Huawei is starting 2025 strong by bringing in nova 13 Pro, along with other nova devices, into the Philippines. Launched alongside the flagship Mate X6, the nova 13 Pro focuses on improved cameras, sleek design, and AI capabilities.
| Chipset | Kirin 8000 |
| Main Display | 6.76-inch LTPO OLED, 2776 x 1224, 120Hz |
| RAM | 12GB |
| OS | EMUI 14.2 |
| Rear Camera | 50MP f/1.4 – f/4.0 Main, 12MP f/2.4 Telephoto, 8MP f/2.2 Ultrawide |
| Front Camera | 60MP f/2.4, 8MP f/2.2 Telephoto |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Network | Dual-SIM, 5G |
| Connectivity | WiFI 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, USB-C, IR Blaster |
| Battery | 5,000mAh, 100W HONOR SuperCharge |
| Others | In-Display Fingerprint Scanner, IP65 Dust and Water Resistance |
| Dimensions | 163.4 x 74.9 x 7.8mm |
| Weight | 209g |
| Colors | Loden Green, Black |
Like previous entries in the nova series, the Huawei nova 13 Pro packs a distinctive design. The Loden Green variant that we have here on review has the most noteworthy look of the bunch with what the brand calls a “Plaid-Rhythm Design.”
Its rear is made out of glass with a matte crisscross motif and is resistant to smudges. The camera bump houses its array of cameras plus a warm-toned LED flash. Cutting through the plaid design is the Huawei nova logo at the bottom.
The edges themselves are curved and is easy to hold in the hand. All of its buttons are clustered at the right-hand side. Placed at the bottom are its USB-C port, grilles for the speakers and microphones, and a SIM tray that supports 2 SIM cards. There’s no option for a microSD storage expansion.
Huawei equips the nova 13 Pro with a 6.7-inch 2412 x 1084 OLED display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a pill-shaped cutout at the top for its dual front-facing cameras. Its bezels are barely noticeable during use, which can lead to a wider-feeling viewing experience when using the device.
Thanks to its OLED screen, the device can display images with deep blacks, vibrant colors, crisp detail. The increase in framerates leads to smooth experience in general use or on games that support high FPS. Its panel can also pump out decent brightness as it has no problem being used outdoors when the sun is high up in the sky.
For audio, the smartphone employs a dual stereo speaker setup with the earphone speaker at the top complementing the bottom-firing unit. Audio performance is decent with good soundstage, detailed mids and vocals, and you can even experience decent bass.
Performance of its audio system is best experienced with medium volume. It does get loud if you turn it up, but you’ll lose detail and might hear just a harsh combination of frequencies.
Huawei’s devices have been left without Google for nearly 5 years now, but they have been developing their own ecosystem. The Huawei nova 13 Pro runs on EMUI 14.2, which largely has the same look and experience as Android-based devices. It supports the Huawei Super Device ecosystem, which lets you integrate the smartphone with other supported devices for seamless multitasking.
The only real difference in software is where you can get your apps. Instead of the Google Play Store, you’ll get most of your apps through the Huawei AppGallery or through your preferred 3rd party site. If you need first-party Google apps, you can get them to work on the device by using GBox.
These hoops that you need to go through to install apps may be an understandable turn off for some users. We also see plenty of bloatware that comes with the smartphone when setting up, plus there’s plenty of ads within the OS especially in the default browser.
Huawei has employed plenty of effort when it comes to the nova 13 Pro’s cameras. It is the first of the nova series to get a 50MP f/1.4 – f/4.0 variable aperture main camera – a feature usually reserved for flagships like the Pura and Mate series. Its main lens is being complemented by a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto and an 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide.
A pill-shaped cutout is placed at the top of its display to house its dual front-facing cameras, which include a 60MP f/2.4 main selfie shooter and an 8MP f/2.2 telephoto secondary.
Its rear cameras are perhaps the best performing across the nova 13 series. Its main camera is able to take crisp and accurate shots in daylight, and its implementation of variable aperture lets you get detailed wide shots and natural bokeh. Low-light performance is just a bit worse that daylight, but you should still be able to get decent shots with minimal effort, albeit you may experience noise from time-to-time.
