Huawei Nova 12i specifications and in-depth review

Huawei Nova 12i

Manufacturer: Huawei

The Huawei Nova 12i is a 6.7-inch smartphone built around an IPS LCD panel with a 1080 x 2388 pixel resolution, 391 ppi pixel density, and a 90Hz refresh rate with a 270Hz touch sampling rate. The flat display has no HDR or Always-On support, and is not covered by branded damage-resistant glass. At 199 g and 8.4 mm thick, the handset carries no water resistance rating and is neither rugged nor foldable.

Performance is handled by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G chipset on a 6nm process, paired with 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 256GB of eMMC 5.1 storage, with no external memory slot available. The dual rear camera is led by a 108MP CMOS sensor at f/2.4, supported by a 2MP lens, phase-detection autofocus, HDR mode, and manual controls for ISO, exposure, focus, and white balance, though optical image stabilization and RAW capture are absent. Video tops out at 1080p at 30fps. The 5000 mAh battery supports 40W fast charging with a charger included, while connectivity covers Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5, NFC, GPS with Galileo, and dual SIM; 5G, a headset jack, and a gyroscope are not present.

Pros
  • The 5000 mAh battery with 40W fast charging and an included charger covers both endurance and reasonably quick top-ups
  • Wi-Fi password sharing and a battery health check are both available, adding day-to-day practical utility
  • The operating system supports app offloading, focus modes, split-screen, Picture-in-Picture, and customizable notifications, offering a well-rounded software experience
  • 256GB of internal storage provides ample space for apps, media, and files without requiring external expansion
  • NFC support enables contactless functionality such as payments and data exchange
  • The 108MP main camera includes phase-detection autofocus, slow-motion recording, HDR mode, and a range of manual controls including ISO, exposure, focus, and white balance
Cons
  • No 3.5mm headset jack is present, and all Bluetooth audio codecs including aptX, aptX HD, LDAC, and aptX Adaptive are absent, significantly limiting wired and high-quality wireless audio options
  • Stereo speakers are not included, leaving only a single speaker for media playback
  • 5G is not supported, restricting cellular connectivity to LTE
  • No external memory slot is available, making the fixed 256GB storage the only option for local data
  • A gyroscope is absent, which limits use cases such as augmented reality and some navigation applications
  • Neither HDR10, HDR10+, nor Dolby Vision is supported by the display, restricting high dynamic range content rendering
Who is this for?

The Huawei Nova 12i suits users who primarily need a large-screen smartphone for everyday tasks like browsing, social media, and document handling, where the 6.7-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate and 270Hz touch sampling provides a smooth and responsive experience. The 5000 mAh battery with 40W fast charging and an included charger makes it a reasonable fit for users who need all-day battery endurance and straightforward top-ups without relying on wireless charging. Its well-featured software platform — with split-screen, Picture-in-Picture, app offloading, focus modes, and Wi-Fi password sharing — caters to those who value a practical and flexible daily driver within an LTE-only environment.

Who is this NOT for?

Users who depend on high-quality audio through wired headphones will find this device poorly equipped, as there is no 3.5mm headset jack and no support for any Bluetooth audio codec including aptX, LDAC, or their variants. Those who use their smartphone for immersive media consumption will be limited by the absence of HDR display support, stereo speakers, and any form of Dolby or DTS audio processing. The missing gyroscope also makes the device unsuitable for augmented reality applications or motion-sensitive gaming, and the lack of 5G rules it out for users in areas transitioning away from LTE or those who require higher mobile data throughput.

Design:

water resistance None
weight 199 g
thickness 8.4 mm
width 74.7 mm
height 163.3 mm
volume 102.467484 cm³
has a rugged build
can be folded

The device measures 163.3 x 74.7 x 8.4 mm and weighs 199 g, with a total volume of approximately 102.5 cm³. It has no water resistance rating and features neither a rugged build nor a folding form factor.

Display:

Display type LCD, IPS
screen size 6.7"
pixel density 391 ppi
resolution 1080 x 2388 px
refresh rate 90Hz
touch sampling rate 270Hz
has branded damage-resistant glass
supports HDR10
supports HDR10+
Always-On Display
supports Dolby Vision
Has a secondary screen
has a touch screen

The display is a 6.7-inch IPS LCD touchscreen with a resolution of 1080 x 2388 pixels and a pixel density of 391 ppi. It runs at a 90Hz refresh rate with a 270Hz touch sampling rate, though HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and Always-On Display are all absent. There is no branded damage-resistant glass and no secondary screen.

