Apple iPhone 17e vs Huawei nova 16 SE
Verdict
The Apple iPhone 17e scores higher in 4 of 6 sections (performance, connectivity & features, design & durability and camera), while the Huawei nova 16 SE leads in battery and display.
The biggest difference is performance: 89 vs 58 points.
The Huawei nova 16 SE is the newer model, announced 5 months after the Apple iPhone 17e.
Choose the Apple iPhone 17e for performance and connectivity & features; choose the Huawei nova 16 SE for battery and display.
- iPhone 17e leads in 13 fields
- nova 16 SE leads in 9 fields
- 15 ties
37 scored fields compared
Score by section
| Section scores | iPhone 17e | nova 16 SE |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||
| Performance | 89 | 58 |
| Camera | 38 | 35 |
| Battery | 54 | 76 |
| Display | 77 | 90 |
| Design & durability | 85 | 66 |
| Connectivity & features | 71 | 44 |
Full specifications
Performance
- Chipset performance index
- iPhone 17e: 92/100(Better)
- nova 16 SE: 50/100
- Chipset
- iPhone 17e: Apple A19
- nova 16 SE: Kirin 8020
- RAM (max)
- iPhone 17e: 8 GB
- nova 16 SE: 8 GB
- Storage (max)
- iPhone 17e: 512 GB
- nova 16 SE: 512 GB
- Process node
- iPhone 17e: 3 nm
- nova 16 SE: Unknown
Camera
- Main camera resolution
- iPhone 17e: 48 MP
- nova 16 SE: 50 MP
- Main sensor size
- iPhone 17e: 1/2.55″
- nova 16 SE: 1/1.56″(Better)
- Optical stabilization (OIS)
- iPhone 17e: Yes(Better)
- nova 16 SE: No
- Ultra-wide camera
- iPhone 17e: No
- nova 16 SE: No
- Telephoto camera
- iPhone 17e: No
- nova 16 SE: No
- Periscope lens
- iPhone 17e: No
- nova 16 SE: No
- Optical zoom
- iPhone 17e: No
- nova 16 SE: No
- Video recording
- iPhone 17e: 4K 60 fps(Better)
- nova 16 SE: 4K 30 fps
- Front camera
- iPhone 17e: 12 MP
- nova 16 SE: 32 MP(Better)
- Front camera 4K video
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- nova 16 SE: Yes
Battery
- Battery capacity
- iPhone 17e: 4005 mAh
- nova 16 SE: 8500 mAh(Better)
- Battery endurance (EU label)
- iPhone 17e: 45:00 h
- nova 16 SE: Unknown
- EU label cycles
- iPhone 17e: 1000
- nova 16 SE: Unknown
- Wired charging
- iPhone 17e: Unknown
- nova 16 SE: 66 W
- Wireless charging
- iPhone 17e: 15 W(Better)
- nova 16 SE: No
- Reverse charging
- iPhone 17e: No
- nova 16 SE: Yes(Better)
- Reverse charging type
- iPhone 17e: No
- nova 16 SE: Wired
Display
- Screen size
- iPhone 17e: 6.1″
- nova 16 SE: 6.84″
- Panel type
- iPhone 17e: OLED
- nova 16 SE: OLED
- Refresh rate
- iPhone 17e: Unknown
- nova 16 SE: 120 Hz
- Pixel density
- iPhone 17e: 460 ppi(Better)
- nova 16 SE: 444 ppi
- Peak brightness
- iPhone 17e: 1200 nits
- nova 16 SE: 8000 nits(Better)
- Resolution
- iPhone 17e: 1170x2532
- nova 16 SE: 1272x2756
- Screen protection
- iPhone 17e: Ceramic Shield 2
- nova 16 SE: Aluminosilicate glass
Design & durability
- Weight
- iPhone 17e: 169 g(Better)
- nova 16 SE: 229 g
- Thickness
- iPhone 17e: 7.8 mm(Better)
- nova 16 SE: 8 mm
- Dust & water resistance
- iPhone 17e: IP68(Better)
- nova 16 SE: IP65–IP67
- Back material
- iPhone 17e: Glass
- nova 16 SE: Aluminum
- Frame material
- iPhone 17e: Aluminum(Better)
- nova 16 SE: Plastic
- EU repairability class
- iPhone 17e: C
- nova 16 SE: Unknown
- EU drop resistance class
- iPhone 17e: B
- nova 16 SE: Unknown
- EU energy class
- iPhone 17e: A
- nova 16 SE: Unknown
Connectivity & features
- 5G
- iPhone 17e: Yes(Better)
- nova 16 SE: No
- Wi-Fi
- iPhone 17e: Wi-Fi 6
- nova 16 SE: Wi-Fi 7(Better)
- Bluetooth
- iPhone 17e: 5.3
- nova 16 SE: 6.0(Better)
- USB speed
- iPhone 17e: USB 2.0
- nova 16 SE: USB 2.0
- USB port
- iPhone 17e: USB-C 2.0
- nova 16 SE: USB-C 2.0
- DisplayPort output
- iPhone 17e: No
- nova 16 SE: No
- NFC
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- nova 16 SE: Yes
- eSIM
- iPhone 17e: Yes(Better)
- nova 16 SE: No
- Ultra-wideband (UWB)
- iPhone 17e: No
- nova 16 SE: No
- Satellite connectivity
- iPhone 17e: Yes(Better)
- nova 16 SE: No
- Stereo speakers
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- nova 16 SE: Yes
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- iPhone 17e: No
- nova 16 SE: No
- Fingerprint reader
- iPhone 17e: None
- nova 16 SE: Side-mounted(Better)
- 3D face unlock
- iPhone 17e: Yes(Better)
- nova 16 SE: No
- Infrared blaster
- iPhone 17e: No
- nova 16 SE: Yes(Better)
- FM radio
- iPhone 17e: No
- nova 16 SE: No
- microSD slot
- iPhone 17e: No
- nova 16 SE: No
- Card slot
