Huawei Nova 4 was recently announced by the Chinese smartphone maker and after a couple of companies such as Samsung and Xiaomi had confirmed that they will be launching their first smartphone with a 48MP primary rear camera, the Huawei has taken the lead by launching the Huawei Nova 4 which not only comes with the 48MP primary rear camera but also pokes the recently launched Samsung Galaxy A8s with an in-display front camera.
Yes, you read it right. Huawei Nova 4 has been launched with two of the most anticipated features of upcoming premium smartphones. While Samsung was the first OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to launch a smartphone with an in-display front camera in form of the Galaxy A8s, Huawei has quickly come up with a reply with its Nova 4.
It should be noted that the Samsung Galaxy A8s comes with an Infinity-O display that the South Korean smartphone maker showcased earlier this year while it also adds features such as triple rear cameras, fast charging, the newly-announced Snapdragon 710 SoC in into the mix. Coming to the Huawei Nova 4, the smartphone also has its own share of highlights which include the 0.85mm micro-seam earpiece, 4.5mm hole at the front to house the 3.05mm camera sensor, Kirin 970 processor with support for GPU Turbo 2.0, 16 million super wide-angle lens at the rear camera module and more.
Both these smartphones are the perfect example of the new design themes that companies will be following next year and if we are considering new smartphone designs here, then the Vivo Nex Dual also deserves a mention. While the Vivo Nex Dual has been launched in a more premium segment than the Huawei Nova 4 and Samsung Galaxy A8s, it has a similar wow factor as well as the VFM tag considering the kind of features it has to offer.
The Vivo Nex Dual is the company’s first smartphone to come with dual displays and while buyers will get a 6.39-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED (2340×1080 pixels) display with 19:5:9 aspect ratio, 91.63 per cent screen-to-body ratio, DCI-P3 color gamut at the front, there is also a secondary 5.49-inch Full HD Super AMOLED (1920×1080 pixels) display. The smartphone is completely protected by Corning Gorilla Glass protection.
While the Vivo Nex had a pop-up front camera design, the Vivo Nex Dual comes with three cameras on the rear panel which can also be used as the front camera module, thanks to the secondary display. The camera module of the Vivo Nex Dual include a 12MP Dual PD rear camera with Sony IMX363 sensor, 4-axis OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), dual-tone LED flash, f/1.79 aperture and a secondary 2MP night vision camera with 2.9μm pixel size, f/1.8 aperture along with a 3D TOF camera with f/1.3 aperture.
The 3D TOF camera can be used for functions such as face lock, personalized beautification and payments. There are also 16 RGB lights at 24.6mm diameter which are arranged circularly in order to be used as a notification LED or for clicking selfies.
Huawei Nova 4 vs Samsung Galaxy A8s vs Vivo Nex Dual: Specifications and features compared
Huawei Nova 4 vs Samsung Galaxy A8s vs Vivo Nex Dual: Display
Huawei Nova 4: 6.4-inch Full HD+ (2310 x 1080 pixels) display with 19:5:9 aspect ratio, curved glass, 96 per cent NTSC Color Gamut, 86.3 per cent screen-to-body ratio, 0.85mm micro-seam earpiece and a 4.5mm hole at the front to house the 3.05mm camera sensor
Samsung Galaxy A8s: 6.4-inch Full HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels) LCD display with 19:5:9 aspect ratio, 2.5D curved glass, 96 per cent NTSC Color Gamut and 6.7mm hole at the front to house the camera sensor.
Vivo Nex Dual: 6.39-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED (2340×1080 pixels) display with 19:5:9 aspect ratio, 91.63 per cent screen-to-body ratio, DCI-P3 color gamut and a secondary 5.49-inch Full HD Super AMOLED (1920×1080 pixels) display.
Huawei Nova 4 vs Samsung Galaxy A8s vs Vivo Nex Dual: Processor
Huawei Nova 4: Octa-Core Huawei Kirin 970 10nm processor clocked up to 2.4 GHz and paired with Mali-G72 MP12 GPU, GPU Turbo, i7 co-processor as well as NPU
Samsung Galaxy A8s: Qualcomm Octa Core Snapdragon 710 10nm processor clocked up to 2.2GHz and paired Adreno 616 GPU for graphics
Vivo Nex Dual: Qualcomm Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 10nm processor clocked up to 2.8GHz and paired with Adreno 630 GPU for graphics
Huawei Nova 4 vs Samsung Galaxy A8s vs Vivo Nex Dual: RAM and storage
Huawei Nova 4: 8GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage and no support for expandable memory.
Samsung Galaxy A8s: 6GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage, 8GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage, both options expandable up to 512GB with a dedicated microSD card slot.
Vivo Nex Dual: 10GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage and no support for expandable memory.
