Huawei formalizes the arrival in France of two new models in its catalog: the Nova 13 and Nova 13 Pro. Sold below 700 euros, the two smartphones present a complete technical sheet, sometimes worthy of a high-end model. We tried the best of both. And we almost want to skip the Play Store. Here’s why.
Yesterday, we relayed the launch in France of Huawei’s Mate X6. Indeed, the Chinese brand is taking the risk of launching a folding smartphone outside of China, while the three previous models (Mate X5, Mate XT and Nova Flip) did not have this chance. The absence of Google in the interface and the very high price of the Mate X3 obviously didn’t help, despite its undeniable technical qualities. The Mate X6, however, is cheaper than the Mate X3 and even better technically. We recommend reading our dedicated article to find out everything.
Read also – The Honor Magic 7 Pro shines in the benchmarks, and it is arriving soon in France
The Mate X6 was not, however, the only smartphone presented by Huawei yesterday. While we impatiently await the arrival of a successor to the Pura 70 Ultra, the Chinese brand announces the arrival of two models less expensive than the latter, but no less ambitious: these are the Nova 13 and Nova 13 Pro, two mid-range phones which quite logically replace the Nova 12s which Huawei also offers. The two smartphones are already available from Huawei (online and in stores) and soon from distributors.
The Nova 13 and Nova 13 Pro arrive in France for less than 700 euros
The Nova 13 and Nova 13 Pro are respectively sold for 549 euros (50 euros more than the Nova 12s) and 699 euros (only 100 euros less than the current price of the Pura 70). A difference of 150 euros which is obviously justified on the technical sheet. At screen level. In terms of the photo, front and back. In terms of audio. In terms of design. And in terms of storage. So there are a lot of differences. The platform, however, would be identical. Huawei refuses to reveal the identity of the component, but everything suggests that it is a Kirin 8000 whose modem is 5G compatible.
Here are the other important technical elements to remember in this configuration:
Huawei Nova 13 Pro
- Écran AMOLED LTPO 1.5K 120 Hz 6.76 inches
- Processeur HiSilicon Kirin 8000
- 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage
- Battery 5000 mAh fast charging compatible 100 watts
- Stabilized 50 MP main photo sensor with lens variable aperture f/1.4-4.0
- 12 MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom and optical stabilization
- Two selfie sensors 60 MP et 8 MP (2x optical zoom), autofocus on both
- Compatible WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, USB 2.0, infrarouge et 5G
- Certification IP65
Huawei Nova 13
- OLED display Full HD+ 120 Hz 6.7 inches
- Processeur HiSilicon Kirin 8000
- 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage
- Battery 5000 mAh fast charging compatible 100 watts
- Main photo sensor 50 MP with lens opening at f/1.9
- Selfie sensor 60 MP
- Compatible WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, USB 2.0, infrarouge et 5G
- Splash protection
Both phones come with EMUI and not HarmonyOS Next. The latter remains exclusive to China for the moment. EMUI comes without Google’s technological bricks, but with Aurora Store, an alternative Android store which allows you to retrieve practically all applications from the Play Store. Of course, there are incompatibilities due to the absence of certain Android shared libraries. But they are increasingly rare. On the other hand, Huawei does not want to officially comment on the number of years of EMUI updates. A subject that should not remain taboo for much longer.
The Nova 13 Pro is a premium phone on a budget
Like the Mate X6, we had the opportunity to try the Nova 13 Pro. And it is a very attractive proposition. The phone is well built. The back covering is not imitation leather, but mineral glass. You can discover the green version here, certainly the nicest, with a fairly pretty pattern that doesn’t seem to retain fingerprints. The photo module is on its side, positioned vertically, with a risk of imbalance. But the finish is pleasing to the eye. The slices are made of aluminum. The screen is pretty good. We can’t wait to do battle with this Nova 13 Pro during a proper test.
