I’ve always been a fan of Huawei’s nova Series for its sleek design and innovative features. It usually brings flagship-exclusive features to the midrange category.
This time, the HUAWEI nova 13 Pro boasts two standout features: a 60MP + 8MP dual selfie camera setup and gorgeous plaid design! Could these be the phone that brings back Huawei’s loyal fans? Let’s find out in my review below.
Unboxing
The Huawei nova13 Pro comes in a simple white box with glossy prints. It has a neat and classy vibe.
Inside, you’ll find everything you need to get started: the phone itself, a free transparent phone case, a SIM ejector pin, a USB-C cable, and a 100W fast charger.
Design & Durability
The Huawei nova 13 Pro immediately catches the eye with its gorgeous plaid pattern on the frosted glass back. This unique design gives the phone a modern yet classy aesthetic that sets it apart from other smartphones.
I find the plaid texture absolutely stunning! It’s a refreshing departure from the usual plain or gradient finishes. The nova logos, cleverly integrated into the beveled camera outline, and the symmetrical arrangement of the cameras and flash further elevate its premium look.
The device comes in three colors: Black, White, and Loden Green. My unit is the Loden Green variant, and I couldn’t be happier with the choice. It perfectly complements the plaid design, making it the most striking option.
In terms of feel, the Huawei nova 13 Pro is compact, comfortable, and undeniably well-built. There’s a red accent on the power button while the SIM card tray, USB Type-C port, and loudspeaker grille are neatly positioned at the bottom.
Although there’s no official ingress protection rating, Huawei includes a rubber seal on the SIM card tray to help protect against water damage.
Display & Sound Quality
The Huawei nova 13 Pro features a large 6.76-inch OLED display that looks and feels premium. Its narrow bezels and quad-curved edges give it a sleek appearance, though the curves are subtle enough to avoid accidental touches.
The display is sharp, bright, and vivid, with plenty of customization options in the Settings to suit your preferences. Eye protection features are also included, such as dual ambient light sensors and pixel-level fine-tuning for comfortable viewing in low light.
It supports HDR videos on streaming apps and offers a 120Hz refresh rate, ensuring smooth animations and an excellent experience for gaming or browsing.
For sound, the nova13 Pro is equipped with stereo speakers that are surprisingly loud and clear for a smartphone. There’s even a hint of bass when listening to music, making it great for casual Netflix binges or YouTube sessions.
Performance
The Huawei nova 13 Pro is powered by the Kirin 8000 processor, paired with 12GB of RAM, delivering smooth performance for everyday tasks.
It handles gaming surprisingly well, with Mobile Legends and PUBG Mobile running smoothly, though some frame drops occur at Ultra graphics settings. Some games might be incompatible though such as Call of Duty Mobile.
Huawei nova 13 Pro benchmark scores:
Geekbench Single-Core: 716 points
Geekbench Multi-Core: 2,632 points
Antutu Benchmark: 609,076 points
These scores are slightly above what most midrange smartphones achieve, making it a strong contender in its category.
Selfie Cameras
The Huawei nova 13 Pro’s selfie cameras deserve the spotlight. Hence, a dedicated section in this review. It features a 60MP ultra-wide camera with a 100° field of view and an 8MP close-up camera.
The 60MP ultra-wide lens is perfect for group selfies or trendy wide-angle shots, offering sharp and detailed results. Selfies look fantastic with customizable beauty effects, while the eye-tracking focus ensures your subject is always sharp.
The 8MP close-up camera has niche appeal but is a fun tool for those who enjoy showcasing details like makeup, eyes, or specific facial features.
When it comes to video, the selfie cameras shine as well. They can record up to 4K quality, producing great-looking footage. While the camera app doesn’t explicitly mention video stabilization, the captured videos are not that shaky.
Rear Cameras
The Huawei nova 13 Pro is equipped with a versatile triple rear camera setup: a 100MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and an 8MP telephoto portrait camera.