Performance:

internal storage 256GB
RAM 8GB
AnTuTu benchmark score 289000
Chipset (SoC) name Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G
GPU name Adreno 610
CPU speed 4 x 2.4 & 4 x 1.9 GHz
Geekbench 6 result (multi) 1466
Geekbench 6 result (single) 416
PCMark Work 3.0 performance benchmark 6582
PCMark Work 3.0 battery benchmark 560 minutes
Geekbench 5 result (multi) 1550
Geekbench 5 result (single) 385
GPU clock speed 845 MHz
Has integrated LTE
RAM speed 2133 MHz
semiconductor size 6 nm
Supports 64-bit
DirectX version DirectX 12
Has integrated graphics
OpenGL ES version 3.2
Uses big.LITTLE technology
CPU threads 8 threads
Has NX bit
Has TrustZone
maximum memory bandwidth 14.9 GB/s
OpenCL version 2
memory channels 2
VFP version 4
eMMC version 5.1
maximum memory amount 8GB
GPU turbo 800 MHz
Thermal Design Power (TDP) 6W
DDR memory version 4

The device runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G, a 6nm 8-thread big.LITTLE chipset with four cores at 2.4 GHz and four at 1.9 GHz, paired with 8GB of DDR4 RAM at 2133 MHz across two memory channels and 256GB of eMMC 5.1 storage. Graphics are handled by the Adreno 610 GPU clocked at 845 MHz with a turbo frequency of 800 MHz, supporting DirectX 12, OpenGL ES 3.2, and OpenCL 2. Benchmark results include an AnTuTu score of 289,000, a Geekbench 6 multi-core result of 1,466, a PCMark Work 3.0 performance score of 6,582, and a PCMark battery result of 560 minutes. Additional chipset features include integrated LTE, TrustZone security, an NX bit, VFP4 support, a maximum memory bandwidth of 14.9 GB/s, and a thermal design power of 6W.

Cameras:

megapixels (main camera) 108 & 2 MP
wide aperture (main camera) 2.4 & 1.9f
Has a dual-lens (or multi-lens) main camera
megapixels (front camera) 8MP
has built-in optical image stabilization
video recording (main camera) 1080 x 30 fps
Has a dual-tone LED flash
number of flash LEDs 1
has a BSI sensor
has a CMOS sensor
has continuous autofocus when recording movies
Has phase-detection autofocus for photos
supports slow-motion video recording
has a built-in HDR mode
has manual exposure
has a flash
optical zoom 0x
has manual ISO
has a serial shot mode
has manual focus
has a front camera
Has laser autofocus
Shoots 360° panorama
has manual white balance
shoots raw
has touch autofocus
has manual shutter speed
can create panoramas in-camera
wide aperture (front camera) 2f
Has a front-facing LED flash
has a dual-lens (or multi-lens) front camera
supports HDR10 recording
supports Dolby Vision recording
has a front-facing camera under the display
Has a RGB LED flash
has 3D photo/video recording capabilities

The rear camera is a dual-lens CMOS system with a 108MP main sensor at f/2.4 and a 2MP lens at f/1.9, though optical image stabilization, a BSI sensor, and optical zoom are absent. Autofocus options cover phase-detection, touch, and continuous autofocus during video, while manual controls include ISO, exposure, focus, and white balance; manual shutter speed and laser autofocus are not available. Shooting modes include HDR, burst, slow-motion, and in-camera panorama, but RAW capture, 360-degree panorama, and timelapse are not supported. A single LED flash is present, with no dual-tone or RGB configuration. Video recording is capped at 1080p at 30fps with no HDR10 or Dolby Vision recording. The front camera is a single 8MP unit at f/2.0 with no front-facing flash, no secondary lens, and is not positioned under the display.

