Huawei’s Nova series of mid-rangers has some unique designs and the new 16th generation shakes things up again. We’re sure the Pro’s “Glasses” look in particular will attract a lot of comments. That aside, the new Nova 16 and 16 Pro bring significant camera improvements, a bigger battery, a faster chipset for the vanilla model, and satellite messaging for both.
starting from huawei nova 16 proThe main camera on the phone features a large 200MP 1/1.28″ RYYB sensor. It sits behind an f/1.8 lens with OIS. It’s accompanied by a 50MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 lens with autofocus that can snap macro shots at a distance of up to 7cm.
The Huawei nova 16 Pro sports a 200MP 1/1.28” main camera and a 50MP 3.7x telephoto module.
The 50MP telephoto deserves special mention – it also has a RYYB sensor and a long 3.7x lens with optical image stabilization (OIS). Both the main and telephoto cameras are notable upgrades compared to the Nova 15 Pro’s 50MP main (sensor size unknown) and 12MP 3x/69mm tele.
As you might have noticed, there’s still a pill-shaped cutout on the Pro’s display – it’s home to a 50MP selfie camera (1/2.5″ sensor) with a wide f/2.4 lens and a 1.5 million channel spectral sensor.
Speaking of the screen, not much has changed since the last generation – it’s a 6.84″ LTPO panel (1-120Hz) with a 1,320 x 2,856px resolution and 10-bit colors. The display uses 2,160Hz PWM dimming to control its brightness. Huawei is using Kunlun Glass for protection.
The Nova 16 has a smaller 6.68″ display, the Pro has a 6.84″ LTPO panel
The screen is one of the major differences between the Pro and Pro huawei nova 16. The vanilla model has a 6.68″ display, a regular OLED with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1,280 x 2,800px resolution, and 10-bit color. It uses unbranded aluminosilicate glass for protection.
The camera is less capable than the Pro. The main module has a 50MP sensor and its f/1.9 lens lacks OIS. However, the telephoto module is pretty good, a 50MP RYYB sensor combined with an OIS-capable 3.3x lens. It’s not as good as this Pro’s telephoto module, but it’s better than the Nova 15 and 15 Pro tele cameras. The selfie camera has a 50MP sensor and resides in a regular punch hole.
Huawei nova 16’s 3.3x telephoto camera has a 50MP RYYB sensor
The vanilla and Pro models use the same chipset – the Kirin 9010S that we saw in the 15 Pro last year. Huawei has equipped all variants of the Nova 16 and 16 Pro with 12GB of RAM, so apart from not having a 1TB version, the Nova 16 matches the 16 Pro in terms of performance (there are also 256GB and 512GB storage options).
The Nova 16 and 16 Pro both use the Kirin 9010S with vapor chamber cooling
That and it also matches on battery power – both phones have 7,000mAh cells with support for 100W SuperCharge. Neither phone offers wireless charging.
Huawei nova 16 and 16 Pro have 7,000mAh batteries with 100W wired-only charging
These are 5G phones but the Nova 16 and Nova 16 Pro now also offer messaging over the BeiDou satellite system – previously, this was reserved for the Nova 15 Ultra.
Local connectivity includes dual-band Wi-Fi 7 (BE), Bluetooth 6.0 (LDAC, L2HC) and Starflash (Huawei’s alternative to Bluetooth), as well as NFC. For positioning, both phones have tri-band BeiDou plus dual-band GPS and Galileo. The USB-C port is USB 2.0 only.
Huawei nova 16 and 16 Pro support satellite messaging
Another missed opportunity for an upgrade is water resistance – the Nova 16 and 16 Pro are given the same IP65 (protection against water jets but not submersion) rating as the 15 and 15 Pro. Also, both phones now use a side-mounted fingerprint reader. The 15 Pro had an optical under-display reader, so it’s a “side-grade” (sorry, we couldn’t resist).
The Huawei nova 16 is available on vmall.com for CNY 3,000 for the 12GB/256GB model and CNY 3,500 for the 12GB/512GB model. This converts to $445/€380 and $520/€445 respectively. You can get it in Clear Blue, Iridescent Mother of Pearl, Sky White or Starry Night Black.
Huawei Nova 16 in: Clear Blue • Iridescent Mother of Pearl • Sky White • Starry Night Black
The Huawei nova 16 Pro comes in similar colors. You’re looking at CNY 3,900 for the base 12GB/256GB model, CNY 4,400 for the 12GB/512GB, and CNY 5,000 for the 12GB/1TB version. These translate to $575/€495, $650/€560 and $740/€635 respectively.
Huawei Nova 16 Pro in: Clear Blue • Iridescent Mother of Pearl • Sky White • Starry Night Black
