Huawei Nova 13i VS Huawei Nova Y72S

In terms of physical footprint, the Huawei Nova Y72S is the larger device across every measurable dimension — it is taller at 168.3 mm versus 163.3 mm, wider at 77.7 mm versus 74.7 mm, and thicker at 8.9 mm versus 8.4 mm. This results in a noticeably greater volume of 116.38 cm³ compared to the Nova 13i's 102.47 cm³ — a difference of roughly 14%, which is perceptible when holding the device. In practical terms, the Y72S will feel more like a two-handed phone for users with smaller hands, while the 13i sits closer to a comfortable single-hand grip zone.

The weight gap reinforces this pattern: the Y72S comes in at 207 g against the 13i's 199 g. That 8-gram difference is modest on paper, but combined with the larger chassis, the Y72S will feel more substantial during extended use — whether browsing, scrolling, or holding the phone up for video calls. The 13i's slimmer 8.4 mm profile also makes it fractionally easier to pocket and less prone to feeling bulky in tighter clothing.

Neither device offers a rugged build or a foldable form factor, so those considerations are a wash. Overall, the Nova 13i has a clear edge in ergonomics and portability — it is lighter, slimmer, and more compact without any trade-off in build type. Users who prioritize one-handed usability or a sleeker carry experience should lean toward the 13i, while those who prefer a larger physical canvas may find the Y72S's size advantageous for other reasons beyond design alone.

The Huawei Nova 13i features a 6.76″ LCD, LED-backlit display, while the Huawei Nova Y72S has a slightly smaller 6.75″ LCD, IPS display. Both displays have a 90Hz refresh rate, ensuring smooth scrolling and responsiveness. The Nova 13i offers a higher pixel density at 391 ppi compared to the Nova Y72S’s 260 ppi, providing sharper visuals on the Nova 13i. Additionally, the Nova 13i has a higher resolution of 1080 x 2388 px, while the Nova Y72S has a lower resolution of 720 x 1600 px, which affects overall clarity and detail.

In terms of display features, both models support an Always-On Display, but only the Nova 13i supports HDR10. Neither device supports HDR10+ or Dolby Vision, and both lack branded damage-resistant glass. Additionally, both phones have a touchscreen and do not feature a secondary screen.

In summary, the Huawei Nova 13i offers a higher-quality display overall, with a larger, sharper screen and support for HDR10, while the Nova Y72S has a slightly smaller and lower-resolution display with fewer advanced features.

The Huawei Nova 13i and Huawei Nova Y72S are virtually identical in terms of performance specs. Both devices come with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, providing ample memory and storage capacity. They are powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G chipset and Adreno 610 GPU, ensuring similar processing power and graphical performance for both models. The CPU has a similar configuration for both, featuring four cores clocked at 2.4 GHz and four cores at 1.9 GHz, supporting 8 threads in total.

In terms of benchmark results, both phones have the same Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 1466 and single-core score of 416, as well as matching Geekbench 5 results with a multi-core score of 1550 and a single-core score of 385. The GPU clock speed is also the same at 845 MHz for both devices, and they share identical specs for other components like RAM speed (2133 MHz), thermal design power (6W), and maximum memory bandwidth (14.9 GB/s).

Overall, the Huawei Nova 13i and Huawei Nova Y72S have the same performance capabilities, including identical chipsets, RAM, GPU, and benchmark results, ensuring a similar experience in terms of speed and processing power.

The Huawei Nova 13i and Huawei Nova Y72S both feature a dual-lens main camera setup, but the cameras differ in terms of megapixels. The Nova 13i has a 108 MP primary camera and a 2 MP secondary camera, while the Nova Y72S has a 50 MP primary camera paired with a 2 MP secondary camera. Both devices have a wide aperture of f/2.4 for the main camera on the Nova 13i and f/2.0 for the Nova Y72S. Both phones are capable of recording video at 1080p at 30 fps, but the Nova 13i can record in 2160p at 30 fps, providing a higher resolution for video capture.

For the front camera, both phones feature an 8 MP sensor with a wide aperture of f/2.0. Both also include similar camera features, such as continuous autofocus when recording, phase-detection autofocus for photos, manual controls for exposure, ISO, and focus, as well as the ability to create panoramas in-camera. However, the Nova 13i has built-in optical image stabilization (OIS), while the Nova Y72S does not. Additionally, the Nova 13i has a dual-tone LED flash with two LEDs, whereas the Nova Y72S has a single LED flash.