Operating system:

has clipboard warnings
has location privacy options
has camera/microphone privacy options
has Mail Privacy Protection
has theme customization
has on-device machine learning
Can play games while they download
has dark mode
has Wi-Fi password sharing
has battery health check
has an extra dim mode
has focus modes
has dynamic theming
can offload apps
Has customizable notifications
has Live Text
has full-page screenshots
has SharePlay
supports split screen
gets direct OS updates
has PiP
Can be used as a PC
Has sharing intents
has a child lock
Supports widgets
Is free and open source
Has offline voice recognition
has voice commands
Tracks the current position of a mobile device
is a multi-user system
has Quick Start

The operating system includes a solid range of privacy controls covering location access, camera and microphone permissions, and clipboard warnings, though Mail Privacy Protection and on-device machine learning are absent. Customization options span theme customization, dynamic theming, dark mode, extra dim mode, and focus modes, while productivity is supported through split-screen multitasking, Picture-in-Picture, widgets, customizable notifications, full-page scrolling screenshots, app offloading, sharing intents, and the ability to play games during downloads. Wi-Fi password sharing and a battery health check are both present, alongside offline voice recognition, voice commands, multi-user support, phone tracking, and a child lock. Features not included are Live Text, SharePlay, Quick Start, and the ability to use the device as a PC. Direct OS updates from the vendor are not provided.

Battery:

battery power 5000 mAh
has wireless charging
Supports fast charging
charging speed 40W
comes with a charger
has a removable battery
has a battery level indicator
has a rechargeable battery

The phone is equipped with a 5000 mAh non-removable rechargeable battery that supports 40W fast charging, with a charger included in the box. Wireless charging is not available. A battery level indicator is present for monitoring charge status.

Audio:

has a socket for a 3.5 mm audio jack
has stereo speakers
has aptX
has LDAC
has aptX HD
has aptX Adaptive
has aptX Lossless
Has a radio

The audio section is notably limited: no 3.5mm headset jack is present, stereo speakers are absent, and there is no built-in radio. Wireless audio codec support is entirely lacking, with aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, and LDAC all unavailable.

Connectivity & Features:

has 5G support
Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
SIM cards 2 SIM
Bluetooth version 5
has an external memory slot
Has USB Type-C
USB version 2
has NFC
download speed 390 MBits/s
upload speed 150 MBits/s
Has a fingerprint scanner
has emergency SOS via satellite
has crash detection
is DLNA-certified
has a gyroscope
supports ANT+
Has a heart rate monitor
has GPS
has a compass
supports Wi-Fi
Has an infrared sensor
has an accelerometer
has a cellular module
Has a barometer
has an HDMI output
Uses 3D facial recognition
Has an iris scanner
Stylus included
supports Galileo
Has motion tracking
Has optical tracking
Has a built-in projector

The phone supports Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5, NFC, and GPS with Galileo, accommodating two SIM cards via a cellular module limited to LTE as 5G is not available. Maximum download and upload speeds reach 390 Mbits/s and 150 Mbits/s respectively, and the USB Type-C port runs on USB 2.0 without HDMI output. A fingerprint scanner is included for biometric authentication, while 3D facial recognition and an iris scanner are absent. The sensor set covers an accelerometer and a compass, but a gyroscope, barometer, infrared sensor, and heart rate monitor are not present. External memory expansion is not supported, and features such as ANT+, satellite SOS, crash detection, DLNA, motion or optical tracking, and a built-in projector are all absent.

Miscellaneous:

has a video light
Has sapphire glass display
Has a curved display
Has an e-paper display

The device includes a video light for recording in low-light conditions. The display is flat rather than curved, and neither sapphire glass nor an e-paper panel is used.

Final Verdict

The Huawei Nova 12i is a straightforward LTE smartphone that positions itself around everyday usability, with a large 6.7-inch display, a capable 108MP dual camera with manual controls, and a 5000 mAh battery backed by 40W fast charging as its most practical daily strengths. The software platform adds genuine flexibility through app offloading, split-screen, focus modes, and Wi-Fi password sharing, rounding out a functional day-to-day experience. Where it falls short — particularly in audio output, the absence of any Bluetooth codec support, no gyroscope, and LTE-only cellular — it places clear boundaries on who will get the most from it. For users whose needs center on reliable battery life, a large screen, and a versatile camera rather than audio depth or advanced connectivity, the Nova 12i delivers a competent and practical package within those boundaries.

Popular Comparisons

Huawei Nova 12i
Huawei Nova 12i
VS
Huawei Nova Y73
Huawei Nova Y73
Huawei Nova 12i
Huawei Nova 12i
VS
Huawei Nova Y72S
Huawei Nova Y72S
Huawei Nova 12i
Huawei Nova 12i
VS
Huawei Nova 13i
Huawei Nova 13i
Huawei Nova 12i
Huawei Nova 12i
VS
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
Huawei Nova 12i
Huawei Nova 12i
VS
Huawei Nova Y72
Huawei Nova Y72