- iPhone 17e: No
- nova 16 SE: No
General
- Operating system
- iPhone 17e: iOS 26.3
- nova 16 SE: HarmonyOS 6.1
- Launch price
- iPhone 17e: $ 501.16
- nova 16 SE: About 320 EUR
- Year
- iPhone 17e: 2026
- nova 16 SE: 2026
Show raw spec textHide raw spec text
Original text from the source spec sheet, for reference.
| — | iPhone 17e | nova 16 SE |
|---|---|---|
| Network | ||
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / HSPA / LTE |
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 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 - A3575 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 - A3634 | LTE |
| 5G bands | 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 - A3575 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 - A3634 | – |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA, LTE |
| Launch | ||
| Announced | 2026, March 02 | 2026, August 05 |
| Status | Available. Released 2026, March 11 | Available. Released 2026, August 13 |
| Body | ||
| Dimensions | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm (5.78 x 2.81 x 0.31 in) | 163.3 x 78 x 8 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 169 g (5.96 oz) | 229 g (8.08 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Ceramic Shield 2), glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front, plastic frame, aluminum back |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International/China) · eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA) 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 | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) | OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM, 8000 nits (peak)* |
| Size | 6.1 inches, 90.2 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.84 inches, 114.8 cm2 (~90.2% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1272 x 2756 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~444 ppi density) |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield 2 Anti-reflective coating | Aluminosilicate glass * Measured at an isolated spot during video playback only |
| Platform | ||
| OS | iOS 26.3, upgradable to iOS 27.2 | HarmonyOS 6.1 |
| Chipset | Apple A19 (3 nm) | Kirin 8020 |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x4.26 GHz + 4x2.60 GHz) | Octa-core (1x2.29 GHz & 3x2.05 GHz & 4x1.3 GHz) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) | Maleoon 920 2cu |
| Memory | ||
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM NVMe | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM |
| Main Camera | ||
| Single | 48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAF, OIS | – |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama, 3D (spatial) audio | LED flash, panorama, HDR |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, Dolby Vision HDR, OIS, stereo sound rec. | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS |
| Dual | – | 50 MP, f/1.9, (wide), 1/1.56", dual-pixel PDAF Auxiliary lens |
| Selfie camera | ||
| Single | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 32 MP, f/2.2, (wide) |
| Features | HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec. | – |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, Dolby Vision HDR | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS |
| 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, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE | 6.0, A2DP, LE, L2HC (320-960 kbps HD audio) |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC | GPS (L1+L5), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC, GLONASS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| Infrared port | – | Yes |
| Features | ||
| Sensors | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compass Virtual proximity sensing |
| Battery | ||
| Type | Li-Ion 4005 mAh | 8500 mAh |
| Charging | Wired, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless MagSafe/Qi2 | 66W wired 5W reverse wired |
| Misc | ||
| Colors | Black, White, Soft Pink | Black, White, Orange, Blue |
| Models | A3634, A3575, A3635, iPhone18,5 | CAS-AL50 |
| SAR | 1.20 W/kg (head) 1.20 W/kg (body) | – |
| SAR EU | 1.49 W/kg (head) 1.49 W/kg (body) | – |
| Price | $ 501.16 / € 610.00 / £ 528.03 / ₹ 74,990 | About 320 EUR |
| EU LABEL | ||
| Energy | Class A | – |
| Battery | 45:00h endurance, 1000 cycles | – |
| Free fall | Class B (180 falls) | – |
| Repairability | Class C | – |