Both phones support slow-motion video recording, timelapse, and have manual shutter speed controls. Neither supports HDR10 or Dolby Vision recording, and both lack a front-facing LED flash or a dual-lens front camera. Overall, the Nova 13i offers a slightly more advanced camera setup with its higher resolution main camera, OIS, and 4K video recording capability, while the Nova Y72S provides solid features but at a lower resolution and without OIS.

The Huawei Nova 13i runs on Android 14, while the Huawei Nova Y72S operates on Android 12, meaning the Nova 13i benefits from a more recent version of the operating system. Both devices include a variety of privacy features, such as clipboard warnings, location privacy options, and camera/microphone privacy options. However, the Nova 13i offers more features in this category, including notification permissions, media picker support, and the ability to block app tracking, which the Nova Y72S lacks. Both phones have the same theme customization and dynamic theming options, but the Nova 13i adds the ability to offload apps and includes features like PiP (Picture-in-Picture), a child lock, and full-page screenshots.

In terms of additional functionality, both models support dark mode, split screen, and widgets. The Nova 13i offers extra features such as an extra dim mode, focus modes, and customizable notifications, which are not available on the Nova Y72S. Both phones support offline voice recognition and voice commands, and track the current position of the device. The Nova Y72S lacks the notification permissions and media picker features that the Nova 13i has, and it also misses out on features like battery health check and the ability to play games while they download.

While both phones share some common features, the Huawei Nova 13i offers more comprehensive software support, including newer Android version and additional privacy and functionality options that are missing from the Nova Y72S.

The Huawei Nova 13i is equipped with a 5000 mAh battery, while the Huawei Nova Y72S has a larger 6000 mAh battery. Both devices support fast charging, but the Nova 13i has a significantly higher charging speed of 40W compared to the Nova Y72S's 22.5W. Neither phone supports wireless charging, and both feature non-removable rechargeable batteries, as well as battery level indicators.

Both phones offer similar battery features, with no removable batteries and both having rechargeable batteries. However, the larger battery capacity in the Nova Y72S gives it an advantage in terms of overall battery life, although the faster charging speed of the Nova 13i allows it to charge more quickly.

In summary, while the Nova Y72S offers a larger battery, the Nova 13i provides faster charging, which could be a deciding factor depending on whether you prioritize longer battery life or quicker charging times.

Both the Huawei Nova 13i and Huawei Nova Y72S lack a 3.5 mm audio jack, so users will need to use Bluetooth or USB-C headphones. The Nova 13i, however, is equipped with stereo speakers, while the Nova Y72S does not have stereo speakers, relying on a single speaker for audio output.

Neither device supports advanced audio codecs such as aptX, LDAC, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, or aptX Lossless, ensuring similar audio performance in terms of codec support. Additionally, neither phone has a built-in radio.

In summary, the Huawei Nova 13i has an advantage in audio output with its stereo speakers, while both phones share similar limitations in terms of audio codec support and lack of a 3.5 mm audio jack or radio.

Both the Huawei Nova 13i and Huawei Nova Y72S support 2 SIM cards and feature Bluetooth 5 and NFC, ensuring similar wireless capabilities. Both phones also have USB Type-C ports with USB 2.0 support. In terms of Wi-Fi, the Nova 13i supports Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), and Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), whereas the Nova Y72S only supports Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) and Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), meaning the Nova 13i offers a more advanced Wi-Fi connection.

Both phones have the same download and upload speeds, with a maximum download speed of 390 MBits/s and upload speed of 150 MBits/s. They also share the same GPS, compass, accelerometer, and fingerprint scanner features, ensuring similar location tracking and security capabilities. Neither phone supports 5G, has a barometer, or includes an HDMI output. Both phones lack a built-in projector and infrared sensor.

In terms of sensors, the Nova 13i has a gyroscope, but the Nova Y72S also includes a gyroscope, meaning both devices are equally equipped in this area. Other shared features include support for Galileo, motion tracking, and optical tracking, while neither device has a heart rate monitor, 3D facial recognition, or an iris scanner. Overall, the Nova 13i offers better Wi-Fi support, but both phones are quite similar in other connectivity and feature aspects.

Both the Huawei Nova 13i and Huawei Nova Y72S are equipped with a video light, which can help improve visibility in low-light video recording scenarios. Neither of the two phones features sapphire glass displays, curved displays, or e-paper displays, meaning both devices have standard display technologies without these specific premium features.

In summary, the Huawei Nova 13i and Huawei Nova Y72S have matching specifications in this group, with both offering the same video light feature but lacking advanced display options such as sapphire glass, curved screens, or e-paper displays.