HUAWEI nova Y70: Is it worth buying after the Php 8,499 price drop?
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With a fast-paced environment, it can be a chore to constantly look for an outlet or powerbank to charge our smartphones. However, with smartphones like the HUAWEI nova Y70, charging is almost never a problem with its 6,000mAh battery with fast charging and decent specs that can meet anyone’s Php 10,000 budget – delivery fee and/or transpo fees included, because it’s now made even more affordable. But just like any budget-friendly phone, this comes with its own pros and cons, too.
For the price of only Php 8,499, here’s what you can expect from this smartphone:
DESIGN AND DISPLAY
Let’s start with the design: The HUAWEI nova Y70 reminds me of the nova 9SE that we’ve previously reviewed. They have the same dazzling metallic-like finish that creates trails pointing towards the camera module. We got the Crystal Blue color, but it’s also available in Midnight Black and Pearl White. However, despite being eye-catching, the HUAWEI nova Y70 is a fingerprint magnet so I would highly suggest that you keep on its jelly case. The back has a large protruding camera module containing triple cameras in the upper left corner, a small flash beside it, a HUAWEI logo on the lower left corner, and some warnings along with a “Made in China” label on the lower right side – which I think could’ve looked better if they printed it elsewhere.
At the bottom of the device, you’ll find the speaker grilles, USB-C port, main microphone, and a 3.5mm audio jack. On top, there’s nothing but the secondary microphone. On the left side is the card tray for two nanoSIM cards and a microSD card up to 512GB. On the right side, you’ll find the volume rocker and the power/lock key that can also be used as a fingerprint sensor.
In front, you’ll find a 6.75-inch HUAWEI FullView Display with a 1600×720 resolution. It’s pretty big for someone with small hands like me, but the screen space is good enough for binge-watching our favorite shows. It produces accurate and clear colors which remain visible outdoors and under bright lights, except direct sunlight (think 11am-1pm). The HUAWEI nova Y70 also has thin bezels (except for the one at the bottom which is slightly bigger) and a small notch on top which stores the front camera. There’s also an unnoticeable earpiece within the top bezel.
The display can be further enhanced to match your liking with its Normal and Vivid modes. For those who don’t like bright screens, there’s an Eye Comfort feature and dark mode that can be activated.
With its size and 199g weight, it feels a bit chunky but the grip is just right even for small hands to reach the fingerprint sensor and volume buttons. It’s not a smartphone that you can squeeze in your tight pockets, though! I would suggest that you store it in your bag instead.
CAMERAS
The HUAWEI nova Y70 also has AI Triple Cameras – 48MP main camera (f/1.8 aperture), 5MP telephoto lens (f/2.2 aperture), and 2MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.4 aperture), which provide clear photos in daylight and good-enough photos at night, provided that your hands aren’t shaky. We didn’t experience problems while taking photos under bright lights, but it was challenging to take photos without noise under low-light settings. The rear camera is capable of recording videos in 720p and 1080p at up to 60 frames per second.
View can be zoomed up to 6x, although noise is inevitable at this point. Best photos can be taken at 1x and up to 4x. Ultra Wide shots, on the other hand, tend to slightly distort the shape of buildings.
Here are the camera features accessible via the smartphone: Aperture, Night (rear camera only), Portrait, Photo, Video, Light Painting, Stickers, Pro, High-Res, Time-Lapse, Slow-Mo, Moving Picture, and Panorama. If you’ll be using the Time-Lapse and Light Painting features, it’s best to use a tripod to keep your smartphone from moving. Otherwise, the outcome will look blurred.
Light Trail attempt 
Night Mode
It also comes with an 8MP (f/2.0 aperture) front camera with three different Bokeh effects and Beauty mode under Portrait. The photos come out with high-contrast and it’s good that you can still see a bit of texture on the skin and hair unlike other smartphones that washes out textures completely. When taking videos, the front camera can only record 1080p at up to 30 frames per second.
STORAGE AND PERFORMANCE
Powering this smartphone is a Kirin 710 chipset with octa-core CPU and Mali-G51 GPU. It’s already outdated but it can deliver a smooth performance for light smartphone users. It runs on EMUI 12 and has 4GB+128GB storage – a reasonable space for people who use majority of their storage for photos and videos. If the storage isn’t enough, it’s still expandable up to 512GB via microSD.
Although this smartphone doesn’t come with Google apps, the phone comes with the usual HUAWEI app suite to make up for the inaccessible applications. The App Gallery and Petal Search can be used instead of Google Play, while other Google services can be accessed via web browser. I’ve created shortcuts for YouTube and Gmail browser in the home page so it can easily be accessed just like a regular app.
While it’s not a gaming phone, the HUAWEI nova Y70 is capable of running popular games like Call of Duty, Sky: Children, and PUBG Mobile with minimal lags. Watching videos and playing music even at max volume is also a breeze as it comes with HUAWEI SuperSound Technology that improves range and minimizes distortion even if the speaker is only located at the bottom of the device.
Users can also easily connect it to other Huawei devices like smartphones, speakers, and other lifestyle devices through its Super Device feature which provides a Seamless All-Scenario Experience. It’s like having a control center for all your gadgets!
BATTERY
With a 6,000mAh battery with 22.5W HUAWEI SuperCharge, you can enjoy up to two days of smartphone use without needing to charge, provided that you’re only using it for typical activities – social media, minimal camera and video use, watching videos, light gaming, and viewing/editing documents. On a smartphone-dependent day (heavy usage and max brightness and audio), it usually lasts for around 12 hours. Charging it will only take around 2-3 hours to reach 100%, as long as you use the charger provided. For safety, it comes with a technology that stop the smartphone from overheating, protects the battery, and improves voltage capacity.
My favorite part about the battery? Although it’s an entry-level device, the HUAWEI nova Y70 already supports reverse charging at a 5V/1A1 output. This can come in handy if you need to charge other devices while you’re outdoors.
The only downside when it comes to charging is the need for a separate adapter in order to use the charger. The HUAWEI nova Y70 doesn’t come with the usual charging pins for two-pole plugs that you’ll see in outlets in the Philippines, but it shouldn’t be a problem if you already own one.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
The HUAWEI nova Y70 originally costs Php 9,999 as stated in our first impressions blog, but after a few weeks, it dropped to Php 8,499! It’s now available via HUAWEI’s website, and official Shopee and Lazada pages.
CONCLUSION
Overall, it has a nice build, eye-catching design, large display, long battery life with fast charging, and good performance, but you’ll have to work around its fingerprint-magnet back case and outdated HUAWEI processor. For its price, this entry-level smartphone is worth considering if you’re a light user who is looking for a device with decent specs, provided that you have the patience to tinker around in accessing the apps that you need, especially if you’re Google-dependent.
To view the full specs, visit this link.
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