Huawei nova 16 SE vs Huawei nova 16s
Verdict
The Huawei nova 16 SE is not clearly ahead in any section, while the Huawei nova 16s leads in camera, connectivity & features, performance, design & durability and battery; they are even on display.
The biggest difference is camera: 35 vs 59 points.
- nova 16s leads in 8 fields
- 30 ties
38 scored fields compared
Score by section
| Section scores | nova 16 SE | nova 16s |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||
| Performance | 58 | 62 |
| Camera | 35 | 59 |
| Battery | 76 | 79 |
| Display | 90 | 88 |
| Design & durability | 66 | 70 |
| Connectivity & features | 44 | 65 |
Full specifications
Performance
- Chipset performance index
- nova 16 SE: 50/100
- nova 16s: 50/100
- Chipset
- nova 16 SE: Kirin 8020
- nova 16s: Kirin 8020
- RAM (max)
- nova 16 SE: 8 GB
- nova 16s: 12 GB(Better)
- Storage (max)
- nova 16 SE: 512 GB
- nova 16s: 512 GB
Camera
- Main camera resolution
- nova 16 SE: 50 MP
- nova 16s: 50 MP
- Main sensor size
- nova 16 SE: 1/1.56″
- nova 16s: 1/1.56″
- Optical stabilization (OIS)
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: No
- Ultra-wide camera
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: No
- Telephoto camera
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: Yes(Better)
- Periscope lens
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: Yes
- Optical zoom
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: 3.3×(Better)
- Video recording
- nova 16 SE: 4K 30 fps
- nova 16s: 4K 30 fps
- Front camera
- nova 16 SE: 32 MP
- nova 16s: 50 MP
- Front camera 4K video
- nova 16 SE: Yes
- nova 16s: Yes
Battery
- Battery capacity
- nova 16 SE: 8500 mAh
- nova 16s: 7000 mAh
- Wired charging
- nova 16 SE: 66 W
- nova 16s: 100 W(Better)
- Wireless charging
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: No
- Reverse charging
- nova 16 SE: Yes
- nova 16s: Yes
- Reverse charging type
- nova 16 SE: Wired
- nova 16s: Wired
Display
- Screen size
- nova 16 SE: 6.84″
- nova 16s: 6.68″
- Panel type
- nova 16 SE: OLED
- nova 16s: OLED
- Refresh rate
- nova 16 SE: 120 Hz
- nova 16s: 120 Hz
- Pixel density
- nova 16 SE: 444 ppi
- nova 16s: 461 ppi(Better)
- Peak brightness
- nova 16 SE: 8000 nits
- nova 16s: Unknown
- Resolution
- nova 16 SE: 1272x2756
- nova 16s: 1280x2800
- Screen protection
- nova 16 SE: Aluminosilicate glass
- nova 16s: Aluminosilicate glass
Design & durability
- Weight
- nova 16 SE: 229 g
- nova 16s: 199 g(Better)
- Thickness
- nova 16 SE: 8 mm
- nova 16s: 7.3 mm(Better)
- Dust & water resistance
- nova 16 SE: IP65–IP67
- nova 16s: IP65–IP67
- Back material
- nova 16 SE: Aluminum
- nova 16s: Aluminum
- Frame material
- nova 16 SE: Plastic
- nova 16s: Plastic
Connectivity & features
- 5G
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: Yes(Better)
- Wi-Fi
- nova 16 SE: Wi-Fi 7
- nova 16s: Wi-Fi 7
- Bluetooth
- nova 16 SE: 6.0
- nova 16s: 6.0
- USB speed
- nova 16 SE: USB 2.0
- nova 16s: USB 2.0
- USB port
- nova 16 SE: USB-C 2.0
- nova 16s: USB-C 2.0
- DisplayPort output
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: No
- NFC
- nova 16 SE: Yes
- nova 16s: Yes
- eSIM
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: No
- Ultra-wideband (UWB)
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: No
- Satellite connectivity
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: No
- Stereo speakers
- nova 16 SE: Yes
- nova 16s: Yes
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: No
- Fingerprint reader
- nova 16 SE: Side-mounted
- nova 16s: Side-mounted
- 3D face unlock
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: No
- Infrared blaster
- nova 16 SE: Yes
- nova 16s: Yes
- FM radio
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: No
- microSD slot
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: No
- Card slot
- nova 16 SE: No
- nova 16s: No
General
- Operating system
- nova 16 SE: HarmonyOS 6.1
- nova 16s: EMUI 16
- Launch price
- nova 16 SE: About 320 EUR
- nova 16s: About 600 EUR
- Year
- nova 16 SE: 2026
- nova 16s: 2026
Show raw spec textHide raw spec text
Original text from the source spec sheet, for reference.
