Huawei Nova 9 vs Nova 8

66 out of 100

Here we compared two mid-range smartphones: the 6.57-inch Huawei Nova 9 (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G) that was released on September 23, 2021, against the Huawei Nova 8, which is powered by HiSilicon Kirin 985 5G and came out 9 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Huawei Nova 9

Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
Newer Bluetooth version (v5.2)
Comes with 500 mAh larger battery capacity: 4300 vs 3800 mAh
Compatible with Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks
13% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 1070 and 946 points
The phone is 9-months newer

Review

Evaluation of Huawei Nova 9 and Nova 8 crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	OLED	OLED
Size	6.57 inches	6.57 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2340 pixels	1080 x 2340 pixels
Aspect ratio	19.5:9	19.5:9
PPI	392 ppi	392 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	90 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	430 nits	550 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR	600 nits	-
HDR support	Yes, HDR10	Yes, HDR10
Screen protection	Tempered glass	Tempered glass
Screen-to-body ratio	89.9%	89.3%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display - DC Dimming	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display

RGB color space	100%	-
PWM	500 Hz	-
Response time	2.8 ms	-
Contrast	∞ Infinity	-

Height	160 mm (6.3 inches)	160.1 mm (6.3 inches)
Width	73.7 mm (2.9 inches)	74.1 mm (2.92 inches)
Thickness	7.77 mm (0.31 inches)	7.6 mm (0.3 inches)
Weight	175 g (6.17 oz)	169 g (5.96 oz)
Waterproof	No	No
Rear material	Glass	Glass
Frame material	Plastic	Metal
Colors	Black, Blue, Green, Purple	White, Black, Blue, Green
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	Yes, in-display

Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G	HiSilicon Kirin 985 5G
Max clock	2400 MHz	2560 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 3 + 4)	8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 670 Silver (Cortex-A55) - 3 cores at 2.4 GHz: Kryo 670 Gold (Cortex-A78) - 1 core at 2.4 GHz: Kryo 670 Prime (Cortex-A78)	- 4 cores at 1.84 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 3 cores at 2.4 GHz: Cortex-A76 - 1 core at 2.58 GHz: Cortex-A76
Lithography process	6 nanometers	7 nanometers
Graphics	Adreno 642	Mali-G77 MP8
GPU shading units	768	512
GPU clock	550 MHz	695 MHz
FLOPS	~844 GFLOPS	~711.7 GFLOPS

CPU	190124	-
GPU	139191	-
Memory	119776	-
UX	112808	-
Total score	562314	-

Max surface temperature	37.4 °C	-
Stability	98%	96%
Graphics test	14 FPS	12 FPS
Graphics score	2491	2141

Web score	6629	-
Video editing	5966	-
Photo editing	20468	-
Data manipulation	8290	-
Writing score	12840	-

RAM size	8 GB	8 GB
Memory type	LPDDR4X	LPDDR4X
Memory clock	2133 MHz	1866 MHz
Channels	2	2

Storage size	128, 256 GB	128, 256 GB
Storage type	UFS 2.1	UFS 2.1
Memory card	No	No

Operating system	Android 11	Android 10.0 (Can be upgraded to Android 11)
ROM	EMUI 12	EMUI 11
OS size	10 GB	-

Capacity	4300 mAh	3800 mAh
Max charge power	66 W	66 W
Battery type	Li-Po	Li-Po
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	No	No
Reverse charging	Yes	Yes
Fast charging	Yes (61% in 30 min)	Yes (60% in 15 min)
Full charging time	0:54 hr	0:35 hr

Battery life tests
Web browsing	08:44 hr	-
Watching video	11:27 hr	-
Gaming	04:56 hr	-
Standby	93 hr	-

Main camera
Matrix	50 megapixels	64 megapixels
Image resolution	8192 x 6144	9000 x 7000
Zoom	Digital	Digital
Flash	LED	LED
Stabilization	Digital	Digital
8K video recording	No	No
4K video recording	Up to 30FPS	Up to 30FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
Slow motion	960 FPS (720p)	960 FPS (720p)
Angle of widest lens	-	120°
Lenses	4 (50 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP)	4 (64 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 50 MP - Aperture: f/1.9 - Focal length: 23 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/1.56", Sony IMX766 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus	- 64 MP - Aperture: f/1.9 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.7" (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus
Ultra-wide lens	- 8 MP - Aperture: f/2.2	- 8 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 17 mm - Sensor: 1/4" (CMOS)
Macro lens	- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4	- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4
Depth lens	- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4	- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode

Selfie camera
Megapixels	32 megapixels	32 megapixels
Image resolution	6528 x 4896	6528 x 4896
Aperture	f/2.0	f/2.0
Focal length	-	26 mm
Pixel size	-	0.8 microns
Sensor type	CMOS	CMOS
Sensor size	-	1/2.8"
Video resolution	2160p (4K) at 30 FPS	2160p (4K) at 30 FPS

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5.2	5.1
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	2	2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS
NFC *	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Number of SIM *	2	2
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	Standby
eSIM support *	No	No
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat *	18	20
5G support	No	Yes

Speakers	Mono	Mono
Headphone audio jack	No	No
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	No	No

Category	Mid-range	Mid-range
Announced	September 2021	December 2020
Release date	September 2021	January 2021
Sensors	- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint
Bundled charger	Yes, 66 W	-

Huawei Nova 9 vs Nova 8

Huawei Nova 9 vs Nova 8

Key differences

Review

Value for money

Tests and specifications

Display

Design and build

Performance

Benchmarks

Memory

Software

Battery

Camera

Connectivity

Sound

Other

Conclusion