Hello.
Two models from HUAWEI’s nova youth line are going on sale in Russia – nova 13 and nova 13 Pro. Bright design, interesting cameras, very fast 100 W charging included and many other interesting features. Let’s figure out together what these devices can do, why they stand out, and what to pay attention to.
Table of Contents
Youth flagship. Model positioning
We are all different, I will repeat the cliché that each of us is unique. For example, there are few selfies on my phone; I take them reluctantly and very rarely. But if you are curious about how many selfies you can find on a young girl’s phone, you will be amazed at the number of pictures, there will be a lot of them. Young people are more reserved, but do not lag behind in the number of photographs they take. Being young in the third millennium is very different from when I was growing up. Habits and communication styles are changing, and for the first time in human history, every step in life is recorded. Regardless of whether you like this state of affairs or not, young people take a lot of photographs, and their photographs are full of pictures of people and what they do in everyday life. Some pictures are sent to social networks, others are left only for yourself.
Young people are in a hurry to live, this can be seen in all their manifestations. They are impetuous and do not always succeed everywhere, but they try to make the most of everyday life. At all times, young people have been the most open-minded and open part of society, ready to try, experiment, and find something new. Creating a smartphone for such an audience is not the easiest task.
HUAWEI approached its decision as responsibly as possible, determining that a flagship for a young man or girl should have several important characteristics:
- Catchy design without being boring;
- Interesting price/quality ratio, on par with the best devices in its segment;
- Work for a long time on one charge, charge quickly;
- Cameras should take into account the love of young people for selfies and group shots.
And now a new generation of nova is coming out, in which all these characteristics were taken into account and even a little more was added. And I suggest starting the discussion of models with their appearance, since for young people it is the design of a smartphone that becomes an extremely important manifestation of individuality; they do not want to be like everyone else, walking around with the same devices, as if they all grew up in the same kindergarten.
Design, color solutions
The nova line is interesting because it combines two fundamentally different body shapes. The nova 13 has flat edges and the same screen, but the nova 13 Pro has a curved body and a 2.5D screen. The difference is important; for some people, the rounding of the screen is absolutely not suitable, causing their finger to slip off. On the contrary, I like the visual, external effect, the plus is that the roundness of the case makes the phone more comfortable to grip, the device does not cut into the hand.
For young people, the design of the device and how it looks are important. In a modern smartphone, it is difficult to go wild in the design; you can stand out with the camera unit, as well as the backrest. In the nova line, the main color is smoky green, while you see a geometric pattern, a cage that plays in the light.
See how the same pattern plays in a white machine.
As you can see, there is exactly the same pattern in the white case, but the black model is devoid of a pattern, it can be called classic. Each model has three color options – smoky green, white and black.
The design of the camera block has a corporate style – orbital rings. The metal edging is bright and highlights the pattern on the back of the smartphone.
The tactile sensations from the smartphone body are excellent, the surface is pleasant to the touch, a little “soapy”. Moreover, the devices do not slip even in wet hands. The kit includes a transparent silicone case, you can immediately hide the device in it.
The choice of “check” for the design of the back surface perfectly resonates with fashion trends; in clothing, the check is again popular and will remain so for at least several years.
Having assessed smartphones by their clothes, it’s time to look at their characteristics.
Technical characteristics of nova 13 / nova 13 Pro
I suggest looking at the technical characteristics of the devices in the table to see the differences.
| HUAWEI nova 13 | HUAWEI nova 13 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions and weight | 161.4 x 75.3 x 6.98 mm, 195 grams | 163.4 x 74.9 x 7.82 mm, 209 grams |
| Housing materials | Plastic, glass Kunlun | Aluminum, Kunlun glass |
| Display | 6.7 inches, FHD+ (20:9), 1084×2412 pixels, OLED, AlwaysOn Display, HDR10+, 1-120 Hz, 395 ppi, 800 nits (peak brightness 1200 nits), PWM dimming 1440 Hz, sampling rate 300 Hz, dual RGB -sensor | 6.76 inches, FHD+ (20:9), 1224×2776 pixels, OLED, LTPO, automatic brightness control, AlwaysOn Display, HDR10+, 1-120 Hz, 449 ppi, 800 nits (peak brightness 1200 nits), PWM dimming 1440 Hz, frequency sampling 300 Hz, double RGB sensor |
| operating system | EMUI 14.2 | EMUI 14.2 |
| Platform | Graphics — Mali G610 | Graphics — Mali G610 |
| Memory | 12/256 GB 12/512 GB No memory cards |
12/512 GB
No memory cards |
| Wireless interfaces | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 2 × 2 MIMO, HE160, 1024 QAM dual-band, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 2 × 2 MIMO, HE160, 1024 QAM dual-band, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC |
| Net | Dual SIM cards, nanoSIM | Dual SIM cards, nanoSIM |
| Navigation | GPS (L1 + L5 Dual band)/AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou (B1I + B1C + B2a + B2b Quad-band)/GALILEO (E1 + E5a + E5b Tri-band)/QZSS (L1 + L5 Dual band)/NavIC | GPS (L1 + L5 Dual band)/AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou (B1I + B1C + B2a + B2b Quad-band)/GALILEO (E1 + E5a + E5b Tri-band)/QZSS (L1 + L5 Dual band)/NavIC |
| Sensors and connectors | USB Type C (USB 2.0), USB OTG Accelerometer, proximity sensor (software, uses front camera), light sensor, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor Dual sRGB sensor In-screen fingerprint sensor Face unlock |
