Huawei presents its latest flagship, the Nova 10 Pro smartphone, still without Google.
It’s been a few years since Huawei was banned from Google’s services on its tech devices. The brand new Huawei Nova 10 pro smartphone is no exception and like its predecessor relies on its internal software to attract its loyal following. Beyond this specificity, we are dealing with a smartphone that has an intriguing technical sheet as it struggles to place itself in a specific area. What is the device worth once in hand? The answer in this Huawei Nova 10 Pro test.
Check the price of the Huawei Nova 10
Technical sheet
Before we get to the heart of the matter, here is the Huawei Nova 10 Pro spec sheet which includes all its specifics.
| Huawei Nova 10 Pro | |
|---|---|
| Screen | – 6.78″ OLED screen – Full HD+ definition (1200 × 2652) – Density 429 dpi – Refresh rate up to 120Hz – 1.07 billion colors – 300 Hz touch sampling rate |
| Design | -Starry silver – Star black |
| SoCs and GPUs | – Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 4G – Adreno 642L |
| Memory | – 8 GB of RAM – 128/256 GB storage space |
| Camera | – 50 MP Ultra Vision Photography main sensor, f/1.8, – Ultra wide angle 8 MP, f/2.2 – 2 MP depth of field sensor, f/2.4 – 60 MP front sensor, f/2.4 |
| Battery | – 4500mAh – HUAWEI SuperCharge Max 100W |
| Connection | – Optical fingerprint reader under the screen -Bluetooth 5.2 – Wi-Fi 6 – 4G – Dual nano SIM – A-GPS+GLONASS, DNLA, Miracast (WiFi Direct), Google Cast -NFC – USB 2.0 Type-C – Barometer, Gyroscope, Accelerometer – Proximity and light sensor |
| Software | – EMUI 12 – Harmony OS 2.0 |
| Height and weight | – 164.24 x 74.45 x 7.88 mm – 191 g |
| Starting price | – 699 euros |
| Availability date | – October 2022 |
Design, screen and ergonomics
A true UFO, the Huawei Nova 10 Pro remains quite classy beyond its software part. However, the smartphone has an even more daring design than before. We find its famous curved back speckled with silver holographic sequins, for a very festive look. Without forgetting its few golden notes around, among other things, the photo module, which no longer allows it to play in the court of subtlety.
Since the taste and colors are not discussed, we will say that it is a design that will suit the most original, the rest of the consumers will be able to fall back on the Starry Black model, more discreet. However, we regret its imposing pendant at the level of the camera, which does not allow it to lie flat even with the protective shell.
The grip remains classic with a featherweight of 191g, which is particularly comfortable on the wrist. We note the USB-C connection and the absence of a 3.5 mm jack port, which is starting to become the norm on smartphones in this area. We also appreciate the placement of the buttons, which remains very intuitive.
On the display side, the Nova 10 Pro has a 6.78″ OLED panel for Full HD + definition (1200 x 2652) and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. It’s all responsive and has never disappointed us. or the company’s activity. As usual, however, we are sad to see that the treatment of colors has not changed at Huawei, it all seems extremely dull and low in contrast to us, although the brightness is quite satisfactory.
Performance and autonomy
Those who are already familiar with the features of the Huawei Nova 9 will notice that nothing has changed a generation later, which is quite disappointing. Inside, there’s still a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chip, in addition to an Adreno 642L GPU. We are very far from the current standards for this range of smartphones, especially since this configuration does not allow you to take advantage of 5G.
This remains satisfactory for most daily activities, but we are still far from a performance that allows you to test the smartphone on, for example, demanding games. The Nova 10 Pro also has 8GB of RAM as well as 128GB or 256GB of storage. We’ll let you take a look at the benchmark (the only one we could find on the device), whose results remain convincing without being transcendent.
At the battery level, the Nova 10 Pro has a capacity of 4500 mAh, so there is a clear improvement compared to previous models. In fact, the battery lasts you long enough for one or even two days of use, and hardly drains when you are not using the smartphone. For the charging part, the SuperCharge cable and adapter (max. 100 W) allow you to keep going in just a few ten minutes.
Photo
The Huawei Nova 10 Pro, like its colleagues, has a myriad of sensors. On the back there is a 50 MP main sensor with an aperture of f/1.8. Below we have an 8 MP ultra wide angle, f/2.2 aperture, and finally a 2 MP depth of field sensor, f/2.4 aperture. A 60MP punch sits on the front alongside an 8MP specialist portrait sensor. An arsenal that will not be enough to take pictures of the expected quality.
Overall, the photo part is quite disappointing for a device at this price. If the images in the middle of the day are just satisfactory, we still notice the same problem in terms of sharpness, but also color processing (whatever it could be from the dull screen). At night, things go awry and the pictures become less than decent. Here are some image examples.
Only one creature is missing and everything is depopulated
The regulars of Android smartphones will inevitably be lost when you turn on the Huawei Nova 10 Pro, which does not have Google services. A priori no problem, as the brand compensates for this absence by offering its own in-house software. But what are they worth and can they really replace GAFAM in terms of performance and ergonomics?
After a necessary adaptation period, we are gradually finding our mark on the EMUI interface. There is an application store, a map service, a web browser and even a number of professional applications. Quantitatively, the smartphone is all that is most complete. Too bad the quality isn’t up to par.
If some effort is made at, among others, Petal Maps, we are often frustrated to see that a lot of mobile applications or games are missing. The Nova 10 Pro has a rather outdated ecosystem. If you use your device regularly and a lot, you will feel a noticeable difference. The biggest one is in the notification interface. The notification center is accessible by swiping down the left part of the screen, and the right part is reserved for quick settings. A mechanism that is destabilizing at first glance, but which we quickly get to grips with.
Price and availability
The Huawei Nova 10 Pro smartphone has already been released at the suggested price of €699. However, it is not yet on the market in France, so you will have to settle for the Huawei Nova 10 shown at a price of €489 on Amazon.
Buy Huawei Nova 10 on Amazon