Over the past few years, mid-range smartphones have improved so much that they can compete almost head-to-head with the best of the high-end smartphones out there.
One of the biggest names in the smartphone industry will be releasing its new mid-range handset, the Nova, in South Africa at the beginning of February.
Hisense, a company long associated with home appliances, has recently released a new smartphone – the Elegance. This phone can certainly hold its own with many other mid-range handsets currently on the market. Hisense will also be debuting up to two new smartphones in South Africa in the next few months.
Huawei Nova
Huawei has no shortage of smartphones on the market. Ranging from low-cost devices such as its Y-series, to higher-end devices such as the P9 range and the Mate 9.
Sitting in the middle of all of these devices is the new Nova handset.
Originally unveiled in Berlin at IFA 2016, the Nova (and Nova Plus, which will not be available in South Africa) is aimed firmly at a younger market. The ideal target audience are those looking for a great looking phone without too many compromises in terms of specs.
The Nova bears a striking resemblance to the Nexus 6P. This should come as no surprise, however, as that handset was created by Huawei for Google.
The Nova is a compact, stylish handset which punches far above its weight in terms of specs and performance. Not only does it have a fingerprint scanner, 12MP rear-facing camera, and 8MP front-facing camera, it also lets you record 4K video and has a 3020mAh battery, all housed inside a metal body.
The Huawei Nova is expected to retail between R4000 – R4500.
UPDATE: Huawei has announced that the Nova has a RRP of R6999.
Hisense Elegance
Hisense has released a few phones to the South African market, but none of them have had quite the desired impact the company had hoped for.
Its most recent release, the Infinity Elegance, shows the Chinese manufacturer taking another step forward in the smartphone industry by bringing a beautifully designed handset, with more than respectable specs, to the market.
The Infinity Elegance has a 5.5-inch display, 3GB RAM, 13MP rear-facing camera, and 5MP front-facing camera, a 300mAh battery, and is VR ready. All of this is housed in a metal body. Making the Infinity Elegance one of the most refined handsets that Hisense has ever produced.
The camera might not be the best camera on the market.It certainly isn’t in the same league as the camera on the iPhone 7 or Samsung’s Galaxy S7. But, costing below R4000, there’s really nothing to complain about.
Hisense has created a phone that packs in surprising performance and power for a cost that almost defies belief.
Hisense Elegance Vs. Huawei Nova
So, how do these two Android handsets compare to each other? Here are the specs for each handset:
| Feature | Hisense Elegance | Huawei Nova |
| Display | 5.5-inch FHD IPS | 5-inch FHD IPS |
| Dimensions | 151.5mm x 75.74mm x 8.3mm |
141.2mm x 69.1mm x 7.1mm |
| Weight | 160g | 146g |
| Camera | 13MP rear facing
5MP front facing |
12MP rear facing
8MP front facing |
| Battery | 3000 mAh non-removable | 3020 mAh non-removable |
| OS | Android Marshmallow | Android Marshmallow |
| Storage | 32GB (expandable) | 32GB (expandable) |
| RAM | 3GB | 3GB |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 |
| CPU | Octa Core 1.4 GHz | Octa Core 2.0 GHz |
| Ports | Micro-USB
3.5mm headphone jack |
USB Type-C
3.5mm headphone jack |
At the end of the day, the decision as to which handset to get comes down to which brand you prefer. And, which one you feel more comfortable using.
Both phones run Android with their own “skin” layered over Google’s operating system.
Many people will opt for the Huawei Nova. This is understandable as Huawei is a bigger name in the mobile industry than Hisense is. The Infinity Elegance should not, however, be discounted and certainly offers more value for money than you’d expect.
