Huawei Nova 15 Max vs Huawei Nova 16

Compared 2 smartphones : Huawei Nova 15 Max Manufactured in May, 2026, with display 6.84 with chipsetHiSilicon Kirin 8000, vs Huawei Nova 16, Manufactured in June, 2026with chipsetHiSilicon Kirin 9010S. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Huawei Nova 15 Max
  • Larger display: 6.84in
  • Higher battery capacity: 8500mAh vs 7000mAh
Reasons to choose Huawei Nova 16
  • Higher pixel density: 461ppi
  • Lighter design: 199g vs 232g
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 6.0 vs 5.2
  • Includes charger

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options n/a - 12/256 GB
- 12/512 GB

Review

Key Specs Huawei Nova 15 Max and Huawei Nova 16
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
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Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED OLED
Size 6.84 in 6.68 in
Resolution 1272x2756 pixels 1280x2800 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 19.5:9
Pixel density 444 ppi 461 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (60-120 Hz) Yes
HDR support Yes, HDR10 Yes, HDR10
Touch Sampling Rate 300 Hz n/a
Screen-to-body ratio 90.1 % 90.9 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DC dimming
- DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DC dimming

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 163.3 mm (6.43 in) 159.6 mm (6.28 in)
Width 78 mm (3.07 in) 75.5 mm (2.97 in)
Thickness 7.98 mm (0.31 in) 7.3 mm (0.29 in)
Weight 232 g (8.18 oz) 199 g (7.02 oz)
Water resistance IP65 IP65
Cooling system n/a Vapor chamber
Back panel Plastic Plastic
Frame Plastic Metal
Colors - Black
- Gold
- Blue
- White
- Black
- Blue
- Pink
Fingerprint sensor Yes, In-Button Yes, In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Huawei Nova 15 Max
90.1 %
Huawei Nova 16
90.9 %

Performance

Testing Huawei Nova 15 Max and Huawei Nova 16 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset HiSilicon Kirin 8000 HiSilicon Kirin 9010S
Max Frequency 2400 MHz 2400 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (1 + 3 + 4) 8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.84 (A55)
- 3/2.19 (1xA77 L)
- 1/2.4 (1xA77 H)
- 4/1.55 (Cortex-A510)
- 3/2.18 (TaiShan V121)
- 1/2.3 (TaiShan V121)
Process SMIC SMIC
Transistor Size 7 nm 7 nm
Neural Processor Yes Da Vinci
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Huawei Nova 15 Max
960
Huawei Nova 16
1320
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Huawei Nova 15 Max
2601
Huawei Nova 16
3588
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)9601320
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)26013588
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Huawei Nova 15 Max
808133
Huawei Nova 16
1155792
CPU302738497899
GPU104021161806
Memory191983260948
UX209391235139
NanoReview Score8081331155792

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 8 GB 12 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR5
Memory Frequency 2133 MHz n/a
Channels 2 4
Storage
Storage Capacity256 GB256 GB
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS Android 12 HarmonyOS 6.1
UI Skin 14.2 n/a

Battery

Volume 8500 mAh 7000 mAh
Max Charging Power 40 W 100 W
Battery Type Silicon Carbon (Si/C) Silicon Carbon (Si/C)
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging Yes Yes
Fast Charging Yes Yes

Main camera

Matrix 50 MP 50 MP
Photo resolution 8192x6144 pixels 8192x6144 pixels
Zoom Digital Optical, 3.7x
Flash LED LED
Stabilization Digital Optical
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Lenses count Standard: 50 MP Standard: 50 MP
Telephoto: 50 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix50 MP50 MP
Aperturef/1.9f/1.9
Focal length23 mm23 mm
Sensor size1/1.56 (0.64)1/1.56 (0.64)
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationDigitalOptical
Telephoto
Matrixn/a50 MP
Aperturen/af/2.6
Focal lengthn/a88 mm
Stabilizationn/aOptical

Front camera

Matrix 8 MP 50 MP
Photo resolution 3264x2448 pixels 8192x6144 pixels
Aperture f/2.0 f/2.4
Sensor CMOS n/a
Sensor size n/a 1/2.5 (0.4)
Autofocus No Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps 2160p (4K) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version 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 Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.2 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
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
- NAVIC
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port Yes Yes
Connectivity
SIM Count*22
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *NoNo
Hybrid SlotNoNo
5G SupportYesYes

Sound

3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos No No

Other

Class Mid-range Mid-range
Announced May, 2026 yr June, 2026 yr
Release Date May, 2026 yr June, 2026 yr
MSRP ($) 499 n/a
Sensors - Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No Yes, 100 W
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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