The Nova 13 Professional is HUAWEI’s most fashionable mid-ranger but

With the Nova 13 Professional, HUAWEI extends its report of delivering nice mid-range telephones centered on pictures and trendy design.

I had the prospect to make use of the HUAWEI Nova 13 Professional for every week, and I got here away impressed with this telephone’s refined look, highly effective cameras, and considerate touches all through.

First introduced in China in October 2024, the Nova 13 Professional is now accessible in markets around the globe, occupying an “higher mid-range” worth section. In Europe, which means €699, which makes it a sexy proposition for patrons searching for a luxurious-looking telephone, with out reaching into flagship telephone territory.

As with all fashionable HUAWEI telephones, the caveat stays app availability, however for those who’re open to some compromises the state of affairs isn’t as dire because it was.

I examined out the Loden Inexperienced colorway (the “hero” colorway of this launch), and I’ve acquired to say, HUAWEI’s designers did an incredible job with this one. I really like colourful telephones and whereas this inexperienced hue is sort of understated, it’s nonetheless very simple on the attention.

The elegant shade of inexperienced is complemented by the refined “plaid” sample etched on the again of the telephone, which catches the sunshine in numerous methods as you progress it. It hits the correct stability between sophistication and attention-grabbing sparkle, with out veering into flamboyance.

The big black digicam module actually stands in distinction in opposition to the fashionable inexperienced. The metallic ring round it’s engraved with the phrase “Nova,” including a bit extra bling – it’s a bit excessive for me, however to every their very own.

If you happen to’re searching for a fashion-forward gadget to enhance your fashion, the Nova 13 Professional has quite a bit going for it. The sunshine inexperienced appears to be like completely fabulous. In the meantime the white variant exudes icy coolness, whereas the black one drops the plaid to attraction to these with minimalist tastes.

The magnificence of the colours extends to how the telephone feels in hand. If you happen to desire utilizing telephones with out a case, you’ll love that the micro-etched texture on the again of the Nova 13 Professional retains fingerprints at bay, although it stays a little bit slippery.

For the Professional mannequin, HUAWEI eschewed the flat edges you get on the Nova 13, and no less than from an ergonomics perspective it’s the correct resolution. The sides of the telephone curve seamlessly in direction of the body, and so does the entrance glass. I actually like how this telephone sits in hand, even when it’s a little bit on the heavy facet at 209 grams.

The graceful contours of the entrance glass complement the skinny and symmetrical bezels across the 6.76-inch display. The big digicam cutout stands out on the in any other case all-screen entrance of the telephone, however HUAWEI put the house to good use with twin selfie lenses.

All in all, HUAWEI nailed the transient – the Nova 13 Professional is fashionable, enticing, and a pleasure to make use of.

Apart from fashion and aesthetics, the opposite massive focus of the Nova collection has at all times been pictures and selfie cameras specifically. Like its predecessors, the Nova 13 Professional shines on this space.

On the entrance, the 100-degree ultrawide 60MP most important digicam will likely be your default choice for selfies, letting you turn between “vast,” 0.8X, and 1X zoom components. I discovered this digicam to work reliably even in darkish winter day situations, however HUAWEI went a step forward and fitted the Nova 13 Professional with a second telephoto digicam to take selfies to the following stage.

This second digicam provides 2X optical zoom, however you possibly can hit as much as 5X digital zoom for those who so really feel inclined. HUAWEI thinks it may turn out to be useful if you must test in your make-up, however that’s about the one state of affairs the place the 5X selfie zoom appears vital. Contemplating that you would be able to simply crop photographs from the principle digicam to realize an identical element stage, I’m not positive even 2X zoom is required. But when that’s one thing you possibly can’t be bothered with and you actually like zoomed-in selfies, that choice is there for you.

Talking of selfies, HUAWEI added its personal… tackle Google’s Finest Take. Known as AI Finest Expression, this options goes by means of burst photographs sequences to search out facial expressions like smiles, permitting you to “repair” group photographs the place one particular person has their eyes closed or doesn’t have a look at the digicam. It labored properly – I used to be in a position to simply swap my semi-permanent frown for a extra relaxed expression. I can see myself utilizing this function quite a bit this summer time once we go on trip.

The rear digicam setup is simply pretty much as good. The principle shooter is 50MP and comes with an adjustable bodily aperture, which permits its diaphragm (or iris) to open in 10 completely different sizes, from f/1.4 to f/4.0. This makes the digicam extra versatile, permitting it to raised adapt to completely different scenes. The aperture swap occurs robotically within the default Picture mode or you possibly can take management by switching to Professional mode. In scenes the place the topic is transferring shortly, like a operating canine, you’ll need a bigger aperture (smaller f-number) setting to “freeze” the scene and keep away from movement blur; in the meantime while you’re capturing a panorama you’ll need to use a smaller aperture (greater f-number) to seize particulars from each the foreground and the background.

The opposite most important sensor is the 12MP sensor of the telephoto digicam. Outfitted with 3X optical zoom and OIS, this would be the digicam to make use of each time you must carry the topic nearer otherwise you’re going for a natural-looking bokeh impact.

Switching between the cameras is seamless and Huawei’s digicam app is polished a simple to make use of.

Design and pictures could be the standout options of the HUAWEI Nova 13 Professional, however the gadget delivers a well-rounded efficiency in different areas as properly.

The LTPO OLED show is gorgeous, providing HDR help and a dynamic refresh charge as much as 120Hz. It’s each bit as spectacular because the screens on flagship telephones, offering vibrant colours and clean visuals.

Throughout my time with the gadget, the efficiency was persistently fluid. The highly effective processor and 120Hz refresh charge labored in tandem to make sure clean animations and lag-free operation.

Battery life is one other spotlight. The 5,000mAh battery expenses extremely quick, able to going from 3% to 50% in simply 9 minutes. Nonetheless, there’s a caveat: you’ll want a appropriate HUAWEI 100W charger, which is probably not included in all markets.

Software program stays a thorny subject for HUAWEI. The absence of Google apps and the Play Retailer continues to be a hurdle for some customers. HUAWEI’s AppGallery, whereas bettering, nonetheless lacks many in style apps. That stated, the corporate has made strides in offering various app repositories, simplifying the method of discovering important apps with out an excessive amount of problem.

For apps lacking from the AppGallery, the telephone even suggests putting in MicroG, an open-source toolkit that replicates Google’s proprietary Play Providers. This permits apps reliant on Google APIs to perform correctly. For instance, I simply put in Spotify, despite the fact that it’s not accessible in HUAWEI’s official retailer.

It’s additionally doable to get Google apps operating by means of third-party options like GBox. Whereas this feature works properly, it requires customers to position belief in an app that emulates Google’s ecosystem — a consideration that will not sit properly with everybody.

The HUAWEI Nova 13 Professional stands out as a superbly designed telephone that excels in pictures and delivers a premium expertise at a aggressive worth. Whereas it faces challenges in software program as a result of lack of Google providers, HUAWEI has taken steps to mitigate these points with various options. For customers prepared to adapt to it, the Nova 13 Professional is value contemplating.