Huawei nova 16s Pro vs Huawei nova 16s
A close call. Their chips, the Kirin 9010S (upper mid-range) and the Kirin 8020 (upper mid-range), are close in speed.
Huawei
nova 16s Pro
Kirin 9010S
Huawei
nova 16s
Kirin 8020What matters to you?
Tap what you use your phone for. The overall pick then counts only those.
A close call
Neither phone is clearly better for what you chose. The cards show the trade-offs.
Backed by facts100% of areas
Pick this for…
Who wins for each way you use a phone. Tap a card for the evidence.
Social media
Chats, calls, lives and feeds
Same in practiceEither oneBenchmarksOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Social media
Chats, calls, lives and feeds
- Everyday speed: Kirin 9010S 4 of 5, Kirin 8020 4 of 5.
- Memory: 12 GB against 12 GB, so more apps stay open when you switch between chats and feeds.
- Front camera video for calls and lives: 4K against 4K.
Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
Same in practiceEither oneBenchmarksOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
- Gaming power: Kirin 9010S 3 of 5, Kirin 8020 3 of 5.
- Graphics: GPU not published (7 nm) against Maleoon 920 (7 nm).
- Screen: 120 Hz against 120 Hz.
- Light games run well on both. The gap shows in heavy 3D games. How long a phone holds its speed when hot needs testing, so it is not judged.
Camera and content creation
Photos, video recording and editing
Same in practiceEither oneOfficialBenchmarksWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Camera and content creation
Photos, video recording and editing
- Video recording: 4K against 4K.
- Front camera video: 4K against 4K.
- Editing and export: Kirin 9010S 4 of 5, Kirin 8020 3.5 of 5. Storage: not listed for either phone.
- Photo and video quality need side-by-side testing, so we do not judge them from megapixels.
Work, study and AI
Learning, research, writing and AI assistants
Same in practiceEither oneBenchmarksOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Work, study and AI
Learning, research, writing and AI assistants
- Heavy work: Kirin 9010S 4 of 5, Kirin 8020 3.5 of 5.
- Memory: 12 GB against 12 GB. On-phone AI features need plenty of memory; most AI assistants run online and work on any phone.
- Screen: 6.84″ OLED against 6.68″ OLED.
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
Same in practiceEither oneOfficialBenchmarksWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
- Screen: 6.84″ OLED against 6.68″ OLED.
- AV1 video decoding (smoother YouTube and Netflix, less battery): not listed against not listed.
- Sound: stereo speakers, against stereo speakers.
Everyday life
Maps, ride-hailing, payments and banking
Same in practiceEither oneOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Everyday life
Maps, ride-hailing, payments and banking
- Tap to pay (NFC): yes against yes.
- Location: dual-band GPS (L1 + L5) against dual-band GPS (L1 + L5). Dual-band GPS stays accurate between tall buildings.
Phone basics
What every use depends on, side by side.
Battery life
nova 16s Pro7,000 mAh100 W charging
nova 16s7,000 mAh100 W charging
Efficiency: Kirin 9010S 3 of 5, Kirin 8020 3 of 5
Storage
nova 16s Pro512 GBType not published
nova 16s512 GBType not published
UFS opens apps and files far faster than eMMC
Speed
nova 16s ProKirin 9010S12 GB RAM
nova 16sKirin 802012 GB RAM
Everyday speed: 4 of 5 against 4 of 5
Screen
nova 16s Pro6.84″ OLED120 Hz
nova 16s6.68″ OLED120 Hz
Bigger is not better; pick the size you like
Toughness
nova 16s ProIP65
nova 16sIP65
IP68 survives dust and a dunk in water
Years of updates
nova 16s ProNo promise publishedLaunched September 2026
nova 16sNo promise publishedLaunched September 2026
From the maker’s written update promise
Side by side
Show differences only
| Spec | nova 16s Pro | nova 16s |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.84″ | 6.68″ |
| Type | OLED | OLED |
| Resolution | 2856 × 1320 | 2800 × 1280 |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 6000 nits | — |
| Spec | nova 16s Pro | nova 16s |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Kirin 9010S | Kirin 8020 |
| RAM | 12 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Storage type | — | — |
| Spec | nova 16s Pro | nova 16s |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 200 MP | 50 MP |
| Zoom | Telephoto | Telephoto |
| Video recording | 4K | 4K |
| Front camera | 50 MP | 50 MP |
| Front video | 4K | 4K |
| Spec | nova 16s Pro | nova 16s |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 7000 mAh | 7000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 100 W | 100 W |
| Wireless charging | — | — |
| Spec | nova 16s Pro | nova 16s |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | — | — |
| NFC (tap to pay) | Yes | Yes |
| Dual-band GPS | Yes | Yes |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| eSIM | No | No |
| Spec | nova 16s Pro | nova 16s |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 218 g | 199 g |
| Thickness | 7.1 mm | 7.3 mm |
| Water resistance | IP65 | IP65 |
| Spec | nova 16s Pro | nova 16s |
|---|---|---|
| At launch | — | — |
| OS upgrades | Not stated | Not stated |
| Security updates | Not stated | Not stated |
Quick answers
- Is the nova 16s Pro or the nova 16s better for social media?
- For social media, there’s no real difference between them. Everyday speed: Kirin 9010S 4 of 5, Kirin 8020 4 of 5.
- Is the nova 16s Pro or the nova 16s better for gaming?
- For gaming, there’s no real difference between them. Gaming power: Kirin 9010S 3 of 5, Kirin 8020 3 of 5.
- Is the nova 16s Pro or the nova 16s better for camera and content creation?
- For camera and content creation, there’s no real difference between them. Video recording: 4K against 4K.
- Is the nova 16s Pro or the nova 16s better for work, study and ai?
- For work, study and ai, there’s no real difference between them. Heavy work: Kirin 9010S 4 of 5, Kirin 8020 3.5 of 5.
- Is the nova 16s Pro or the nova 16s better for movies, music and streaming?
- For movies, music and streaming, there’s no real difference between them. Screen: 6.84″ OLED against 6.68″ OLED.
- Is the nova 16s Pro or the nova 16s better for everyday life?
- For everyday life, there’s no real difference between them. Tap to pay (NFC): yes against yes.
What we don’t judge on
Security patch level, charging watts, megapixels, benchmark scores and guessed values.
- Security patch level and other software settings change with every update, so one reading can’t judge a phone. We use the maker’s written update promise.
- Charging watts, megapixels, screen size and weight are shown, never scored as better: faster charging doesn’t make a battery last longer, and more megapixels don’t make better photos.
- Chip estimates (1 to 5) come from published design facts: core design and year, graphics, manufacturing and video features. Photo quality and how long a phone holds its speed when hot need testing, so they aren’t judged.
- Values with no source show “not published” and stay out of the verdict.
Huawei nova 16s Pro specsHuawei nova 16s specsCompare with another phone