Apple iPhone 17 vs Huawei nova 15
Verdict
The Apple iPhone 17 scores higher in 4 of 6 sections (performance, design & durability, connectivity & features and display), while the Huawei nova 15 leads in battery; they are even on camera.
The biggest difference is performance: 89 vs 62 points.
The Huawei nova 15 is the newer model, announced 3 months after the Apple iPhone 17.
Choose the Apple iPhone 17 for performance and design & durability; choose the Huawei nova 15 for battery.
- iPhone 17 leads in 13 fields
- nova 15 leads in 8 fields
- 16 ties
37 scored fields compared
Score by section
| Section scores | iPhone 17 | nova 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||
| Performance | 89 | 62 |
| Camera | 61 | 59 |
| Battery | 54 | 77 |
| Display | 96 | 91 |
| Design & durability | 84 | 70 |
| Connectivity & features | 79 | 65 |
Full specifications
Performance
- Chipset performance index
- iPhone 17: 92/100(Better)
- nova 15: 50/100
- Chipset
- iPhone 17: Apple A19
- nova 15: Kirin 8020
- RAM (max)
- iPhone 17: 8 GB
- nova 15: 12 GB(Better)
- Storage (max)
- iPhone 17: 512 GB
- nova 15: 512 GB
- Process node
- iPhone 17: 3 nm
- nova 15: Unknown
Camera
- Main camera resolution
- iPhone 17: 48 MP
- nova 15: 50 MP
- Main sensor size
- iPhone 17: 1/1.56″
- nova 15: 1/1.56″
- Optical stabilization (OIS)
- iPhone 17: Yes(Better)
- nova 15: No
- Ultra-wide camera
- iPhone 17: Yes(Better)
- nova 15: No
- Telephoto camera
- iPhone 17: No
- nova 15: Yes(Better)
- Periscope lens
- iPhone 17: No
- nova 15: No
- Optical zoom
- iPhone 17: No
- nova 15: 3×(Better)
- Video recording
- iPhone 17: 4K 60 fps(Better)
- nova 15: 4K 30 fps
- Front camera
- iPhone 17: 18 MP
- nova 15: 50 MP(Better)
- Front camera 4K video
- iPhone 17: Yes
- nova 15: Yes
Battery
- Battery capacity
- iPhone 17: 3692 mAh
- nova 15: 6000 mAh(Better)
- Battery endurance (EU label)
- iPhone 17: 41:00 h
- nova 15: Unknown
- EU label cycles
- iPhone 17: 1000
- nova 15: Unknown
- Wired charging
- iPhone 17: Unknown
- nova 15: 100 W
- Wireless charging
- iPhone 17: 25 W(Better)
- nova 15: No
- Reverse charging
- iPhone 17: Yes
- nova 15: Yes
- Reverse charging type
- iPhone 17: Wired
- nova 15: Wired
Display
- Screen size
- iPhone 17: 6.3″
- nova 15: 6.7″
- Panel type
- iPhone 17: LTPO OLED
- nova 15: LTPO OLED
- Refresh rate
- iPhone 17: 120 Hz
- nova 15: 120 Hz
- Pixel density
- iPhone 17: 460 ppi(Better)
- nova 15: 395 ppi
- Peak brightness
- iPhone 17: 3000 nits
- nova 15: Unknown
- Resolution
- iPhone 17: 1206x2622
- nova 15: 1084x2412
- Screen protection
- iPhone 17: Ceramic Shield 2
- nova 15: Aluminosilicate glass
Design & durability
- Weight
- iPhone 17: 177 g(Better)
- nova 15: 196 g
- Thickness
- iPhone 17: 8 mm
- nova 15: 7.2 mm(Better)
- Dust & water resistance
- iPhone 17: IP68(Better)
- nova 15: IP65–IP67
- Back material
- iPhone 17: Glass
- nova 15: Aluminum
- Frame material
- iPhone 17: Aluminum(Better)
- nova 15: Plastic
- EU repairability class
- iPhone 17: C
- nova 15: Unknown
- EU drop resistance class
- iPhone 17: B
- nova 15: Unknown
- EU energy class
- iPhone 17: A
- nova 15: Unknown
Connectivity & features
- 5G
- iPhone 17: Yes
- nova 15: Yes
- Wi-Fi
- iPhone 17: Wi-Fi 7
- nova 15: Wi-Fi 7
- Bluetooth
- iPhone 17: 6.0
- nova 15: 6.0
- USB speed
- iPhone 17: USB 2.0
- nova 15: USB 2.0
- USB port
- iPhone 17: USB-C 2.0
- nova 15: USB-C 2.0
- DisplayPort output
- iPhone 17: Yes
- nova 15: No
- NFC
- iPhone 17: Yes
- nova 15: Yes
- eSIM
- iPhone 17: Yes(Better)
- nova 15: No
- Ultra-wideband (UWB)
- iPhone 17: Yes(Better)
- nova 15: No
- Satellite connectivity
- iPhone 17: Yes(Better)
- nova 15: No
- Stereo speakers
- iPhone 17: Yes
- nova 15: Yes
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- iPhone 17: No
- nova 15: No
- Fingerprint reader
- iPhone 17: None
- nova 15: Side-mounted(Better)
- 3D face unlock
- iPhone 17: Yes(Better)
- nova 15: No
- Infrared blaster
- iPhone 17: No
- nova 15: Yes(Better)
- FM radio
- iPhone 17: No
- nova 15: No
- microSD slot
- iPhone 17: No
- nova 15: No
- Card slot
- iPhone 17: No
- nova 15: No
General
- Operating system
- iPhone 17: iOS 26
- nova 15: HarmonyOS 6.0
- Launch price
- iPhone 17: $ 712.99
- nova 15: About 330 EUR
- Year
- iPhone 17: 2025
- nova 15: 2025
Show raw spec textHide raw spec text
Original text from the source spec sheet, for reference.
