Huawei Nova 8i vs Nova 8

55 out of 100

66 out of 100

Here we compared two mid-range smartphones: the 6.67-inch Huawei Nova 8i (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 662) that was released on July 7, 2021, against the Huawei Nova 8, which is powered by HiSilicon Kirin 985 5G and came out 6 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Huawei Nova 8i

Comes with 500 mAh larger battery capacity: 4300 vs 3800 mAh
Includes a 3.5 mm headphone audio jack port
The phone is 6-months newer

Reasons to consider the Huawei Nova 8

Higher display refresh rate – 90 Hz
Newer Bluetooth version (v5.1)
Ability to record video in 4K resolution
More energy-efficient CPU – Kirin 985 5G
More recent OS version: Android 11 versus 10
OLED display (versus competitor''s IPS LCD)
Reverse charging feature
84% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 946 and 514 points
Weighs 21 grams less
The front-facing camera can record video at 4K

Review

Evaluation of Huawei Nova 8i and Nova 8 crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Nova 8i

Nova 8

Camera

Photo and video recording quality

Nova 8i

Nova 8

Performance

CPU and memory performance (apps, system)

Nova 8i

Nova 8

60 *

Gaming

Capabilities for playing modern games

Nova 8i

Nova 8

Battery

Battery life, charging type and speed

Nova 8i

75 *

Nova 8

74 *

Connectivity

Networks, ports, data transmission

Nova 8i

Nova 8

Scores with a red asterisk ( * ) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.

NanoReview Score

Final comparison evaluation

Nova 8i

55 *

Nova 8

66 *

Value for money

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests

Phone:

Nova 8i

Nova 8

Display

Type	IPS LCD	OLED
Size	6.67 inches	6.57 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2376 pixels	1080 x 2340 pixels
Aspect ratio	19.5:9	19.5:9
PPI	391 ppi	392 ppi
Refresh rate	60 Hz	90 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	500 nits	550 nits
HDR support	No	Yes, HDR10
Screen protection	Tempered glass	Tempered glass
Screen-to-body ratio	89.4%	89.3%
Display features	- DCI-P3	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display

Design and build

Height	161.9 mm (6.37 inches)	160.1 mm (6.3 inches)
Width	74.7 mm (2.94 inches)	74.1 mm (2.92 inches)
Thickness	8.6 mm (0.34 inches)	7.6 mm (0.3 inches)
Weight	190 g (6.7 oz)	169 g (5.96 oz)
Waterproof	No	No
Rear material	Plastic	Glass
Frame material	Plastic	Metal
Colors	Black, Silver, Blue	White, Black, Blue, Green
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-button	Yes, in-display

Screen-to-body ratio

Nova 8i

89.4%

Nova 8

89.3%

Performance

Tests of Huawei Nova 8i and Huawei Nova 8 in the benchmarks

SoC
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 662	HiSilicon Kirin 985 5G
Max clock	2000 MHz	2560 MHz
CPU cores	8 (4 + 4)	8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 260 Silver (Cortex-A53) - 4 cores at 2 GHz: Kryo 260 Gold (Cortex-A73)	- 4 cores at 1.84 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 3 cores at 2.4 GHz: Cortex-A76 - 1 core at 2.58 GHz: Cortex-A76
Lithography process	11 nanometers	7 nanometers
Graphics	Adreno 610	Mali-G77 MP8
GPU shading units	128	512
GPU clock	950 MHz	695 MHz
FLOPS	~243.2 GFLOPS	~711.7 GFLOPS

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Nova 8i

514

Nova 8 +84%

946

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Nova 8i

1555

Nova 8 +60%

2483

AnTuTu Benchmark 10

Nova 8i

242447

Nova 8

n/a

CPU	88415	-
GPU	42652	-
Memory	60906	-
UX	48279	-
Total score	242447	-

3DMark Wild Life Performance

Nova 8i

373

Nova 8 +474%

2141

Stability	-	96%
Graphics test	2 FPS	12 FPS
Graphics score	373	2141

PCMark 3.0

Nova 8i

5376

Nova 8

n/a

Web score	5363	-
Video editing	3492	-
Photo editing	7955	-
Data manipulation	4820	-
Writing score	6188	-

Memory

RAM
RAM size	6, 8 GB	8 GB
Memory type	LPDDR4X	LPDDR4X
Memory clock	1866 MHz	1866 MHz
Channels	2	2

Storage
Storage size	128 GB	128, 256 GB
Storage type	UFS 2.1	UFS 2.1
Memory card	No	No

Software

Operating system	Android 10	Android 10.0 (Can be upgraded to Android 11)
ROM	EMUI 11	EMUI 11

Battery

Capacity	4300 mAh	3800 mAh
Max charge power	66 W	66 W
Battery type	Li-Po	Li-Po
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	No	No
Reverse charging	No	Yes
Fast charging	Yes (60% in 19 min)	Yes (60% in 15 min)
Full charging time	0:40 hr	0:35 hr

Camera

Specs and camera test of smartphones

Main camera
Matrix	64 megapixels	64 megapixels
Image resolution	9000 x 7000	9000 x 7000
Zoom	Digital	Digital
Flash	LED	LED
Stabilization	Digital	Digital
8K video recording	No	No
4K video recording	No	Up to 30FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 30FPS	Up to 60FPS
Slow motion	-	960 FPS (720p)
Angle of widest lens	120°	120°
Lenses	4 (64 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP)	4 (64 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 64 MP - Aperture: f/1.9 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Phase autofocus	- 64 MP - Aperture: f/1.9 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.7" (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus
Ultra-wide lens	- 8 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 17 mm - Sensor: 1/4" (CMOS)	- 8 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 17 mm - Sensor: 1/4" (CMOS)
Macro lens	- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4	- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4
Depth lens	- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4	- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode

Selfie camera
Megapixels	16 megapixels	32 megapixels
Image resolution	4920 x 3264	6528 x 4896
Aperture	f/2.0	f/2.0
Focal length	-	26 mm
Pixel size	-	0.8 microns
Sensor type	CMOS	CMOS
Sensor size	-	1/2.8"
Video resolution	1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS	2160p (4K) at 30 FPS

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5	5.1
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	2	2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS
NFC *	Depends on the region	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Network
Number of SIM *	2	2
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	Standby
eSIM support *	No	No
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat *	13	20
5G support	No	Yes

Sound

Speakers	Mono	Mono
Headphone audio jack	Yes	No
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	No	No

Other

Category	Mid-range	Mid-range
Announced	July 2021	December 2020
Release date	July 2021	January 2021
Sensors	- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint

* Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Conclusion

After analyzing all the data, we think that the Huawei Nova 8 is definitely a better buy.