Huawei nova review: Life of a Star

3 October 2016
Look, it's the Nexus 6p! But smaller. Well, not really – it’s the Huawei nova, a newborn star in the mid-range cluster of the company's mobile universe. The nova takes after the flagship-grade Nexus 6p, which unsurprisingly, is also Huawei-made.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • XKF
  • 08 Oct 2022

It's the best phone ever

    • P
    • Prtki
    • Yev
    • 09 Mar 2019

    It says here that up to 256 GB of memory is allowed and in the support center they told me that it is allowed up to 128 GB. What is right?

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • MZJ
      • 15 Sep 2018

      The Huawei Nova was the very first Hauwei I have used.
      I LOVE the device!
      It is smooth to operate and hasn't given my any hassles.
      I am definitely sticking to Huawei from here on out...

        • D
        • AnonD-688572
        • n$X
        • 31 Jul 2017

        FYI - not sure about the version above here but any of the ones I've seen on Aliexpress (Chinese ones anyway) DO NOT have NFC!

        I bought 2nd hand based on stats above and got caught out - maybe worth flagging in the stats.

          • b
          • behnam
          • 3%v
          • 28 Jun 2017

          Hi. Does this phone have + 4G? LTE-A ?

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • Rjq
            • 09 Jun 2017

            Anonymous, 06 Oct 2016Hahahaha overpriced. I won't buy it because of it quality. ... moreapparently well suits your quality..

              • D
              • AnonD-645363
              • iA5
              • 17 Feb 2017

              In section 5 of your review you show a screen of 'toggle rearrangement'. I have this phone and see nowhere how to change icons/features in the Shortcuts.
              Also, I find it annoying that the 'Notifications' shows up first instead of 'Shortcuts'. Can this be changed somehow?
              All in all I like the hardware but the software/UI is not to my liking. There is much less customisation possible than on my Samsung Alpha with Kitkat 4.4.4.
              I have tried working with the Nova Launcher but this doesn’t really solve the above issues.
              I also installed the ‘Power Toggles’ application but all this does is redirect me in the Huawei menu of a specific action. If I press the 3G/4G icon (on Power Toggles) to switch on/off data then I am being redirected to the mobile network setting of my phone and have to press a slide to enable/disable data. That’s clicking twice for something that should require only 1 click.
              Thanks in advance for your help.

                • O
                • Owner
                • nUZ
                • 04 Feb 2017

                How to multitask with on this device???

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • ibj
                  • 01 Nov 2016

                  Anonymous, 04 Oct 2016Too uglyMi 3 Pro uglier than this one.

                    Any heat problems?

                      • D
                      • AnonD-560178
                      • 6Px
                      • 09 Oct 2016

                      Anonymous, 06 Oct 2016Hahahaha overpriced. I won't buy it because of it quality. ... moreThey are the biggest competitors of samsung now..

                        • D
                        • AnonD-510098
                        • MAf
                        • 07 Oct 2016

                        Anonymous, 06 Oct 2016Hahahaha overpriced. I won't buy it because of it quality. ... moreThey are 3rd biggest in the world

                          • A
                          • Anonymous
                          • vV5
                          • 06 Oct 2016

                          Hahahaha overpriced. I won't buy it because of it quality. Seriously Huawei, don't get overconfident. Your level is not as high as Samsung, Apple or others.

                            • D
                            • AnonD-476428
                            • SuE
                            • 06 Oct 2016


                            - no front stereo speakers
                            - no OIS camera

                            useless phone, a great downgrade from Nexus 6P

                              • D
                              • AnonD-543693
                              • 7Jc
                              • 05 Oct 2016

                              What is the price on the nova? is it really $445? too much for this. $250 would be max.

                                • D
                                • AnonD-510275
                                • 613
                                • 05 Oct 2016

                                YO, 04 Oct 20164k is not a big deal.it only overheats and drains battery.b... moreYes, I agree with you, but specification make different selling point. Full HD 60fps is more than 4K 30fps for me. Just my opinion.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • FXM
                                  • 04 Oct 2016

                                  Too ugly

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-593073
                                    • iyC
                                    • 04 Oct 2016

                                    GSMARENA, this Nova has NFC see manual still a pitty no Gorilla Glass and dual Wi-Fi

                                      Sean, 04 Oct 2016GSM Arena,Huawei rarely mentions what glass it uses like wi... moreHey Sean,

                                      Thank you for your input. I will contact Huawei for an official quote on the subject and will update the reviews and specs if new information arrives.

                                      P.S. Anonymous - Asus hasn't sent us Zenfone 3 yet, otherwise it would have been the first one in our review queue right now. And it isn't on sale in our region, so it's out of our hands for now. There is no conspiracy here.

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • IVE
                                        • 04 Oct 2016

                                        When this review come out quicker than zenfone 3, you know something is fishy around here.