Huawei Nova vs. Moto Z Play – Two Great Phones Worth Looking at

The Huawei Nova and Moto Z Play are two new phones in the smartphone market and there is no doubt that they rock.

Coming in as midrangers, the two offer an interesting set of hardware specs and features, among them great cameras, amazing battery life and few extras here and there. Even though some may not be familiar with Huawei, a look at the Google Nexus 6P will tell you probably everything you need to know what Huawei is capable of. As for Motorola, it is a mainstream name in the smartphone world, but the Moto Z Play is a new device in the new Moto Z series.

So, which one will you go for? Let’s break them down.

Head-to-head: Huawei Nova vs. Moto Z Play

Huawei Nova

The Huawei Nova is a really beautiful smartphone that comes with a premium design, something almost similar to what you see with the Huawei-made Google Nexus 6P. The phone has curves that make it a lot easier to handle in one hand. The phone’s amazing design is completed by a 2.5D glass that is subtly curved, ending up with a phone that is more than a mid-ranger.

In terms of performance, the Huawei Nova comes with midrange specs that include a Snapdragon 625 SoC and 3GB RAM. This is a combination that will suit many users, as long as there is no too much multitasking and gaming, for instance.

In terms of photography, the Huawei Nova comes with a capable 12MP snapper on the back with an aperture of f/2.2. There is OIS, but the LED flash ensures you still get the best shots in poor lighting conditions. The front has an 8MP sensor that also does great when it comes to videos. The phone has its fingerprint scanner placed at the back, which makes it convenient to reach and use whenever need arises. Huawei went for a decent 3020mAh battery unit for the Nova, with the company’s optimizations promising a battery life of up to 2 days on a single charge.

The Huawei Nova has Android Marshmallow powering it out of the box, but an update to Android Nougat is expected, probably before the end of this year or early next year.

Moto Z Play

Coming to the Moto Z Play, this handset takes its design language from the flagship Moto Z, meaning you also get to play around with the Moto Mods. Boasting a larger 5.5-inch Full HD screen, the Moto Z Play only beats the Huawei Nova on this aspect when it comes to size. As for the hardware specs under the hood, you get the same processor, GPU, RAM as well as storage, including the microSD card slot.

Motorola’s Moto Z Play has an edge over the Huawei Nova design thanks to the inclusion of IP52 certification. Even though not the best as IP68, the phone can still withstand some form of water punishment, but don’t submerge the phone in water.

Camera-wise, the Moto Z Play comes with a 16MP snapper on the back while the front has a 5MP sensor. These should deliver great photography alongside video recording abilities, but there is no room for OIS, just like with the case of the Huawei Nova.

To keep the phone alive is a 3510mAh battery unit, which should also keep the device going for more than a day, at least. The good thing is that it gets fast charging that promises 9 hours of battery life on a 15-minute charge. Like the Huawei Nova, you also get Android Marshmallow on this handset, but it won’t be long before an update to Android Nougat shows up.

Given that Huawei has not announced the U.S. pricing of the Nova, it is hard to compare the two in this aspect. But looking at the pricing of other products, it is possible that the Nova’s price tag in the U.S. could remain at the same figure, but now in dollars. In short, it may command a price tag of $400, which should be just $9 cheaper than the Moto Z Play.

So, which one will it be? The smaller Huawei Nova or the larger Moto Z Play? Please share your choice with us via the comments.