Huawei’s nova series smartphones are popular for their premium mid-range offerings, and we got an opportunity to try the new Huawei Nova 11 Pro. Here are our thoughts about the new device.
Design
Huawei’s smartphone designs are nothing short of impressive. The smartphone features a large 6.78-inch OLED display with 1200 x 2652 as its screen resolution, and the refresh rate of the display is 120Hz. The front screen is protected with Kunlun Glass to resist drops and scratches. There is also an under-display optical fingerprint scanner. The device is 7.9mm thick and weighs only 188g.
The left and right edges of the screen are curved and seamlessly connect with the frame. The main power button and the volume rocker are located on the right side. The SIM slots are positioned on the bottom, next to the USB-C port and the speaker grill. The Nova 11 Pro comes in black and green colors. Our review unit is the green color unit.
On the rear side, Huawei has implemented a green, eco-friendly vegan leather material that not only adds to the premium design but also enhances the holding comfort and grip of the device. The main camera island also features a lighter and glossy green finish to match the leather color.
The camera island also features the Super Star Orbit Ring design that surrounds the main camera lens. You can also see the imprints of the Nova monogram all over the rear side of the device.
The packing of the smartphone includes the HUAWEI nova 11 Pro, one charger with USB Type-C cable, a flexible clear case, an eject tool, TP protective film that’s already attached to the device, and a quick start guide.
Performance
As a premium mid-range smartphone, the Huawei nova 11 Pro features the Snapdragon 778G, an octa-core SoC with four Kryo 670 cores clocked at 2.4 GHz speeds, and another four Kryo 670 with a lower clock speed of 1.8 GHz. The device also comes with 8GB RAM and a choice of either 256GB or 512GB of onboard storage. Unfortunately, there is no dedicated card slot to expand the storage.
The device also runs on Huawei’s latest HarmonyOS 3.0 software, but with no Google Apps installed as usual. Of course, you will be able to install Android APK packages. The device ran smoothly most of the time while reviewing the product, thanks to the speedy chip and 8GB of RAM that’s sufficient for daily tasks. We also ran several benchmarks, such as PC Mark Work 3.0, 3DMark Wildlife and Sling Shot, Antutu v10, and Geekbench 6. Check out the scores below.
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- PCMark Work 3.0
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- 3DMark Wild Life
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- 3DMark Wild Life Extreme
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- 3DMark Sling Shot
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- 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme
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- Antutu
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- Geekbench 6 CPU
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- Geekbench 6 GPU OpenCL
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- Geekbench 6 GPU Vulkan
The smartphone also has support for WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and more. The device houses a large 4500 mAh battery with support for the impressive 100W Huawei SuperCharge Turbo 2.0 that can fill almost the full battery in just 15 minutes. While the smartphone does not have wireless charging, it does have support for wired reverse charging. We ran the PCMark Work 3.0 Battery test and the device lasted for 9 hours and 28 minutes.
Camera
The nova 11 Pro features two cameras on the rear side. The main camera packs a 50MP Ultra Vision sensor and is backed by a f/1.9 aperture lens, along with AI Image Stabilization (AIS). The maximum image resolution supported is 8192 × 6144 pixels. The second camera features an 8MP ultra-wide macro camera with f/2.2 as its aperture. You can also record 1080p and 4K videos with 10x digital zoom. The main cameras are supported by a Laser Focus sensor and a 10-channel Colour Temperature sensor for accurate and color-rich images and videos.
The front-sided cameras also feature two cameras, one of which is a 60MP ultrawide selfie snapper with f/2.4 as its aperture, and the second shooter with an 8MP camera with f/2.2 aperture for close-up selfie portraits. The front cameras are also capable of 4K videos, along with 2x optical zoom and 5x digital zoom. I captured some daytime and nighttime images using the rear cameras. Take a look at the samples below.
Day-time Samples
Night-time Samples
Verdict
If you are looking for a premium-looking mid-range smartphone that offers features and performance comparable to flagship models, then we recommend the Huawei nova 11 Pro. The device sports a 6.78-inch OLED display with 1200 x 2652 as its screen resolution and a speedy 120Hz refresh rate. The smartphone features a stylish design with a vegan leather back, and it weighs 188g.
The smartphone is powered by the Snapdragon 778G octa-core processor, along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB/512GB storage options. The device also runs with HarmonyOS 3.0 software. The nova 11 Pro also houses a large 4500 mAh battery with support for 100W fast-charge capability. You will also be able to perform wired reverse charging to other compatible devices.
