The original Huawei Nova Plus was decent but not necessary a memorable phone. With the follow up, Huawei is focusing on the front camera and audio capabilities.
At AED 1,399 (US$375), the Huawei Nova 2 Plus is cheaper than the likes of Honor 9, but it's also not at the same performance level as that or the Nokia 8.
Packaged in a white box that looks very much like the one we saw on the Honor 8 last year, the Nova 2 Plus comes with a fast charger, a USB Type C cable and a headset along with the quickstart guide.
Like other Huawei phones we’ve reviewed of late, a translucent case is also bundled to protect the phone. We think it’s great that Huawei is providing basic protection out of the box.
Less is more
The Huawei Nova 2 Plus can be seen as a cheaper version of the Huawei P10 Plus. It has almost identical dimensions and a slightly less premium, yet, a beautiful design.
Instead of the glass strip found on the top of P10 Plus with Leica brand, the Nova 2 plus has a smooth all-metal back.
It’s available in three colors- Graphite Black, Prestige Gold and Aurora Blue. We got that last one for review and it has a nice zen like finish that is achieved by moving the antennae lines on the top and bottom.
Even though the screen size is 5.5 inches, the Huawei Nova 2 Plus sits comfortably in your hand. And with a weight of 169g, it's easier to handle than other phones with similar screen sizes.
Huawei has placed the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone. Although we prefer a fingerprint sensor on the front, the positioning of it on the Nova 2 is well thought out. It sits reasonably below the cameras and in the center making it very easy for your index finger to reach it.
Like the Huawei P10, the fingerprint sensor is extremely quick to recognize and unlock your phone - among the fastest we've used. It also allows for gestures such as pulling down the notification shade or browsing your photos. You can even answer calls and take photos by tapping it.
The 5.5-inch screen on the Huawei Nova 2 Plus is FullHD in resolution which is expected from a device at its price point. It's LED in technology and is bright enough to be used in the outdoor sun, though you will need to crank the brightness levels all the way up when using it outdoors in a place like Dubai. Huawei has also done a good job with colour reproduction, especially when you use one of the bundled theme that brings out the best the screen has to offer.
Design and display
- Subtle and elegant design
- Display is bright and sharp
While the Huawei Nova 2 Plus has an elegant design, it won't necessarily turn heads. It's definitely more premium than what is expected out of a phone in it's price range, but it's a phone that will disappear among all other phones that look like it.
At just 6.9mm thickness, the phone sits comfortably in your hands and is easier to use that other phones with a similar screen size. Although there are bezels present on the top and bottom, they don't feel oversized though most of us will need to use the phone with two hands.
The left side holds the SIM tray which can take one nano SIM and one micro SIM, or a MicroSD card. On the right, you can find a textured power button was well as volume keys that are easy to reach. Moving to the bottom, the Nova 2 Plus features a USB Type-C port along with a 3.5mm jack.
The back holds the dual camera setup along with a flash on the top and the fingerprint sensor below it to the centre. The front of the phone is very generic- a large glass slab with noticeable bezels on the top and the bottom.
Interface and reliability
- Android 7.0 with EMUI 5.1
- Huawei's custom UI is well polished
The Huawei Nova 2 Plus runs Android 7.0 Nougat, with Huawei's own Emotion UI (EMUI) 5.1 layered on top. While we weren't expecting the phone to run Android 8 Oreo, we were surprised to see it not equipped with Android 7.1 which is found on most new phones.
Instead you have to make do with Android 7.0. It's not a deal breaker, but it's a shame it's not more up to date. We're also not satisfied with Huawei's lack of software updates for its previous phones released in the Middle East.
That being said, you do get the latest version of EMUI which is 5.1 and was released with the Huawei P10 earlier in the year. It's quite a departure from stock Android which can be a good thing in making your product stand out.
Although previous version of EMUI (4.x and below) haven't necessarily been great, Huawei stepped up with EMUI 5.0 that was launched with the Huawei Mate 9 last year and then tweaked it further with the launch of the P10 and EMUI 5.1.