Huawei Nova 4 vs Samsung Galaxy A8s vs Vivo Nex Dual: Software
Huawei Nova 4: Android 9.0 (Pie) out of the box with EMUI 9.0.1 on top
Samsung Galaxy A8s: Android 8.1 (Oreo) out of the box with Samsung’s own skin on top
Vivo Nex Dual: Android 9.0 (Pie) out of the box with Funtouch OS 4.5 on top
Huawei Nova 4 vs Samsung Galaxy A8s vs Vivo Nex Dual: Cameras
Huawei Nova 4: 48MP primary rear camera with 1/2″ Sony IMX586 sensor or a 20MP primary rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF), LED flash, CAF, Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS), a secondary 16MP camera with f/2.2 aperture and 117-degree super wide angle lens, and a 2MP camera with f/2.4 aperture, depth of field view. At the front, there is a 25MP camera with Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF), f/2.0 aperture and Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS).
Samsung Galaxy A8s: 24MP primary rear camera with f/1.7 aperture, LED flash, a 10MP telephoto lens featuring f/2.4 aperture, and a 5MP depth camera with f/2.2 aperture. At the front, there is a 24MP camera with autofocus and f/2.0 aperture
Vivo Nex Dual: 12MP Dual PD rear camera with Sony IMX363 sensor, 4-axis OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), dual-tone LED flash, f/1.79 aperture and a secondary 2MP night vision camera with 2.9μm pixel size, f/1.8 aperture along with a 3D TOF camera with f/1.3 aperture.
Huawei Nova 4 vs Samsung Galaxy A8s vs Vivo Nex Dual: Biometrics
Huawei Nova 4: Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and face unlock for biometrics
Samsung Galaxy A8s: Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and face unlock for biometrics
Vivo Nex Dual: In-display fingerprint sensor and face unlock for biometrics
Huawei Nova 4 vs Samsung Galaxy A8s vs Vivo Nex Dual: Battery
Huawei Nova 4: 3750mAh inbuilt battery with fast charging support
Samsung Galaxy A8s: 3400mAh inbuilt battery with adaptive fast charging support
Vivo Nex Dual: 3500mAh inbuilt battery with 22.5W fast charging support
Huawei Nova 4 vs Samsung Galaxy A8s vs Vivo Nex Dual: Other features
Huawei Nova 4: Dual SIM (nano + nano) support, Dual 4G VoLTE, USB Type-C support, 0.85mm micro-seam earpiece, 4.5mm hole at the front to house the 3.05mm camera sensor.
Samsung Galaxy A8s: Dual SIM (nano + nano) support with a dedicated microSD card slot and 6.7mm hole at the front to house the camera sensor
Vivo Nex Dual: Dual SIM (nano + nano) support, payments integration with 3D TOF camera and more.
Huawei Nova 4 vs Samsung Galaxy A8s vs Vivo Nex Dual: Price compared
The Huawei Nova 4 has been announced in Honey Red, Black, Blue, and White colour options. The smartphone is priced at 3099 yuan (Rs. 32,190 approx.) for the 20MP primary rear camera version while the 48MP primary rear camera version of the Huawei Nova 4 has been announced at 3399 yuan (Rs. 35,300 approx.). The smartphone’s availability in India is yet to be revealed.
The Samsung Galaxy A8s has been announced in Elf blue Aurora black and Grey colour options. The smartphone is priced at 2,999 yuan (US$ 434 / Rs. 30,485 approx.) for the 6GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage version, while the pricing of 8GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage version of the Samsung Galaxy A8s is yet to be announced. The Indian availability details for the smartphone are still awaited.
The Vivo NEX Dual has been announced in Ice Blue and Star Purple colour options. The smartphone is priced at 4998 yuan (Rs. 52,080 approx.) and while it will go on sale in China starting from December 29, 2018, its Indian availability details are expected to be announced early next year.
Here is the comparison between these phones:
| Specifications | Huawei Nova 4 | Samsung Galaxy A8s | Vivo Nex Dual |
| Display | 6.4-inch Full HD+ (2310 x 1080 pixels) | 6.4-inch Full HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels) | 6.39-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED (2340×1080 pixels) |
| Performance | Octa-Core Kirin 710 | Octa core | Octa core |
| Operating System | Android 9 (Pie) | Android v8.1 (Oreo) | Android 9 (Pie) |
| Camera | 48 MP+16 MP+2 MP | 24 MP +10 MP +5 MP | 12 MP + 2 MP |
| Processor | Octa-Core Huawei Kirin 970 10nm | Qualcomm Octa Core Snapdragon 710 10nm | Qualcomm Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 10nm |
| RAM | 8 GB | 6 GB, 8 GB | 10 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Expandable Storage | NO | Upto 512 GB | No |
| Battery | 3750 mAh | 3400 mAh | 3500 mAh |
| Quick Charging | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sim Slot(s) | Dual SIM, GSM+GSM, Dual VoLTE | Dual SIM, GSM+GSM, Dual VoLTE | Dual SIM, GSM+GSM, Dual VoLTE |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Which of these three smartphones entices you the most? Do you think that all the premium smartphone launches of next year will give birth to an all-new era in the industry? What are your expectations from upcoming smartphone launches?
Share your views in the comment section below.