Honor’s success in India has clearly emboldened parent company Huawei to roll out its own flagship smartphones, and the Chinese gadget giant expects the Honor goodwill and its global reputation will together help the Huawei brand gain instant and sustainable traction. Recent entrants Huawei Nova 3 and lighter sibling Nova 3i, which were rolled out not long after the launch of the Huawei P2 Pro reaffirms this strategy.

Like its costlier sibling Nova 3, the Nova 3i also offers a large form factor, high-precision display, and more. The Nova 3i has has a full-HD 6.3-inch display. The display is arguably one of the best in the price range. The viewing angles are great and it renders colour and text with impressive accuracy.

The phone weighs about 170 grams. The device comes in two colours, black and irish purple and I reviewed the black. The phone looks very premium thanks to a glass back panel. Yes, it is slippery and if you are not careful, chances are you’re going to break it.

Huawei has produced, quite conveniently, a transparent back cover to tackle this. The fingerprint sensor is placed on the back panel and it is easy to operate.

The phone runs on Android 8.1, which has got Huawei’s own tweaks. If you are a fan of Huawei’s OS tweaks, there are no surprises here.

Users can customise the phone with some extra themes. The phone comes with some pre-installed apps and games. The Party Mode helps users sync music between different smartphones, while the Ride Mode helps manage calls while you’re driving.

The dual-sim, 4G-VoLTE Nova 3i is powered by Huawei’s own Kirin 710 processor, which is known for its ability to easily handle multitasking.

The chip does an impressive job with the Nova 3i as well. It negotiates gaming, streaming, multi-window browsing, high-rate display functions, etc, without glitches. The Nova 3i’s video reproduction capabilities are superb. If you are a regular streamer who can’t afford to buy a high-end phone, you’re sure to find solace in the Nova3i.

The machine has 4 GB RAM and 128 GB ROM. You can add an extra micro SD card if you want. But for an average user, 128 GB seems enough.

The Nova 3i has a good rear camera, powered by a 16 MP + 2 MP combo shooter. It supports an aperture spot of up to f/2.2 and has phase focus and contrast focus faculties. The camera in daylight takes extremely good shots; in fact it can match the Nova 3 in many aspects including resolution and composition. Its low-light abilities are also laudable. A minor glitch according to our review is if you shoot a high frame-rate video, the output becomes a bit jerky. The camera does really well while taking moving shots and close portraits.

The front camera has a mighty 24 MP + 2 MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture and fixed focal length. I feel Huawei assumes most users have now become experts in taking selfies and would not need hand-holding features. If you know how to wield the selfie shooter, this camera can get you incredible results. It is not spoiled by fake AI features. The Nova 3i’s audio output is decent, nothing extraordinary. When I connected it to a high-end earphone (wired) the output seemed fine but while the built-in speakers were employed, it disappointed me a little. A better speaker, next time. The phone has a non-removable 3,340 mAh battery. Thanks to an energy-efficient processor, the battery lasts one full day even with some long hours of browsing and streaming. But you would need a powerbank if you want to do more on your travels.

In sum, the Nova 3i lives up to the Huawei legacy when it comes to display, camera and multi-tasking abilities. If you are looking for a mid-range phone with great looks and crisp display, and something that doesn’t lose steam even during long hours of gaming, the Nova 3i won’t disappoint you.

Price: ₹20,999

Pros: Premium looks, great display, strong processor, good price

Cons: Slippery body, battery performance not great, average audio

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