Huawei Nova 11 series announced! Midrange phones with variable aperture and satellite messaging!

You don’t see those features everyday

Huawei announced the Nova 11. These are a series of midrange smartphones that’s usually just a toned-down version of their P series flagships, and lo and behold, the Nova 11 feels so similar to the P60, heck, even the Ultra has a variable aperture which is very rare to come by. (Oppo tried this before with the R17 but for some reason, abandoned the concept).

Aside from that feature, these phones have a similar design as the flagship P60 series so no wonder it feels that way. Let’s start with the Nova 11. Having your flagships toned down to midrangers under a new name is a great move. This helps those who wanted the best of the best but whose budget could not afford it.

Another great feature that this series retained from the P60 series is satellite communications which should make up for the lack of 5G services as satellite messaging has wider coverage. All three phones are powered by a 4G-locked Snapdragon 778G (once again, thanks US restrictions!)

Huawei Nova 11

The base phone has a “P60” feel to it, especially with how the cameras are arranged. It features a premium glossy finish at the back which resembles glass and comes in four colours: White, Green, Black, and Gold.

What you’re seeing at the front is a 10-bit AMOLED screen. You heard that right, 10-bit AMOLED. This allows for better colour reproduction so images and videos pop. It is a flat 6.7″ screen though, unlike its siblings.

Pop the hood and you’ll see the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G inside with 8GB RAM and a choice between 128, 256, or 512GB storage options. It appears that the phone has an in-display fingerprint scanner as the power button is short and extrudes.

There is a 50MP primary camera at the back as well as an 8MP ultrawide. The third camera is a “ten-channel temperature sensor” which allows for a more accurate temperature for the aforementioned two sensors. Meanwhile, the selfie camera has a 60MP resolution which sounds very impressive (especially because this has 4K video recording)… until you hear what the Pro and Ultra offers.

The primary camera here is special because it has an adjustable aperture ranging from f/1.4 to f/4.0. This makes portrait shots look more natural, unlike AI-enabled ones.

There is a 4500mAh battery inside as well charged via a 66W USB-C port. It does not have a headphone jack nor a MicroSD Card slot sadly so there’s no way to expand the storage. It runs HarmonyOS 3.0 and offers Bluetooth 5.2 LE, NFC, and 4G connectivity.

The price of this phone starts at CNY 2,499 (~Php 20.3K) which, if ever it is released in the Philippines, only a few will buy due to the natural limitations Huawei has. However, one of those problems have been solved thanks to a number of third-party applications that are able to install Google services for you. Right now, however, the phones are available only in China.

The most expensive variant, 8/512, which is only available in Green and Black, is priced at CNY 3,399 (~Php 27.7K) that is protected with Kunlun Glass, Huawei’s alternative to Corning Gorilla Glass. You could also upgrade the 8/256 version with this glass for an additional CNY 200 (~Php 1.6K).

SPECS:

• 6.7″ FHD+ (2400x1080px) 10-bit AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate
  • Kunlun Glass (Optional)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 4G (6nm)
• CAMERAS:
  • 50MP (Primary), f/1.4 or f/4.0, RYYB, Laser AF
  • 8MP (Ultrawide)
  • Temperature Sensor (Tertiary)
  • FRONT: 60MP, 100°, 4K video recording
• HarmonyOS 3.0
• 4500mAh, 66W fast charging
• USB-C, In-display fingerprint sensor
• 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6/6e, Bluetooth 5.2 LE
• Black, Green, White, Gold
• PRICE:
  • 8/128: CNY 2,499 (~Php 20.3K)
  • 8/256: CNY 2,799 (~Php 22.8K)
  • 8/512 (with Kunlun Glass): CNY 3,399 (~Php 27.7K)

Huawei Nova 11 Pro and Ultra

As these two phones are quite similar, we thought of merging them into just one section. Let’s start with their differences.

The Pro version lacks the so-called “two-way satellite messaging” feature through Beidou Constellation and this is obviously much cheaper. That’s really about it when it comes to differences. It retains the same 50MP variable aperture camera as the vanilla Nova 11 and has an additional 8MP ultrawide at the front with 2x optical zoom to capture wide selfies and more realistic bokeh shots.

Onto the other specs: The duo is equipped with a FullHD+ (2652x1200px) 10-bit AMOLED screen with curved edges, 120Hz refresh rate, and 300Hz touch sampling rate. You could also install an optional Kunlun Glass on top of the screen for extra protection but it will cost you CNY 200 more. However, Huawei said this glass is one of the toughest in the industry, much more than the Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

It retains the same triple camera setup as the vanilla variant. What’s great about Huawei is that when it comes to camera technology, they really mean it. It’s getting rare by the day that a dual front camera is present on smartphones. Here, it’s a 60MP + 8MP combo with the latter having 2x optical zoom for portrait shots.

Their batteries have the same capacity as the base Nova 11 but come with 100W fast charging instead. Insane, but that’s the world we live in now. Of course, HarmonyOS 3.0 is what they launch with, and also, unsurprisingly, they lack 5G services. Bluetooth 5.2 LE and two-way satellite messaging are present. However, the latter is only available for the Ultra variant.

The Pro starts at CNY 3,499 (~Php 28.5K) without Kunlun Glass. Meanwhile, the Ultra is priced at CNY 4,499 (~Php 36.6K) with Kunlun Glass applied. Colours are the same as the vanilla Nova 11: Black, Green, Gold, and White, except for the Ultra version where only Black and Green are available. A subtle design difference in the Ultra is the textured back, possibly made of vegan leather.

All three phones are slated for regular sales on April 26, 2023 while pre-orders start today.

SPECS:

• 6.7″ FullHD+ (2652x1200px) 10-bit curved AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, 300Hz touch sampling rate
  • Kunlun Glass (Optional)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 4G (6nm)
• CAMERAS:
  • 50MP (Primary), f/1.4 or f/4.0, RYYB, Laser AF
  • 8MP (Ultrawide)
  • Temperature Sensor (Tertiary)
  • FRONT:
    • 60MP (Primary), 100°, 4K video recording
    • 8MP Ultrawide (Secondary), 2x optical zoom
• HarmonyOS 3.0
• 4500mAh, 66W fast charging
• USB-C, In-display fingerprint sensor
• 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6/6e, Bluetooth 5.2 LE, Two-way satellite messaging (Ultra only)
• Black, Green, White, Gold
• PRICE:
  • 8/128: CNY 3,499 (~Php 28.5K)
  • 8/256: CNY 3,999 (~Php 32.6K)
  • 8/512 (with Kunlun Glass, Ultra variant): CNY 4,499 (~Php 36.6K)

Source: GizmoChina, GSMArena