Huawei Nova 13i vs Nova 12
51
out of 100
VS
55
out of 100
Here we compared two mid-range smartphones: the 6.7-inch Huawei Nova 13i (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 680) that was released on December 14, 2024, against the Huawei Nova 12, which is powered by HiSilicon Kirin 830 and came out 1 year before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
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Key differences
Reasons to consider the Huawei Nova 13i
- The phone is 1 year newer
Reasons to consider the Huawei Nova 12
- 55% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (676K versus 437K)
- Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
- Newer Bluetooth version (v5.2)
- Supports higher wattage charging (66W versus 40W)
- Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR5 3200 MHz
- Ability to record video in 4K resolution
- Compatible with Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks
- OLED display (versus competitor's IPS LCD)
- The front-facing camera can record video at 4K
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Scores with a red asterisk (*) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
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Value for money (Beta)
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | IPS LCD | OLED |
| Size | 6.7 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2388 pixels | 1084 x 2412 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 20:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 391 ppi | 395 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 90 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | - | 1200 nits |
| HDR support | No | Yes, HDR10 |
| Touch sampling rate | 270 Hz | 300 Hz |
| Screen protection | Tempered glass | Tempered glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 88.8% | 89% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 - Always-On Display |
- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display - DC Dimming |
Design and build
| Height | 163.3 mm (6.43 inches) | 161.54 mm (6.36 inches) |
| Width | 74.7 mm (2.94 inches) | 75.36 mm (2.97 inches) |
| Thickness | 8.4 mm (0.33 inches) | 6.98 mm (0.27 inches) |
| Weight | 199 g (7.02 oz) | 191 g (6.74 oz) |
| Waterproof | No | No |
| Rear material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | White, Blue | White, Black, Blue |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-button | Yes, in-display |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 | HiSilicon Kirin 830 |
| Max clock | 2400 MHz | 2400 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (4 + 4) | - |
| Architecture | - 4 cores at 1.9 GHz: Kryo 265 Silver (Cortex-A53) - 4 cores at 2.4 GHz: Kryo 265 Gold (Cortex-A73) |
- |
| Manufacturing | TSMC | - |
| Lithography process | 6 nanometers | - |
| Neural processor (NPU) | Hexagon 686 | - |
| Graphics | Adreno 610 | - |
| GPU shading units | 128 | - |
| GPU clock | 1114 MHz | - |
| FLOPS | ~285.2 GFLOPS | - |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
| Single-core score | 410 | 1040 |
| Multi-core score | 1432 | 2988 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 188893 | 261966 |
| GPU | 27516 | 103056 |
| Memory | 114305 | 132599 |
| UX | 107083 | 179211 |
| Total score | 437797 | 676832 |
| Samples | Less than 3 | Less than 3 |
PCMark 3.0
| Web score | 6007 | - |
| Video editing | 3590 | - |
| Photo editing | 9255 | - |
| Data manipulation | 5433 | - |
| Writing score | 7089 | - |
Recent User Tests
Huawei Nova 13i
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 📘 2026-06-07 (Alex) | AnTuTu 11 | 437797 |
Huawei Nova 12
No benchmark results yet
Memory
| RAM size | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR5 |
| Memory clock | 2133 MHz | 3200 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 4 |
| Storage size | 128 GB | 256 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 2.2 | UFS 3.1 |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | Android 14 | Android 14 |
| ROM | EMUI 14.2 | HarmonyOS 4.0 |
Battery
| Capacity | 5000 mAh | 4600 mAh |
| Max charge power | 40 W | 66 W |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | No | Yes |
| Fast charging | Yes (60% in 30 min) | Yes (50% in 9 min) |
| Full charging time | 2:00 hr | 0:23 hr |
Main camera
| Matrix | 108 megapixels | 50 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 12000 x 9000 | 8192 x 6144 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | No | Up to 30FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| Slow motion | - | 240 FPS (720p) |
| Angle of widest lens | - | 112° |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 108 MP 2) Depth: 2 MP |
1) Standard: 50 MP 2) Ultrawide: 8 MP |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Image resolution | 108 MP | 50 MP |
| Aperture | f/1.9 | f/1.9 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | - |
| Sensor | Samsung ISOCELL HM6 | Omnivision OV50E |
| Sensor size | 1/1.67" (≈ 0.6 inch) | 1/1.55" (≈ 0.65 inch) |
| Pixel size | 0.64 micron | 1 micron |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus | Laser autofocus |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Image resolution | - | 8 MP |
| Aperture | - | f/2.2 |
| Stabilization | - | Digital |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 8 megapixels | 60 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 8960 x 6720 |
| Aperture | f/2.0 | f/2.4 |
| Focal length | - | 17 mm |
| Sensor | CMOS | Omnivision OV60A |
| Sensor size | - | 1/2.8" (≈ 0.36 inch) |
| Pixel size | - | 0.61 micron |
| Autofocus | No | No |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS | 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS |
| Depth sensor (TOF 3D) | No | No |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5.2 |
| Bluetooth features | LE | LE |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| DisplayPort | No | - |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 2 | 2 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support* | No | No |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | - | 18 |
| 5G support | No | No |
Sound
| Speakers | - | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | No | No |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | No | No |
Other
| Category | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Announced | December 2024 | December 2023 |
| Release date | January 2025 | January 2024 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $220 | $490 |
| Successor | - | - Huawei Nova 15 |
| Sensors | - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
| Bundled charger | Yes, 40 W | Yes, 66 W |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
If the display, performance, gaming, connectivity, and sound are more important to you, then choose the Huawei Nova 12. But if the camera and battery life are more of a priority – go for the Huawei Nova 13i.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 27