Its 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide needs a bit of work. It can pump out good-looking photos in daylight, but there’s plenty of noise to be found once you find yourself shooting in low-light scenarios. There’s also some smudginess on darker scenes when pixel peeping, but most shots should be fine for social media.
The 12MP f/2.4 telephoto supports 3x optical zoom. Photos look crisp and detailed with good colors. It’s focal length also improves the portraiture experience with natural-looking blur and fall-off. Low-light photos look useable with minimal grain though you will need a steadier hand with its smaller aperture.
As for selfies, both the 60MP f/2.4 main front-facing camera and 8MP f/2.2 telephoto secondary are able to deliver decent shots. The former can be used for wide angles or for groufies while the latter can be used to take detailed self-portraits. We do find that the telephoto might be a bit tight and distance can be a problem if you have shorter arms.
Huawei is further improving the selfie experience with AI Best Expression. Thanks to AI, you’ll now be able to take multiple selfies or groufies and choose the best face or expression with everyone detected in the photo. This is especially helpful for groufies where you can’t necessarily take repeated photos unlike selfies.
AI Best Expression can be accessed via the Gallery through its editing suite. In our experience, face detection is pretty bang on. The face substitution is decent, but it can look uncanny especially if you changed your pose throughout the shots.
Huawei equips the nova 13 Pro with a Kirin 8000 chipset with 12GB RAM and 512GB of internal storage. It doesn’t come with 5G support and thus only relies on 4G connectivity. Fortunately, it does come with WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC connectivity.
Its chip comes with a total of 8 cores: a single Cortex A77 that runs at 2.4GHz, three more Cortex A77 cores at clock speeds of 2.19GHz, and four Cortex A55s clocked at 1.84GHz. As for graphics, they are rendered with its Mali-G610 MP4 GPU.
While sheer performance isn’t the aim of the nova 13 Pro, its benchmark numbers are far below what we expect from a device pushing the price limit of a midrange device. PCMark Work 3.0
While general performance remains seamless and lag free, its benchmark numbers are far below from what we expect from a device pushing the price limit of a midrange device. AnTuTu and PCMark Work 3.0 scores the nova 13 Pro at 630,000 and 8868 – numbers that are easily surpassed by more affordable photography focused alternatives.
As far as gaming goes, the nova 13 Pro is able to deliver a playable experience. Mainstream titles such as Honor of Kings and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang will run easily at a steady framerate at their higher graphical settings. Graphically-intensive titles like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail will run at a steady pace if you back off some of the heavy settings, but the smartphone will quickly heat up and may affect your gaming experience.
The Huawei nova 13 Pro is priced at a pretty hefty PhP 32,999, but it does come with both good and bad traits. The company proves that its design department is top-notch with the nova 13 Pro being a distinct smartphone in its class when it comes to looks.
Its display and speakers aren’t too shabby either offering a colorful and detailed entertainment experience. The battery can last you throughout the day, but its supports for Huawei 100W SuperCharge really minimizes downtime.
Its cameras are above average among its peers when it comes to performance. It’s also the first of the nova series to get variable aperture on its main camera, which lets you get crisp wide angles and close-ups with natural bokeh. AI Best Expression can be helpful especially in situations where getting groufies can be a challenge.
Software remains to be one of the low points of Huawei devices, and that remains true on the nova 13 Pro. You will be able to get on par experience if you put the effort in customizing the device, but that’s an endeavor not everyone is willing to go through.
The performance of its Kirin 800 is also a sticking point for the device as benchmark numbers aren’t as high as its peers. Don’t get us wrong, you will still smooth performance if you’re using it as a regular smartphone but you won’t get the overhead you want if you need additional performance.
Overall, the Huawei nova 13 Pro has its ups and downs. If you like its design and its photography chops, then it should be a viable smartphone. It’s also a bonus if you have other Huawei devices on hand so you can take advantage of its ecosystem.
Those who don’t want the clunkiness of its OS, the lack of 5G connectivity, and rather low performance of its chipset, then this will be a clear pass.
The Huawei nova 13 Pro is priced at PhP 32,999 in the Philippines. It is now available through Shopee, Lazada, TikTok, Huawei Online Store, and Huawei Experience Stores nationwide. Getting it until February 28, 2025 will net you a free Huawei Watch GT 4 worth PhP 12,999.
