Huawei’s latest smartphone to launch in the country, the nova Y70 Plus, aims to make its mark in the wallet-friendly market segment. Just like all the other smartphone manufacturers out there. Huawei obviously hopes that its features will persuade customers to choose its smartphone over all the others.
This is a budget device, so don’t expect every bell and whistle. Or even most of them. Huawei picked a few areas to focus on; namely the battery, the screen, and the price.
Light on the wallet but you’ll likely pay elsewhere
The nova Y70 Plus doesn’t take risks in the design department. You get the standard-looking smartphone shape with rounded edges and corners. There’s a teardrop notch around front for the selfie cam and a set of rather chonky bezels. But, again, it’s a budget phone. That’s where all the bezels have gone.
The phone features a 6.75in display. This might sound large but the 720 x 1,600 resolution and 260 pixels-per-inch pixel density don’t amount to much on paper. We’ll need one in hand before we can say if it’s any good or not. Who knows, there might be some Huawei trickery going on in the background to make it look fantastic.
If photography is your thing, one of the three sensors around back should find the right shot. The main shooter is a 48MP sensor. That’s accompanied by a 5MP ultrawide and a 2MP depth camera. The 8MP selfie camera will no doubt come with beauty and portrait modes, ready to smooth out those rough edges.
What is really surprising is the inclusion of a 6,000mAh battery. That’s considerably more than you’ll find in other devices at this price and more than most pricier models as well. 22.5W charging means you’ll wait a while to fill that enormous cell. Huawei claims up to three days of a single charge but that’ll heavily depend on your usage.
It should be noted, though, that you (still) won’t get any Google services or apps with this one. That’s just the way it is.
For those eager to lay hands on one and don’t feel like waiting for the review, can head to Huawei’s website with R5,500 ready. Buy via Huawei and you’ll get a few freebies for your trouble. Or head to Edgars, Incredible Connection, Hi Online, or Game. Telkom, Cell C, or Vodacom are your monthly billable contract options. Pricing varies depending on the contract but expect to pay between R280 and R350/m.
