Ai+ Nova 2 5G 6GB RAM 128GB

The Ai+ Nova 2 flaunts a 6.74-inch HD+ IPS LCD panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, much like every other entry-level budget smartphone. The panel makes excellent use of its high refresh rate. Most apps automatically run at the full 120Hz without requiring any manual adjustments. This is something that can't be said for many phones in the segment.

Performance and gaming on the Ai+ Nova 2 are taken care of by the Unisoc T8200, an octa-core processor with a maximum clock speed of 2.3GHz. This particular chipset not only unlocks 5G capabilities on budget smartphones, but also offers higher performance numbers over the Unsoc T7250, a 4G chipset found on several sub-Rs 10,000 phones as of late.

Ever since the company's inception, the software on Ai+ smartphones has consistently been one of the most talked-about aspects for delivering a clean and privacy-focused user interface. Running on NxtQ version 1.0 skin layered on top of Android 16, the Ai+ Nova 2 is devoid of third-party pre-installed apps, which is a welcome move, especially in a segment where others push for third-party services and app recommendations through notifications.

When looking for dedicated AI features in the UI, I couldn't find many, aside from the pre-installed Google Gemini assistant and AI imaging features in the Google Photos app. Unfortunately, the phone misses out on Circle to Search, a feature I've grown quite fond of using lately to quickly look up information from whatever is on the screen. Then there's the Privacy Dashboard homescreen widget, which displays the apps that have recently utilised the microphone, location, camera, and clipboard. If not needed, the widget can be removed from the homescreen with one tap.

The Ai+ Nova 2 rocks a 6,000mAh battery, which is a tad smaller in capacity than the similarly priced Redmi A7 Pro and the Realme P4 Lite 4G (review), both of which carry 6,300mAh units. In our in-house PCMark Battery drain test, the Nova 2 lasted 11 hours on a single charge from 100 to 20 percent, which is lower than its rivals (refer to the graph below), but that's not the whole story.

The Ai+ Nova 2 comes with a single 50MP camera at the rear, while the U-shaped notch cutout at the front houses an 8MP selfie shooter. Coming directly to the camera results, the smartphone can capture vibrant images in well-lit conditions. However, if the lighting is too harsh, the phone's budget-level processing fails at maintaining balanced highlights. If you prefer clicking saturated images and can compromise on detail levels, the Ai+ Nova 2 can deliver serviceable results for the price.