Huawei Nova 16s vs Nova 15
73
out of 100
VS
66
out of 100
Here we compared two mid-range smartphones: the 6.68-inch Huawei Nova 16s (with HiSilicon Kirin 8020) that was released on September 3, 2026, against the Huawei Nova 15, which is powered by the same chip and came out 8 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Huawei Nova 16s
- Comes with 1000 mAh larger battery capacity: 7000 vs 6000 mAh
- The rear camera has a 3.7x optical zoom
- 17% higher pixel density (461 vs 395 PPI)
- The phone is 8 months newer
- 56% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 1380 and 887 points
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 | OLED | OLED |
| Size | 6.68 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Resolution | 1280 x 2800 pixels | 1084 x 2412 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.5:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 461 ppi | 395 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes | Yes (1-120 Hz) |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10 | Yes, HDR10 |
| Screen protection | Aluminosilicate glass | Aluminosilicate glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 90.9% | 88.6% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 - Always-On Display - DC Dimming |
- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display - DC Dimming |
Design and build
| Height | 159.6 mm (6.28 inches) | 161.87 mm (6.37 inches) |
| Width | 75.5 mm (2.97 inches) | 75.5 mm (2.97 inches) |
| Thickness | 7.3 mm (0.29 inches) | 7.2 mm (0.28 inches) |
| Weight | 199 g (7.02 oz) | 196 g (6.91 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP65 | IP65 |
| Advanced cooling | Vapor chamber | Vapor chamber |
| Rear material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Colors | White, Black, Blue, Pink | White, Black, Green, Purple |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-button | Yes, in-button |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | HiSilicon Kirin 8020 | HiSilicon Kirin 8020 |
| Max clock | 2220 MHz | 2220 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (1 + 3 + 4) | 8 (1 + 3 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 4 cores at 1.3 GHz: - 3 cores at 2.05 GHz: - 1 core at 2.22 GHz: |
- 4 cores at 1.3 GHz: - 3 cores at 2.05 GHz: - 1 core at 2.22 GHz: |
| Manufacturing | SMIC | SMIC |
| Lithography process | 7 nanometers | 7 nanometers |
| Neural processor (NPU) | Da Vinci | Da Vinci |
| Graphics | Maleoon 920C | Maleoon 920C |
| GPU shading units | 1024 | 1024 |
| GPU clock | 840 MHz | 840 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~860.2 GFLOPS | ~860.2 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Compute Score (GPU)
| Compute Score (GPU) | 2294 | - |
| Single-core score | 1380 | 887 |
| Multi-core score | 4102 | 2610 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 525685 | 427262 |
| GPU | 124045 | 99555 |
| Memory | 206447 | 216046 |
| UX | 265717 | 290258 |
| Total score | 1121894 | 1033121 |
| Samples | Less than 3 | Less than 3 |
Recent User Tests
Huawei Nova 16s
No benchmark results yet
Huawei Nova 15
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 📘 2026-10-27 -> GIZZAT | AnTuTu 12 | 1304710 |
Memory
| RAM size | 12 GB | 12 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5 |
| Channels | 4 | 4 |
| Storage size | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | Android | HarmonyOS 6 |
| ROM | EMUI 16 | - |
Battery
| Capacity | 7000 mAh | 6000 mAh |
| Max charge power | 100 W | 100 W |
| Battery type | Silicon-Carbon (Si/C) | Silicon-Carbon (Si/C) |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | Yes | Yes |
| Bypass charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Main camera
| Matrix | 50 megapixels | 50 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 8192 x 6144 | 8192 x 6144 |
| Zoom | Optical, 3.7x | Optical, 3x |
| Flash | LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 50 MP 2) Telephoto: 50 MP |
1) Standard: 50 MP 2) Telephoto: 12 MP |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Image resolution | 50 MP | 50 MP |
| Aperture | f/1.9 | f/1.9 |
| Focal length | 23 mm | 23 mm |
| Sensor size | 1/1.56" (≈ 0.64 inch) | 1/1.56" (≈ 0.64 inch) |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| Image resolution | 50 MP | 12 MP |
| Aperture | f/2.6 | f/2.4 |
| Focal length | 88 mm | 69 mm |
| Stabilization | Optical | Digital |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 50 megapixels | 50 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 8192 x 6144 | 8192 x 6144 |
| Aperture | f/2.4 | f/2.4 |
| Sensor size | 1/2.5" (≈ 0.4 inch) | 1/2.5" (≈ 0.4 inch) |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Video resolution | 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS | 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS |
| Depth sensor (TOF 3D) | No | No |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Bluetooth features | LE | LE |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | Yes | Yes |
| Number of SIM* | 2 | 2 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support* | No | No |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | No | No |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | No | No |
Other
| Category | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Announced | September 2026 | December 2025 |
| Release date | September 2026 | December 2025 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | - | $400 |
| Successor | - | - Huawei Nova 16s |
| Sensors | - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
| Bundled charger | Yes, 100 W | Yes, 100 W |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
After analyzing all the data, we think that the Huawei Nova 16s is definitely a better buy.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 3