The 100MP main camera features a variable aperture, allowing it to adjust the amount of light captured based on the scene. It’s a feature that’s only seen in premium flagship smartphones!
Photos taken with this camera are sharp, with balanced colors and impressive detail. Low-light performance is also excellent, thanks to the variable aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS).
The 12MP ultra-wide lens produces shots that are nearly on par with the main camera in well-lit scenes, delivering consistent quality across different perspectives.
The 8MP telephoto lens activates at 3x zoom or higher with decent portrait shots. Portrait mode also produces good results with interesting bokeh effect and decent subject separation.
For video, both the main and ultra-wide cameras support 4K recording with good quality. Once again, there’s no explicit mention of video stabilization in the camera app but 1080p videos are clearly stabilized while 4K videos are not.
Software and Apps
The Huawei nova 13 Pro runs on EMUI 4.2 with a smooth and intuitive user experience. Many popular apps are now fully compatible and available directly from the Huawei AppGallery, including Google apps like YouTube and Google Docs.
Apps installed via GBox perform almost as seamlessly as native apps providing a versatile solution for users. However, if there’s an industry-specific app that you use everyday, ensuring that it works with the nova 13 Pro is a must before purchasing the device.
Pre-installed apps and suggested app shortcuts can clutter the interface, making it look untidy. A bit of tidying up is needed to achieve a cleaner setup.
Connectivity & Security
The Huawei nova 13 Pro supports 4G LTE connectivity but lacks 5G. This isn’t a deal breaker if your area has reliable 4G speeds or if you primarily rely on Wi-Fi and use mobile data sparingly.
It excels in inter-device connectivity, seamlessly pairing with other Huawei devices like laptops, tablets, and wearables, making it a great choice for those invested in the Huawei ecosystem.
Additional features include an infrared remote control function, which is handy for managing appliances, and an under-display fingerprint scanner. The scanner is fast and reliable, providing secure and convenient access.
Battery & Charging Time
The Huawei nova 13 Pro is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery. It easily lasts a full day of use with about 20% battery capacity remaining by bedtime. For gamers, continuous play can drain the battery in around 6 to 7 hours.
Charging is incredibly fast, thanks to the 100W Huawei SuperCharge Turbo charger. Turbo charging can be enabled by pressing the center of the screen while charging with the original charger and cable. When Turbo charging is enabled, the battery reaches 50% in under 14 minutes and fully charges in just 33 minutes.
If Turbo charging isn’t activated, the phone takes 45 minutes to reach 100%, which helps maintain battery health over time. The charger is versatile, supporting both traditional USB-A and modern USB-C cables (on both ends).
Conclusion
The Huawei nova 13 Pro is the first nova Series smartphone in years that I can confidently recommend. It stands out with its gorgeous design, versatile cameras (especially the impressive selfie cameras), smooth performance, vibrant display, and ultra-fast charging speeds.
While the lack of 5G support is disappointing, and app compatibility isn’t entirely perfect, these are small drawbacks compared to the overall experience it offers.
Huawei fans can finally rejoice. The Huawei nova 13 Pro is a worthy comeback for the series!
Huawei nova 13 Pro Review Summary
Huawei fans can finally rejoice. The Huawei nova 13 Pro is a worthy comeback for the series!
- 6.76-inch FHD+ OLED Display (1224 x 2776 Pixels), 449 ppi
- EMUI 14.2 Operating System
- Kirin 8000 (7 nm) Chipset
- 12GB of RAM
- 50 Megapixel Rear Camera with LED Flash
- 60 Megapixel Front Camera
- Dual SIM
- 512GB Internal Storage
- 4G LTE, 3G HSPA+, 2G EDGE & GPRS Networks
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax (dual band)
- Bluetooth 5.2
- USB Type-C
- USB Type-C
- Fingerprint Sensor
- 5000mAh Battery
- 100W Fast Charging (HUAWEI SuperCharge Turbo, 50% in 9 minutes)
- ₱32,999.00 Official Price in the Philippines