| — | iPhone 17 | nova 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Network | ||
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE / 5G |
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 CDMA 800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 CDMA 800 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1x |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66 - A3520 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71 - A3258 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71 - A3519 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66 - A3521 | LTE |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3520 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - A3258 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3519 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3521 | SA/NSA |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps | HSPA, LTE, 5G |
| Launch | ||
| Announced | 2025, September 09 | 2025, December 22 |
| Status | Available. Released 2025, September 19 | Available. Released 2025, December 22 |
| Body | ||
| Dimensions | 149.6 x 71.5 x 8 mm (5.89 x 2.81 x 0.31 in) | 161.9 x 75.5 x 7.2 mm (6.37 x 2.97 x 0.28 in) |
| Weight | 177 g (6.24 oz) | 196 g (6.91 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Ceramic Shield 2), aluminum frame, glass back | Glass front, plastic frame, aluminum back |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International) · eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA) · Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 6m for 30 min) | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM IP65 dust tight and water resistant (low pressure water jets) |
| Display | ||
| Type | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 1600 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak) | LTPO OLED, 1B colors, HDR Vivid, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM |
| Size | 6.3 inches, 96.4 cm2 (~90.1% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 108.3 cm2 (~88.6% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1206 x 2622 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1084 x 2412 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~395 ppi density) |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield 2 Anti-reflective coating | Aluminosilicate glass |
| Platform | ||
| OS | iOS 26, upgradable to iOS 27.2 | HarmonyOS 6.0 |
| Chipset | Apple A19 (3 nm) | Kirin 8020 |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x4.26 GHz + 4x2.60 GHz) | – |
| GPU | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) | – |
| Memory | ||
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM NVMe | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM |
| Main Camera | ||
| Dual | 48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 48 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAF | 50 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/1.56", Dual Pixel PDAF 12 MP, f/2.4, 69mm (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) | Color spectrum sensor, LED flash, panorama, HDR |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. | 4K, 1080p, gyro-EIS, HDR Vivid |
| Selfie camera | ||
| Single | 18 MP multi-aspect, f/1.9, 20mm (ultrawide), PDAF SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 50 MP, f/2.4, (ultrawide), 1/2.5" |
| Features | HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec. | HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K, 1080p, gyro-EIS, HDR Vivid |
| Sound | ||
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| Comms | ||
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, tri-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 6.0, A2DP, LE | 6.0, A2DP, LE, L2HC (320-960 kbps HD audio) |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC | GPS (L1+L5), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), GLONASS, NavIC |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, DisplayPort | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| Infrared port | – | Yes |
| Features | ||
| Sensors | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip) Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compass Virtual proximity sensing |
| Battery | ||
| Type | Li-Ion 3692 mAh | Si/C Li-Ion 6000 mAh |
| Charging | Wired, PD3.2, AVS, 50% in 20 min 25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2, 50% in 30 min (15W - China) 4.5W reverse wired | 100W wired, SCP, UFCS, PD, PPS, QC 5W reverse wired |
| Misc | ||
| Colors | Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender | Black, White, Purple, Green |
| Models | iPhone18,3, A3520, A3258, A3519, A3521 | PSN-AL00 |
| SAR | 1.19 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body) | – |
| SAR EU | 1.49 W/kg (head) 1.49 W/kg (body) | – |
| Price | $ 712.99 / € 777.01 / £ 682.65 / ₹ 92,900 | About 330 EUR |
| EU LABEL | ||
| Energy | Class A | – |
| Battery | 41:00h endurance, 1000 cycles | – |
| Free fall | Class B (180 falls) | – |
| Repairability | Class C | – |