Huawei Nova 4

Huawei Nova 4 arrives with a futuristic design which is quite eye-catching. Priced at Rs. 32,190, the phone seems quite future-proof, but under the hood, there is a lack of upgradations that are actually major issues of this phone.

The Nova 4 does not improve its processor from the Nova 3, which is a disappointment. Plus, the phone fails to deliver an enjoyable photography experience when compared to View 20. Overall, the phone falters due to lack of upgradation. However, the Nova 3 itself was a capable phone, and so, even without the noticeable hardware upgrade, the Nova 4 can satisfy all your gaming and professional needs.

The Nova 4 arrives with a fantastic build – a glass rear which curves around the edges so that it can sit well in your hands. Plus, the phone has an aluminium frame which lends a bit of structural durability to it. The back can transition colours between two extreme tones, making it look premium. The buttons are well-placed at the right spots and are easy to handle. Overall, the phone is compact, manageable, and has a durable edge to it. However, like all glass backs, it comes with the usual shortcoming – it can attract smudges easily with a slight touch.

The Nova 4 arrives with a large 6.4-inch display. The screen runs edge-to-edge, and there are minimal hints of bezel on this set. So, where is the selfie camera? The Nova 4 has chosen to go for the punch-hole design. It can be bothersome for some as it might seem intrusive. However, it is a replacement of a notch, which was annoying too. The punch-hole screen is a little less intrusive in comparison. Plus, running standard videos with an aspect ratio of 16:9 makes it more immersive since it does reach edge-to-edge. The colours on this phone are vivid and bright. It can be a delightful display overall.

As far as performance is concerned, the Nova 4 does not come with a boost in the performance from its predecessor. It still runs in the Kirin 970, despite a modified version being released and used in Huawei phones. However, it is paired with a sumptuous 8GB RAM. While an upgrade was expected, the 970 did excellent work. It was able to engage in smooth multitasking without entering into any slowdown mode. Plus, gaming was a delight in this set. You can run high-end games like PUBG on this phone without facing any lags, even on high settings. However, the phone gets heated after some time, which makes it quite uncomfortable to hold.

The phone arrives with a triple camera – a 48 MP primary camera, supported by a 16MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP depth sensor, The ultra-wide cameras produce inferior photos when compared to the primary camera. The daylight shots had a noticeable difference, while low-light made it even more prominent. The primary sensor, though, can capture beautiful shots in daylight. However, the quality of the cameras is not as satisfying as View 20.

The Nova 4 arrives with a 25MP selfie camera which is decent but has its shortcomings. It’s challenging to get a steady photo with this camera. The beauty mode is very aggressive with the skin tone becoming too unnatural. However, there are some neat features like the UI turning white from black when it detects low-light to get light on your face. Overall, the photography experience was quite poor and paled in comparison to View 20.

The Nova 4 comes with a large battery – 3750 mAh. It can quickly get you through an entire day unless you engage in heavy gaming or video streaming. Plus, the phone comes with fast charging due to the USB Type-C port. You can get a decent charge in 30 minutes. However, the battery is not as good as the Huawei View 20. It offers about 16 hours after full charge, with 6 hours of screen-on time.

Huawei Nova 4 does undergo some changes like going for a fantastic design and display, as well as a long-lasting battery. However, it falls short of expectations. It doesn’t come with a necessary upgrade to its processor, and the phone provides a poor photographic experience. There are better Huawei phones present in the market like View 20, which is a better recommendation.