New high-end features always tend to trickle down to more affordable smartphones, but Huawei's already kitting out its latest $499 midrange smartphone - the Nova 2i - with the same style of extra tall display as we've been started seeing in flagships like Samsung's Galaxy S8 and LG's G6 this year.
Much like the G6, the Nova 2i features an extra-tall display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and slim bezels. Despite measuring in at 5.9-inches, Huawei says the Nova 2i's 83% screen-to-body ratio makes it feel more like a 5.5-inch phone. On a design related note, the Nova 2i is 7.5mm slim, touts a symmetrical design, and a full metal unibody.
A quad-camera setup is the Nova 2i's other big point of difference. While two rear-facing cameras are becoming increasingly common, Huawei's also slapped two on the front this time around. On the back you'll find a 16MP primary lens and a secondary 2MP lens that's used to capture depth of field information and simulate wide aperture.
On the front, you've got a 13MP primary camera and a 2MP secondary camera, that once again, is used to capture depth of field data to give your selfies softer DSLR-style backgrounds. There's also a front-facing flash that will automatically adjust intensity based on your environment.
Key specifications for the Nova 2i include a 5.9-inch display running at 2160x1080, a Huawei-made Kirin 659 eight-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, a rear-facing fingerprint reader, and a 3340mAh battery said to last up to two days on a single charge. The Nova 2i runs EMUI 5.1 based on Android Nougat.
The Huawei Nova 2i will be available through JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman from October 25 for $499. You'll also be able to grab it through Vodafone sometime in November. Plans and pricing have yet to be confirmed. The Nova 2i sold through JB and Harvey Norman will have Dual SIM capabilities, while the Vodafone variant will be single SIM only.
Alex Choros
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