Huawei Nova 16 Review: specs and features, camera quality test, gaming benchmark, user opinions and photos

Huawei nova 16 – a slow but pleasant evolution

The Chinese company Huawei is increasingly regaining its former popularity with each passing year. And it seems the manufacturer has completely overcome the difficulties associated with the sanctions imposed on it. The hero of today's review is both beautiful and functional, and boasts many other competitive advantages not always found in its competitors.

The appearance of the new device is more than attractive. Firstly, the model offers a variety of color options for the rear glass panels, which will suit all user categories. Secondly, the all-in-one device boasts a stylish camera module, excellent ergonomics, and minimal bezels on the 6.68-inch AMOLED display, which also features a built-in fingerprint scanner. Unfortunately, the water resistance is not complete; the IP65 standard means that swimming with the device is not recommended. The AMOLED display boasts an excellent 2800x1280 pixel resolution for its diagonal size. Excellent content clarity and smoothness are achieved with a flagship 120 Hz refresh rate. Color reproduction is natural, there's no noticeable PWM effect, and peak brightness is also decent.

Technical specifications include the Kirin 9010s chipset, 12 GB of RAM, and a Maleoon graphics card. While it's a bit behind similarly sized Qualcomm and MediaTek processors, it scores over a million points in AnTuTu, runs resource-intensive games at medium or even medium-high graphics settings, and runs HarmonyOS smoothly. That's right, there's no Android or Google services. For some, this feature will be a major drawback. The CPU's power efficiency is impressive, with a 7000mAh battery easily delivering up to 12-14 hours of screen-on time. Wireless charging remains available for the higher-end flagships, but the wired option has been upgraded to a respectable 100W. Storage options are 256GB or 512GB.

Photography enthusiasts will appreciate the built-in camera modules. The main 50MP sensor and 50MP telephoto lens (almost 4x optical zoom) with hybrid image stabilization (EIS + OIS), as well as the ToF module, offer a wide range of creative photography scenarios. Detail is beyond reproach, with minimal noise and blur, even in evening photo sessions. The only thing missing is a wide-angle lens, which makes group photos less impressive. Stereo sound is present, as are NFC contactless payments and 5G connectivity. As a result, we have before us an improved variation of last year's device, capable of satisfying the needs of a larger audience.