In some ways, EMUI reminds me a bit of iOS which could be a good thing for some users- especially the ones that have used an iPhone in the past. That being said, that's just how it looks by default and Huawei allows for lots of customization.
For instance, you can chose between having all your apps appear on the home screen or have an app drawer instead with only a few of you most used apps and widgets taking up home screen space. You can also change themes and icons through the Huawei themes app.
The UI itself is very smooth to navigate. You can easily switch between apps or scroll through long lists and web pages without noticing any stutter. Huawei's decision to equip the Nova 2 Plus with 4GB RAM really helps with that,
Where we do have an issue with Huawei devices is with updates, or the lack of them in the Middle East. While other parts of the world get newer builds from Huawei frequently, Middle East units lag severely behind and, judging from previous experience, you'd be lucky to get any updates on the Nova 2 Plus.
Movies, music and gaming
- Great audio hardware
- Can't handle demanding games
Huawei has a dedicated video player app for watching videos stored on the device such as the ones created using the camera or on your built-in storage/SD card. It's a clear and functional app that also offers the ability to watch videos in a window layered over the home screen, allowing you to navigate and open apps in the background.
One of the key aspects of the Nova 2 Plus is Huawei's decision to adopt the AK4376a HiFi chips along with HUAWEI 2012 lab’s unique audio algorithm called Huawei Histen.
These technologies help minimize distortion and other disturbances with audio processing to keep music clean, crisp and true. The Nova 2 Plus also supports aptX wireless Bluetooth technology for lower latency.
Huawei has also worked with Rainer Maillard, a Grammy award-winning musician for mixing the device’s key sounds.
Needless to say, but you will need a good pair of headphones to enjoy audio at it's fullest on the Nova 2 Pro. The lonesome bottom-mounted speaker to the right of the USB-C port is reasonably loud and produces better audio than many phones, but doesn't do justice to what the phone is capable of. Neither does the generic bundles pair of earphones.
Huawei has its own Music app that allows you to play music stored on the device but there really isn't much reason to use this over apps such as Anghami, Google Play Music or even Apple Music that allow you to stream music.
In fact, we're a bit surprised that Huawei didn't partner up with the likes of Anghami in the region considering the strong focus on the audio capabilities of the Nova 2 Pro.
While audio is a great selling point for the Huawei Nova 2 Plus, it isn't necessarily well equipped to tackle the demands of the latest games. The Kirin 659 chipset is good for casual and less demanding games, but newer games don't run as smoothly and we noticed frame drops as well as sluggish response to controls.
The Nova 2 Plus also got noticeably warm when playing high-end games and running benchmarks, but not to the point of being uncomfortable to hold. If you want a phone that plays demanding games, you're better off buying something else.
Specs and benchmark performance
- Good overall performance
- Kirin 659 isn't meant for high-end performance
Expectedly, the Huawei Nova 2 Plus doesn't come equipped with the company's flagship CPU which is the Kirin 960 that is reserved for the likes of the Huawei Mate 9 and the Huawei P10 Plus.
Instead, the phone runs on the mid-end Kirin 659 which offers performance levels of the Snapdragon 625- the same CPU found on the first generation of the the Huawei Nova.
The chipset is tuned more for general performance and coupled with 4GB RAM, that is evident by the smooth UI experience on using the phone. However when pushed with demanding apps and games, the CPU struggles to keep up.
The Nova 2 Plus's average Geekbench multicore benchmark score of 3,258 is barely higher that the previous generation of Nova which scored 3,105 with it's Snapdragon 625 CPU. It's also quite a bit lower than the Kirin 960 that averages over 6,600 in Geekbench.
Battery life
- Two day battery life with casual usage
- Fast to charge with the included charger
The Huawei Nova 2 Plus comes with a 3,340mAh battery that is identical in capacity to the original Huawei Nova Plus. And that's a good thing because the battery life on the original lasted almost two days. With general usage, you could expect the same on the Nova 2 Plus.
By general usage, I mean using your phone to listen some music, take some shots, browse the web and keep your social channels updated.
