Discover the Huawei Nova Y90, a budget-friendly phone with a 50MP camera, 5000mAh battery, and 40W fast charging. Read the full review to find out more!

Huawei Nova Y90 Review: A Budget Phone with Impressive Features

Huawei’s Nova Y90, released on July 27, 2022, is a budget-friendly smartphone that offers a solid mix of features for users looking for great value. The phone comes equipped with a 6.7-inch IPS LCD display, a 50MP triple-camera system, and a large 5000mAh battery with 40W fast charging. Powered by the Snapdragon 680 4G chipset, the Nova Y90 provides reliable performance for everyday tasks and media consumption.

This phone aims to cater to budget-conscious users who want a good balance of features without breaking the bank. With its triple-camera setup, decent performance, and long battery life, the Nova Y90 competes well in the lower-midrange smartphone market.

Priced at around €189.99 or $229.99, the Nova Y90 is designed for users who need a reliable and affordable smartphone. Let’s dive into its design, performance, camera capabilities, and battery life.

Introduction

The Huawei Nova Y90 delivers a great user experience for its price. With its 50MP main camera, large 6.7-inch display, and fast charging capabilities, it’s perfect for users who want a well-rounded smartphone. Its Snapdragon 680 4G processor ensures smooth performance, while the 5000mAh battery provides long-lasting power for everyday use.

While the phone doesn’t support 5G, it offers 4G LTE connectivity and a range of features, including dual SIM support, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and NFC (region-dependent). With multiple color options like Crystal Blue, Pearl White, Emerald Green, and Midnight Black, the Nova Y90 is stylish and functional.

Let’s take a closer look at the design, display, and performance of the Huawei Nova Y90.

Design & Build Quality: Sleek and Sturdy

The Huawei Nova Y90 features a sleek and modern design, measuring 163.3 x 74.7 x 8.4 mm and weighing 195g. The phone feels comfortable to hold, thanks to its rounded edges and slim profile. The phone’s back panel has a glossy finish that adds a touch of elegance, though it can be prone to fingerprints and smudges.

Available in attractive colors like Crystal Blue, Pearl White, Emerald Green, and Midnight Black, the Nova Y90 looks stylish and feels sturdy. The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is quick and easy to use, offering secure access to the device without compromising on design.

Overall, the build quality is solid, and the phone feels durable, making it a great choice for everyday use.

Display: Large IPS LCD with 90Hz Refresh Rate

The Huawei Nova Y90 boasts a 6.7-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 2388 pixels, offering crisp visuals and vibrant colors. The 90Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and a responsive touch experience, making it ideal for browsing, gaming, and watching videos.

With a screen-to-body ratio of 89.1%, the Nova Y90 offers an immersive viewing experience, and the 391 ppi pixel density ensures sharp details for text and images. The IPS display delivers good viewing angles and decent brightness, though it may struggle in direct sunlight.

The 90Hz refresh rate is a welcome addition, especially for a budget phone, making the overall user experience smoother and more enjoyable.

Performance: Powered by Snapdragon 680 4G

The Huawei Nova Y90 is powered by the Snapdragon 680 4G chipset, built on a 6nm process, which provides a balance between performance and efficiency. The octa-core CPU features 4×2.4 GHz Kryo 265 Gold cores for performance and 4×1.9 GHz Kryo 265 Silver cores for power efficiency. Paired with 4GB, 6GB, or 8GB of RAM, the phone delivers reliable performance for everyday tasks like browsing, social media, and light gaming.

The Adreno 610 GPU handles graphics tasks well, though it may struggle with more demanding games at higher settings. For most users, the Nova Y90 will perform well in day-to-day use, offering smooth multitasking and app performance.

Running on EMUI 12, the software is clean and intuitive, though it lacks Google Play Services due to ongoing restrictions. Instead, users can rely on Huawei’s AppGallery for downloading apps and services.

Camera: 50MP Triple-Camera Setup

The Huawei Nova Y90 features a triple-camera setup on the rear, headlined by a 50MP main camera that captures sharp and detailed images in good lighting conditions. Here’s a breakdown of the rear cameras:

50 MP main sensor (f/1.8, wide): Delivers vibrant and detailed photos, especially in well-lit environments. The large aperture ensures decent low-light performance, though images may lack sharpness in darker conditions.
2 MP macro camera (f/2.4): Allows for close-up shots, though the 2MP resolution limits the amount of detail.
2 MP depth sensor (f/2.4): Helps create bokeh effects for portrait shots, ensuring good subject-background separation.

The camera app includes features like LED flash, panorama, and HDR. Video recording is capped at 1080p@30fps, which is standard for a phone in this price range. The 8MP front-facing camera is good for selfies and video calls, providing decent image quality for casual use.

While the camera system may not be as advanced as some higher-end phones, the 50MP main camera offers solid performance for users who want a good camera experience without spending too much.

Battery Life: Long-Lasting 5000mAh Battery with 40W Fast Charging

One of the highlights of the Huawei Nova Y90 is its large 5000mAh battery, which provides excellent battery life for most users. Whether you’re browsing the web, watching videos, or playing games, the battery can easily last a full day of heavy use.

The phone supports 40W fast charging, allowing it to charge up to 50% in just 30 minutes (as advertised by Huawei). This is a great feature for users who need to quickly top up their battery during the day.

Overall, the battery life and fast charging capabilities of the Nova Y90 make it a reliable option for users who are always on the go.

Connectivity & Additional Features

The Huawei Nova Y90 offers a range of connectivity options, including:

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band: Provides fast and stable internet connectivity.
Bluetooth 5.0: Ensures smooth connections with wireless accessories like headphones.
USB Type-C 2.0 with OTG: Supports fast data transfers and charging, with OTG functionality for connecting external devices.
GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS: Ensures accurate navigation and location tracking.

The phone also features a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is becoming rare in modern smartphones, allowing users to enjoy wired audio without needing an adapter. The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is quick and secure, offering easy access to the device.

Conclusion: A Solid Budget Smartphone with Great Features

The Huawei Nova Y90 delivers a well-rounded experience for its price point. With its 50MP camera, large 6.7-inch display, and long-lasting 5000mAh battery, it offers great value for budget-conscious users. The 40W fast charging is a standout feature, ensuring that users can quickly recharge their phones and get back to their daily tasks.

While the absence of 5G and Google Play Services may be drawbacks for some, the overall performance and features of the Nova Y90 make it a compelling option for users who want an affordable smartphone with solid features.

Huawei Nova Y90 Full Specifications

Feature	Specification
Launch Date	July 27, 2022
Dimensions	163.3 x 74.7 x 8.4 mm (6.43 x 2.94 x 0.33 in)
Weight	195 g (6.88 oz)
Display	6.7 inches, IPS LCD, 90Hz, 1080 x 2388 pixels (~391 ppi)
Operating System	EMUI 12
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G
Memory	128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM
Main Camera	50 MP (wide), 2 MP (macro), 2 MP (depth)
Selfie Camera	8 MP (wide)
Battery	Li-Po 5000 mAh, 40W fast charging
Colors Available	Crystal Blue, Pearl White, Emerald Green, Midnight Black
Price	About $229.99 / €189.99