova 5 and 7 series. A noteworthy feature is the chipset's 5G support, making it one of the first mid-range 5G phones released this year.
Naturally, this pits the Nova 7 SE against 2020 mid-range devices like the Vivo V19 and Sony Xperia 10 II, which we've reviewed previously. We'll also throw in 2019 mid-range phones for comparison's sake. To round off the measurements, we also include flagship devices like this year's OnePlus 8 Pro, Huawei's very own P40 Pro+, and an older Galaxy S10+ by Samsung.
Huawei Nova 7 SE | Vivo V19 | Sony Xperia 10 II | Oppo Reno2 | Google Pixel 3a XL (64GB) | Samsung Galaxy A80 | Huawei P40 Pro+ | OnePlus 8 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S10+ (128GB) | |
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Processor |
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Display |
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Camera |
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Connectivity |
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Storage Type |
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Battery |
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Dimensions |
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Weight |
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JetStream 2
To benchmark the phone's web browsing performance, we used the JetStream 2 benchmark test on the Google Chrome web browser app. The test measures a phone's capabilities in handling a variety of advanced workloads and executing codes. JetStream 2 is an updated version of older benchmarks, such as the first JetStream and SunSpider.
While some phones come with custom-made web browsers, We always run this benchmark test on Chrome as it gives the best indication across devices, processors, and OS platforms - whether iOS or Android. Also, we would adjust the phone's display settings to ensure that the screen doesn't turn off mid-test since this would relegate the browser's thread(s) to background processing. Where necessary, we would run multiple test instances to get a more accurate reading of scores.
AnTuTu
Note: As of 9th March 2020, all AnTuTu benchmarks were removed from the Google Play Store. This move likely arose from Google's attempts to relieve the Play Store of apps that violate their policies. AnTuTu is working with Google to restore their app listing. For this review, we used the APK file that was available on AnTuTu's website.
AnTuTu is an all-in-one benchmark that tests CPU, GPU, memory, and storage. The CPU benchmark evaluates both integer and floating-point performance, and the GPU tests assess 2D and 3D performance, the memory test measures available memory bandwidth and latency, and the storage tests gauge the read and write speeds of a device's flash memory.
Geekbench 5
Geekbench CPU is a cross-platform processor benchmark that tests both single-core and multi-core performance with workloads that simulate real-world usage. Geekbench 5 scores are calibrated against a baseline score of 1000, which is the score of an Intel Core i3-8100.
The Geekbench benchmarking tool is why we couldn't refer to older benchmark scores of other mid-range devices. Geekbench 4 had a baseline score of 4000 (the performance of an Intel Core i7-6600U processor). As one the first mid-range phones we're testing using Geekbench 5, we'll have to build upon the list of devices as time goes by.
3DMark Sling Shot Extreme
3DMark Sling Shot is an advanced 3D graphics benchmark that tests the full range of OpenGL ES 3.1 and ES 3.0 API features including multiple render targets, instanced rendering, uniform buffers and transform feedback. The test also includes impressive volumetric lighting and post-processing effects. The test's Unlimited mode ignores screen resolutions.
Performance roundup and remarks
The Huawei Nova 7 SE is easily one of, if not the best performing mid-range smartphones that has made its debut this year. In fact, the benchmark scores are comparable to the Samsung Galaxy S10+, a flagship device from 2019. Chances are, the Nova 7 SE feels acceptable for your daily needs, assuming once you're done setting up the device with your favourite apps.
Battery Life Performance
Our standard battery test for mobile phones has the following parameters:
- Looping a 720p video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
- Constant data streaming through email
Huawei has included a reasonably generous 4,000mAh battery in the Nova 7 SE, giving us a reasonable 12+ hours of battery life in our testing. It's a tad lower than last year's older alternatives with smaller battery capacities like the Pixel 3A XL and Galaxy A80. We think it's fair given that it's performing quite close to flagship-tier phones with top-end processors. The Nova 7 SE's uptime duration puts it right in the middle of the pack, which should be comfortable for most users.
What we liked was the Nova 7 SE's support for fast-charging, dubbed 40W Huawei SuperCharge. The phone even comes with a compatible fast-charging adapter in the box. It took just 25 minutes to go from 0% to 50%, and slightly under 60 minutes to go from zero to a full battery charge!
Conclusion
Going by its technical capabilities, the Huawei Nova 7 SE is one of the best mid-range smartphones you can get - it has near-flagship tier performance, an acceptable display (still an LCD), an above-average primary camera, and respectably long battery life. Its price point of S$528 also gives it great value for money when you compare it to the Vivo V19 (S$599) and Sony Xperia 10 II (S$569). Both alternatives can't match the Nova 7 SE in benchmarks and camera performance while packing the essentials like a 3.5mm audio jack and expandable storage options (although the Huawei phone uses proprietary memory cards). It is also better priced, better featured and excels in performance over last year's Nova 5T that's still selling currently (but only because it doesn't suffer from the next point).
What makes this phone hard to judge was the same problem that plagues the Huawei P40 series - the lack of Google Mobile Services. At the flagship-tier, the difference between the Huawei P40 Pro+ and a Google-capable Oppo Find X2 Pro was approximately S$200, which is not too big of a difference to pay for the comfort and ease of GMS (I tend to use phones beyond the 12- to 18-month upgrade cycle, so the extra S$200 really spreads its value out over a longer period of time, and therefore, there's less strain on the purse strings).
Personally, it would have been a toss-up between the Huawei Nova 7 SE and the Vivo V19 since I am neutral towards their imaging performance and battery uptime. If we were to pick, the Huawei device does have a slight edge in imaging detail and handling a complicated main test shot that has both bright lighting and shade. Both devices share the same weakness of not having NFC though.
Unfortunately, the convenience of a GMS-enabled device for just S$70 dollars more would be why I'd pick the Vivo V19 instead. If the Nova 7 SE somehow were able to use all of GMS (legitimately or otherwise, without breaking any functionality or feature on the device), I'd easily buy the more affordable of the two and treat the imaging performance as a nice bonus to have.
Still, don't let my nitpicking stop you from getting the Nova 7 SE. If you're not too addicted to Google Maps or YouTube apps and you easily use access the same via the browser, it's seriously one of the best current-generation mid-range phones you could grab, features- and functionality-wise. Ease of use is the main detracting factor that you would have to weigh in and it would vary from person to person and the kinds of apps being used.
For those keen to check ongoing retailer prices, here are some relevant shopping links:-
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