If you're planning on heavily using the camera or playing games, expect the battery life to drop. Even then, you should get one full day out of it easily.
Even when you're running low, Huawei has bundled a good fast charger with the Nova 2 Plus that is capable of charging the phone to almost 40% level in half an hour. With EMUI 5.1, Huawei also adds Smart Power Saving 5.0 that can scale back the performance and power requirements of the phone and give you a couple of extra hours.
Camera
- Disappointing dual back cameras without OIS
- Massive 20MP front camera for selfie lovers
The Huawei Nova 2 Plus features dual back cameras but not in the mono/color combination that Huawei is a leader in. Instead, the dual RGP lenses are made up of a wide angle 12MP and a long-focus 8MP.
Sadly, there is no Optical Image Stabilization on either which means that you need a fairly steady set of hands, especially under lower-lit conditions to get the best out of the Nova 2 Plus.
However, Huawei wants to focus more on the front camera with the Nova 2 Plus which features a 20MP camera along with Huawei's self developed ISP and a ten-grade beautification mode to give you a "natural, healthy and energetic look."
There are tons of camera modes and options to take play with when it comes to taking photos on the Nova 2 Plus. If you have used previous Huawei phones, they will be familiar to you.
These modes include Portrait Mode, Night Shot, HDR and Light Painting. The dual camera setup also allows for a hybrid optical zoom.
Unfortunately, the dual back camera setup on the Huawei Nova 2 Plus failed to impress us.
While it can take good "basic" shots when there is plenty of lighting, it doesn't do a great job when the lighting levels go down, or when you use features such as background blur or zoom.
The quality of photos, especially when viewed on larger screens such as your laptop isn't that great.
With background blurring, there is a small area on which the camera focuses and artificially blurs the rest of the photo which results in a very unnatural result. Zooming in also loses a lot of detail on the picture and, with the lack of OIS, makes it hard to get clear shots.
Rear camera samples gallery
Where the Nova 2 Plus scores well is with its front camera. We got better shots out of that than the dual-back cameras which make us wonder why Huawei didn't simply opt for a better single lens solution for the back camera.
The front camera also supports background blurring and isn't as aggressive resulting in a better picture. It also has beauty modes that smoothen your skin imperfections. There is a 3D mapping mode as well which we couldn't quite get to work.
Front camera samples gallery
We're seeing a trend where you're getting pretty good phones for much lesser than you'd expect and the Huawei Nova 2 Plus pushes down that road.
Priced at AED 1,399, it offers a decent buck for your bang. It has a minimal, yet premium design, a very good selfie camera and a great audio experience.
Where the phone feels underwhelming is with the dual cameras on the back as well as gaming performance. The general consumer would assume that two cameras are better than one, and that is the case with other Huawei phones such as the Huawei Mate 9 or the Huawei P10 Plus, but not so on the Nova 2 Plus which let us down with its image quality.
Who's it for?
The Huawei Nova 2 Plus is primarily for those who love taking selfies or appreciate good audio, while being on a budget.
Should you buy it?
The only reason to not buy the Huawei Nova 2 Plus is the back camera. If you don't use your phone to take a lot of pictures using the back camera, you'll be impressed by the Nova 2 Plus.
It's a well-built device that offers good value for your money and can prove to be extremely capable as a daily driver.
That being said, if selfies or great audio isn't high on your list of features, you can find phones that are less expensive than the Nova 2 Plus and do an equally good job.
If you're looking at the Huawei Nova 2 Plus, here are some other phones in the same ballpark that you might want to consider…
Nokia 6
Overall then, the Nokia 6 is like a really good, affordable smartphone. It’s got a decent spec sheet and a great design, while the stock Android interface should mean it gets software updates promptly.
- Read our full Nokia 6 Review
Moto G5 Plus
Flagship features and design have slowly trickled down to the mid-range and it’s good to see Moto absorbing this trend on the low-end. Refreshed from top to bottom, the Moto G5 Plus has redefined itself and it didn't even have to.
- Read our full Moto G5 Plus
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