Fun, young and digitally savvy? You’re going to want a smartphone that does it all. In fact, you’re probably already asking yourself, do I get the Huawei nova 8 or nova 8i? Which one is right for me?

Of course, there are similarities. Both the nova 8 and nova 8i have Huawei’s 66W SuperCharge. What that means is that if your phone is about to die, within just 20 minutes you can get the battery back up to 60% power. And all you need for a full, ready-to-go battery is 38 minutes. While the nova 8 has a decent-sized 3800 mAh battery, the nova 8i packs something a little larger under its hood (4300 mAh) but both use a super-smart power-saving AI algorithm that will make sure you get a phone that keeps going throughout the day.

Are you a shutterbug at heart? Another commonality between the nova 8 and nova 8i is the rear camera setup. On both smartphones you’ll find an impressive 64-megapixel, high-res main camera to help you capture the moments that matter most. There is also an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, 2-megapixel depth lens and 2-megapixel macro lens. 

No matter the time of day, you can expect pictures with clear definition, ultra-natural ultra-wide shots (thanks to an anti-distortion AI algorithm), portraits that pop and a super-short shooting distance of 4cm. Two standout features we can’t get enough of? Super Night Shot 2.0 for photos after dark that are leagues above the rest and Dual-View which lets you shoot split-screen videos at the same time.

The front cameras, however, are different. The nova 8 has a 32-megapixel high-def selfie camera and the nova 8i, 16 megapixels. Both work beautifully with MeeTime, Huawei’s HD video calling service. If your friends or family members also have a Huawei device – and not only smartphones, MeeTime works with laptops, tablets and even smartwatches – then you’ll be able to have clear video calls that integrate brilliant features such as screensharing, low light enhancement and a beauty mode. 

If mobile gaming is your passion, both the nova 8 and nova 8i have some notable wins you’re going to love. First up, the nova 8 has a 90Hz refresh rate (that displays 90 frames per second) and a 240Hz touch sampling rate for a lower touch delay. In a nutshell, you’re getting a smoother gaming experience. Inside the nova 8 is an advanced 7nm Kirin 820E processor which will also up your gaming performance not forgetting the 3D graphene heat dissipation technology. If you’ve ever found yourself deep in a mobile game only to be interrupted by a pesky notification, you’re going to absolutely adore Huawei’s Smart Game assistant which features a clever Do Not Disturb mode to make sure you can game continually, even when there are incoming calls or messages. 

One of the biggest differences between the nova 8 and the nova 8i are the aesthetics. While they are clearly both nova smartphones, you cannot mistake the one for the other. The nova 8i is available in two colours – Moonlight Silver and Starry Black – and has a circular camera setup where all four lenses sit together. The nova 8 is also only available in one colour, an iridescent Blush Gold with an anti-glare glass back, and its pill-shaped camera system is inspired by the rings of Saturn.

Where else they differ is that the nova 8i is a little heavier than the 8 (we’re talking a meagre 21g) and has a different display. While the nova 8i has an IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with Huawei’s standout edgeless display, the nova 8’s screen is OLED all the way, and that means 1.07-billion colours (instead of 16.7-million). 

The Huawei nova 8 and nova 8i are fun, young mid-range smartphones, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be going home with top-of-the-line features.

Which one will you choose? 

For more information, visit the Huawei online store.

This article was paid for by Huawei.