Accelerometer, proximity sensor (software, uses front camera), light sensor, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor Dual sRGB sensor In-screen fingerprint sensor Face unlock |
| Main camera | Main: camera with two modules — Main: 50 MP, F1.9, OIS, laser autofocus — Ultra-wide-angle: 8 MP, autofocus, F2.2 (aka macro module) 4K video recording (up to 30 fps) |
Main: camera with three modules — Main: 50 MP, F1.4-4.0, 1 inch, sensor-shift OIS, laser autofocus — Ultra-wide-angle: 8 MP, autofocus, F2.2 (aka macro module) — Telephoto: 12 MP, F2.4, OIS, PDAF, x3 optical zoom 4K video recording (up to 30 fps) |
| Front camera | 60 MP (ultra-wide-angle module with autofocus support, f/2.4 aperture) | 60 MP (ultra-wide-angle module with autofocus support, f/2.4 aperture) 8 MP (portrait module, f/2.2 aperture) |
| Battery | Li-Ion 5000 mAh Huawei SuperCharge, charger up to 100 W Charging time – 50% in 10 minutes |
Li-Ion 5000 mAh Huawei SuperCharge, charger up to 100 W Charging time – 50% in 9 minutes |
| Colors | 3 colors – smoky green, white, black | 3 colors – smoky green, white, black |
| Sound | Two speakers | Two speakers |
| Payment system | Huawei Pay | Huawei Pay |
| Price in Russia at the start of sales in January 2025 | 46,999 rubles (12/256 GB) 49,999 rubles (12/512 GB) |
59,999 rubles (12/512 GB) |
Operating time, 100W charger
It’s no secret that many manufacturers refuse to include chargers in the kit. Here we see exactly the opposite story; the kit comes with Huawei SuperCharge charging at 100 W. It allows you to charge a 5000 mAh battery in 9-10 minutes, for most this is space speed, which solves a pressing problem – even after sleeping in the morning before going to work or school, a young man will have time to charge the phone so quickly that it will last until the end of the day.
On average, the operating time of the device will be about one to two days, it all depends on what exactly you are doing. But even the most “heavy” user will get work time from dawn to dusk, in this aspect everything is very good here.
Selfie, main camera and AI shooting modes
The difference between the models is not only in the shape of the body, but also in the number of cameras. The nova 13 Pro offers more modules and they give you more opportunities to express yourself through photography. The main 50-megapixel module has a variable aperture, as a result, you can get interesting background blur for different genres of shots. Let’s add here an additional telephoto module with x3 optical zoom.
But let’s look at an interesting feature of the two devices – the ability to take interesting selfies.
Please note that x2 zoom is available on the nova 13 Pro (an 8-megapixel module is used here). The devices share the same 60-megapixel module; you can use it to take your portraits. And the XD Portrait Engine mode works everywhere, and you can choose the degree of image processing.
There are three photo options in total – stylish, sophisticated and natural. They differ in how the camera processes the image. Here is a brief description of each mode:
- Stylish. When you take a photo of your face, your eyes and lips stand out, making your portrait look vibrant, as if you were wearing makeup. Girls usually like such pictures, ideal for shooting in a club or at a party. Just like in the “Refined” mode, the skin is given smoothness and a glowing effect.
- Natural. The settings maximally convey complexion, liveliness of expression, and emotions. There is no interference here.
- Exquisite. In the photo, the skin of the face becomes smooth, the contour of the face is also edited. Not the most aggressive filter, but it gives good results for those who want to look good in photos.
Let’s see how the XD Portrait Engine works in the pictures.
Natural, Stylish, Sophisticated
The main camera is excellent, as you can see by looking at the sample shots below. It is worth remembering that nova 13 Pro has a telephoto module with x3 zoom. For those who take photographs in different genres, this will be of great help.
Speaking of the fact that young people take pictures of their friends a lot, it’s time to remember about AI functions. In group photos it is not always possible to capture the moment when everyone is smiling. Someone might make a face and ruin an almost perfect photo. You can immediately take a series of photographs, and then select the desired version of the “face” for each participant, this is easy to do.
Take several pictures of people, such as a selfie of yourself. In the gallery, you click on the photo editing button, and then select the “Best facial expressions” option.
And in the photo you can choose the expression that suits you most.
The function is simple, but so useful for those who want not to lose a good photo and give everyone in a group photo (or one of yours) the opportunity to look almost perfect. These are the simple functions that expand the capabilities of modern devices.
Flagships for youth. And one more little thing…
In this text I wanted to draw attention to how their capabilities flow from positioning and creating things for a specific audience. Cameras that are focused on photographing people, plus various AI features that expand the capabilities of the hardware. Since this is not a review, the quality of the displays remains behind the scenes (they are bright, excellent, they have eye protection and much, much more), we will talk about all this in separate device reviews.
Starting January 17, you can pre-order smartphones, and this pre-order includes a gift in the form of a HUAWEI Watch FIT 3 smartwatch (in the nova 13 Pro, these are HUAWEI FreeClip wireless headphones). The cost of nova 13 starts from 46,999 rubles, and the nova 13 Pro model is offered for 59,999 rubles. For their price segment, the models turned out to be bright, interesting, and worth paying attention to, especially if you feel young and take a lot of photographs of yourself and your friends.
Advertisement. Huawei Technology Company LLC
INN: 7714186804
Source: mobile-review.com
