Huawei Nova 3e Review

The gap between high-end smartphones and more affordable options has been steadily closing over the last couple of years. Budget phones used to be fraught with compromise, and were often treated as a last resort. Cheaper devices have however been getting better and better; phones that cost as little $200 are now adequate daily drivers. Spend twice as much and you'll get yourself a perfectly capable device.

There are, of course, still benefits to buying a more expensive device. You get a little more grunt under the hood, a better camera, and a more refined design.

Actually, scratch the last one. The Huawei Nova 3e is $399 smartphone that's bound to be mistaken for one that costs a hell of a lot more. You've got the requisite shiny glass back, the on-trend notched display, and a hot new vertical rear-camera configuration. Huawei's latest affordable phone doesn't look it.

Looks that won't kill (your wallet)

The Nova 3e is almost a dead ringer for the P20 Pro, Huawei's new flagship. Fun fact, Nova 3e is called the P20 Lite in some markets. Given that there's a $700 difference between the two, the designs aren't quite identical: the Nova 3e is a little smaller and lighter, the fingerprint reader is on the back, and the glass on the back isn't quite as curvy.

You could argue that the lack of heft gives the Nova 3e away, but it still feels like a solid phone. The point is, these are all very minor differences that are almost more matters of preference rather than explicit trade-offs. Oh, and there's still a headphone jack, which is a big plus.

Notches are arguably the most divisive smartphone trend around, but they seem to be here to stay. For this year, at the least. If you're not down with the aesthetic, Huawei lets you black out the Nova 3e's notch, which makes the phone look a little more conventional. It's not entirely seamless - the display's backlight means it never quite blends into the frame - but it's a little less confronting for notch-haters. Notification icons, the time, your battery life indicator, et al are still displayed in the notch area, regardless of whether it's blacked out or not. Even if you keep the notch on, the Nova 3e will automatically black it out when put the phone into landscape.

While the Nova 3e looks and feels good, we've got one minor design complaint: the fingerprint reader is maybe a touch too high up on the phone. You'll get used to this quickly, but I found I had to stretch to reach the fingerprint reader or adjust my grip. Alternatively, the Nova 3e also has facial recognition onboard and it works reliably for the most part. 

More than just a pretty face?

A pretty face can obscure the fact the Nova 3e isn't a $1,000+ phone, but it doesn't hide it entirely. The most obvious compromise is photo quality. The Nova 3e's camera is fine; it's what you'd expect from a budget phone, but the inclusion of a second lens doesn't help it capture any of the magic Huawei achieved with the P20 Pro.

While using a $399 phone to take photos on par with a $1,099 phone is clearly an unrealistic expectation, we were hoping the new smartphone camera king would be able to get a bit more photographic prowess out the Nova 3e. Instead, it's just the standard fare. Daytime photos look fine if you're not shooting directly into bright light, lowlight photos are hit and miss, and portrait mode looks a little fake.

For the money, the Nova 3e doesn't disappoint in terms of hardware. The screen is bright, the processor is fast enough, and you'll get around a day and a half of usage per charge. The standout spec is easily the 64GB of storage paired with 4GB of RAM. Every other phone in the Nova 3e's bracket uses a 32GB / 3GB configuration. You need to spend at least $100 more to get the same amount of memory on any other budget phone. You don't get water-resistance however, and while some international models include NFC, this is missing in the Australian variant.

As with all Huawei smartphones, the P20 Pro runs EMUI - Huawei's custom take on Android. Android purists won't love it, but Huawei has mercifully toned down EMUI to the point where most can comfortably live with it. The main variations from stock Android come down to some slight differences in menus and a few custom app icons. The app drawer is also hidden by default, but it's easy to bring back.

There are a few other quirks to get your head around, but not are insurmountable. You'll also find a couple too many preloaded apps out of the box - some of which can't be uninstalled - but we wouldn't call this a deal breaker.

Who is the Huawei Nova 3e for?

Want a cheap pretty phone? Shortlist the Nova 3e. While $399 won't buy you a flagship, you'll get the look and, more importantly, one of the best value budget phones on the market.

Huawei Nova 3e camera samples

I don't want a Huawei Nova 3e, what else can I buy?

Nokia 6.1

Looks aren't everything; the Nokia 6.1 might not be the prettiest phone around, but it feels built to last. And it's a great pick for anyone who prefers their Android pure. Since the Nokia 6.1 runs Android One, it will be upgraded to at least Android Q and get three years of security updates. Not bad for a $399 phone.

Motorola Moto G6

The Nova 3e isn't the only budget phone aping flagship design trends: the Moto G6 also touts a glass back and extra-tall display, albeit without a notch. The Moto G6 does however run a mostly clean version of Android, with some minor Motorola add-ons.

OPPO A73

If you want to save a little extra, you can get the OPPO A73 for $259 if you're okay with committing to Optus prepaid. The A73 isn't quite as sleek as the Nova 3e, but it still has a couple of "flagship features" like facial recognition and an extra-tall display. And there's no notch!

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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