| — | nova 16 SE | nova 16s |
|---|---|---|
| Network | ||
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G |
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | LTE | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE | HSPA, LTE, 5G |
| 5G bands | – | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84 SA/NSA |
| Launch | ||
| Announced | 2026, August 05 | 2026, September 03 |
| Status | Available. Released 2026, August 13 | Available. Released 2026, September |
| Body | ||
| Dimensions | 163.3 x 78 x 8 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.31 in) | 159.6 x 75.5 x 7.3 mm (6.28 x 2.97 x 0.29 in) |
| Weight | 229 g (8.08 oz) | 199 g (7.02 oz) |
| Build | Glass front, plastic frame, aluminum back | Glass front, plastic frame, aluminum back |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM IP65 dust tight and water resistant (low pressure water jets) | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM IP65 dust tight and water resistant (low pressure water jets) |
| Display | ||
| Type | OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM, 8000 nits (peak)* | OLED, 1B colors, HDR Vivid, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM |
| Size | 6.84 inches, 114.8 cm2 (~90.2% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.68 inches, 108.9 cm2 (~90.3% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1272 x 2756 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~444 ppi density) | 1280 x 2800 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~461 ppi density) |
| Protection | Aluminosilicate glass * Measured at an isolated spot during video playback only | Aluminosilicate glass |
| Platform | ||
| OS | HarmonyOS 6.1 | EMUI 16, Android-based |
| Chipset | Kirin 8020 | Kirin 8020 |
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.29 GHz & 3x2.05 GHz & 4x1.3 GHz) | – |
| GPU | Maleoon 920 2cu | – |
| Memory | ||
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM |
| Main Camera | ||
| Dual | 50 MP, f/1.9, (wide), 1/1.56", dual-pixel PDAF Auxiliary lens | 50 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/1.56", Dual Pixel PDAF 50 MP, f/2.6, 88mm (periscope telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3.3x optical zoom |
| Features | LED flash, panorama, HDR | Color spectrum sensor, LED flash, panorama, HDR |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS | 4K, 1080p, gyro-EIS, HDR Vivid |
| Selfie camera | ||
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.2, (wide) | 50 MP, f/2.4, (ultrawide), 1/2.5" |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS | 4K, 1080p, gyro-EIS, HDR Vivid |
| Features | – | HDR, panorama |
| 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, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 6.0, A2DP, LE, L2HC (320-960 kbps HD audio) | 6.0, A2DP, LE, L2HC (320-960 kbps HD audio) |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC, GLONASS | GPS (L1+L5), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC, GLONASS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| Features | ||
| Sensors | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compass Virtual proximity sensing | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compass Virtual proximity sensing |
| Battery | ||
| Type | 8500 mAh | 7000 mAh |
| Charging | 66W wired 5W reverse wired | 100W wired, SCP, UFCS, PD, PPS, QC 5W reverse wired |
| Misc | ||
| Colors | Black, White, Orange, Blue | Black, White, Blue/Pink, Blue |
| Models | CAS-AL50 | EMA-LX9 |
| Price | About 320 EUR | About 600 EUR |