Huawei is launching the nova 16 series in China on June 1, and the company has already pulled the curtain on what the phones look like.
Four models make up the lineup: nova 16z, nova 16, nova 16 Pro, and nova 16 Ultra. Reservations are now live on Huawei’s official China store, with full payment due on launch day.
New design, new look
The nova 16 Pro and nova 16 Ultra share a similar rear design. Both feature a rectangular camera island housing two large circular cutouts, which gives it a robotic-eye kind of look. Triple cameras are confirmed for both, tucked inside those circles along with an LED flash. Huawei has teased the nova 16 Pro in Sky Blue and an Iridescent gradient colorway. Up front, both models get a pill-shaped cutout with slim bezels around the screen.
The standard nova 16 uses the same rear camera island shape as the Pro and Ultra, but it drops to dual cameras instead of three. The nova 16z is the different one in the group. It has a pill-shaped rear camera module on the back, dual cameras, dual LED flashes, and a regular center punch-hole selfie camera.
What the storage listings reveal
Based on Huawei’s official reservation listing, the nova 16 and nova 16z come in 256GB, the nova 16 Pro in 512GB, and the nova 16 Ultra in 1TB. The Pro and Ultra also have visible metal frames based on antenna band placement. All four models run on HarmonyOS.
Leaked specs worth noting
Official specs are still coming on June 1, but leaks have been pointing in one clear direction. The nova 16 Ultra is tipped to pack a 6.84-inch LTPO OLED display and a 7,000mAh battery.
That’s a solid jump from the nova 15 Ultra’s 6,500mAh. Chipset options from leaks suggest the standard nova 16 could use a Kirin 8030, the Pro a Kirin 9010S, and the Ultra a Kirin 9020.
On the camera side, the Ultra is reportedly testing a 50MP main sensor with a 1/1.3-inch format, paired with a 50MP periscope telephoto and a multispectral lens. None of these are officially confirmed yet.
Aside from the phones, Huawei also plans to introduce the MatePad Pro Max tablet and a new Supernova smartwatch at the same event.
Philippine availability
No word on Philippine pricing or release dates yet. The nova 15 Ultra landed in the Philippines starting around PHP 35K, and the nova 15 Pro came in at around PHP 29K. The nova 16 series could follow a similar pricing band once it goes international, but that is still speculation at this point.
Huawei nova 16 series confirmed specs (from official teaser and listing):
nova 16 Ultra:
1TB internal storage
Triple rear cameras
Rectangular camera island with dual circular cutouts
Pill-shaped front camera cutout
Metal frame
Sky Blue color option
Slim bezels
HarmonyOS
nova 16 Pro:
512GB internal storage
Triple rear cameras
Rectangular camera island with dual circular cutouts
Pill-shaped front camera cutout
Metal frame
Sky Blue and Iridescent gradient colors
Slim bezels
HarmonyOS
nova 16:
256GB internal storage
Dual rear cameras
Rectangular camera island (similar to Pro/Ultra)
Center punch-hole selfie camera
Slim bezels
HarmonyOS
nova 16z:
256GB internal storage
Dual rear cameras, dual LED flash
Vertical pill-shaped rear camera module
Center punch-hole selfie camera
Slim bezels
HarmonyOS
Leaked nova 16 Ultra specs (not yet officially confirmed):
6.84-inch LTPO OLED display
Kirin 9020 chipset (per multiple leaks)
7,000mAh battery with wireless charging
50MP main camera, 1/1.3-inch sensor
50MP periscope telephoto
Multispectral lens
100W wired charging
The nova 16 Ultra in particular is looking like a genuine upgrade over last year’s model, especially that 7,000mAh battery if the leaks pan out.
But we’ll know for sure on June 1.
Are you keeping an eye on the Huawei nova 16 series? Which model catches your attention the most? Let us know in the comments.