The HUAWEI nova 12s stands out with its sleek and ergonomic design, featuring flat side frames and smooth front and back panels. The device is lightweight and thin, making it easy to carry. Its matte finish offers a good grip, while the back panel resists fingerprints and showcases a unique “frosty pattern” that glimmers in light.
Unlike its predecessors, the nova 12s features a flat front glass, enhancing its modern look. The camera array is also striking, encircled by a metallic bezel that adds to the overall aesthetic. However, the protruding cameras can make the phone less stable when placed on a flat surface.
The front camera is centered in a small cutout at the top of the screen, while the optical fingerprint scanner is located under the display glass. Although functional, this scanner is slower compared to side-mounted alternatives. The power button, accented with a red stripe, is easy to locate among the wide side buttons, which have a satisfying tactile feel.
The phone accommodates two Nano-SIM cards but does not support microSD cards, which may limit storage options for some users. The bottom edge features a USB Type-C port, speaker, and microphone, while stereo sound is enhanced by an additional speaker and microphone on the top edge.
Display
The nova 12s boasts a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1084×2412 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. This flat screen provides excellent brightness and anti-glare properties, ensuring good visibility in various lighting conditions. Its oleophobic coating enhances fingerprint resistance.
Maximum brightness reaches 990 cd/m² in bright conditions, while low brightness levels remain readable in darkness. However, the display experiences some modulation at high and medium brightness levels, which could impact viewing comfort for sensitive users.
The 120Hz mode significantly improves scrolling smoothness, while the option for DC Dimming reduces flicker at lower brightness. The AMOLED matrix employs a PenTile RGBG configuration, which can lead to slight artifacts, but these are minimal thanks to the high resolution.
Color and Viewing Angles
The nova 12s offers impressive color reproduction, with rich hues and good brightness uniformity. However, at extreme angles, white may display a subtle blue-green tint, although black remains consistently deep. Overall, the viewing angles are excellent, making the display versatile for various uses.
Camera
The Huawei nova 12s is equipped with a robust camera system, featuring two rear cameras and one front-facing camera:
- Main Camera: 50 MP, f/1.9 with Laser AF and PDAF
- Wide-Angle Camera: 8 MP, f/2.2 with a 112° field of view
- Selfie Camera: 60 MP, f/2.4 with a 100° field of view
The main camera utilizes advanced laser-guided phase detection autofocus, although it lacks optical stabilization. It includes a separate color temperature sensor for improved color accuracy. Photos are typically taken at 12.5 MP through pixel binning, with an option for 50 MP shots, though the latter may not significantly enhance detail.
While the color temperature sensor aims for accuracy, color reproduction can be overly saturated, particularly in landscapes where skies appear vividly blue. The camera’s signature style features high contrast and bright colors, albeit at the cost of some fine detail due to aggressive noise reduction and contour sharpening. The results are visually appealing, producing clear images, though dynamic range may vary.
Night photography performs reasonably well, delivering detailed images with minimal noise, although colors are also enhanced in this setting.
The wide-angle camera shows some decrease in detail, particularly at the frame’s edges, but still produces acceptable images with good contrast. Notably, the nova 12s relies on digital zoom, which remains usable at 2x.
Performance
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 4G processor and Adreno 642L GPU, the nova 12s is equipped with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage, but lacks a memory card slot. This mid-tier processor offers adequate performance for daily tasks and moderate gaming, typically scoring between 500,000 and 600,000 points on AnTuTu benchmarks.
While the chipset may not be the latest on the market, it effectively handles most applications and provides a smooth user experience. Gaming performance is decent, although high settings may not always be achievable.
Battery Life
Despite having a slightly lower battery capacity compared to competitors, the nova 12s demonstrates impressive battery life, comparable to devices with larger 5000 mAh batteries. The testing was conducted under standard energy consumption conditions, including continuous reading, HD video playback, and gaming.
the Huawei nova 12s excels in both camera quality and performance for its class. While it may not rival flagship models in every aspect, it offers a solid and enjoyable experience for everyday use.
The HUAWEI nova 12s combines style with functionality, featuring a striking design and a high-quality display. While it has some limitations, such as the absence of a microSD slot and a less efficient fingerprint scanner, its overall performance and aesthetic appeal make it a compelling choice for users seeking a modern smartphone experience.
The current price as today in the UAE will be AED 1,299.00 or 4 payments of AED 324.75 /month
