HUAWEI MatePad 12 X (2026) Review
Huawei took a lot of people by surprise by launching their latest Nova series smartphone just a few months after they released the Nova 3 series. Today, we’re looking at the Nova 4 which comes with interesting innovative design and camera feats. So what has changed compared to the last model? Check it out below.
Here are their detailed specs:
| Specification | Huawei Nova 4 | Huawei Nova 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.4-inch Full HD+ 19.25:9 display @ 2310 x 1080px, ~398 ppi | 6.3-inch 19.5:9 FullView display 2.0 @ 2340 x 1080px, ~400ppi |
| CPU | HiSilicon Kirin 970 octa-core (4x Cortex A73 2.36GHz + 4x Cortex A53 1.8GHz) CPU | HiSilicon Kirin 970 octa-core (4x Cortex A73 2.36GHz + 4x Cortex A53 1.8GHz) CPU |
| GPU | Mali-G72 MP12 GPU with Huawei GPU Turbo | Mali-G72 MP12 |
| RAM | 8GB RAM | 6GB RAM |
| Storage | 128GB internal storage | 128GB internal storage |
| SIM | Dual SIM (nano), Dual Standby | Dual-SIM (nano, hybrid) |
| MicroSD | n/a | expandable up to 256GB (SIM 2 slot) |
| Rear Camera | 48MP f/1.8 + 16MP f/2.2 + 2MP f/2.4 triple rear cameras or 20MP f/1.8 + 16MP f/2.2 + 2MP f/2.4 triple rear cameras | 24MP + 16MP dual rear cameras |
| Front Camera | 25MP f/2.0 front camera | 24MP + 2MP AI dual front cameras |
| LTE | 4G VoLTE | 4G VoLTe |
| WiFi | Dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 4.2, BLE, HWA, aptX and aptX HD | Bluetooth 4.2, BLE, HWA, aptX and aptX HD |
| GPS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS | GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou |
| Port | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| 3.5mm audio port | Yes | Yes |
| Biometrics | - Fingerprint scanner - Face unlock | - Fingerprint scanner - Face unlock |
| OS | Huawei EMUI 9.0.1 (Android 9 Pie) | EMUI 8.2 (Android 8.1 Oreo) |
| Battery | 3,750mAh battery, 18W fast charging | 3,750mah battery, 18w quick charge |
So what has changed?
The Nova 4 completely removed the notch design and replaced it with a punch-hole design that contains the front camera. The screen size was also increased but only by a mm so there’s not a lot of improvements here..
It still sports the same Kirin 970 chipset but already has the GPU Turbo feature out of the box. Another feat for the Nova 4 is the 8GB RAM to ensure smooth multitasking, especially for heavy users.
Huawei also used a different camera configuration and instead of dual front and rear cameras, the Nova 4 has triple cameras at the back and just one on the front. What’s interesting is that it has two configurations with different main sensor resolution for price flexibility — one has a 48MP sensor while the other has a 20MP sensor.
The Nova 4 runs on Android 9 Pie based on EMUI 9.0.1 out-of-the-box which is good, although I’m slightly disappointed since it lacks an expandable storage. I mean, the Nova 3 also has 128GB storage with a microSD card slot, so why not retain it?
Overall, the Nova 4 looks a promising premium mid-range smartphone, especially with its flagship chipset and new camera capabilities. It is priced at CNY 3,399 (~PHP 26,138) for the 48MP variant while the 20MP variant is priced at CNY 3,099 (~PHP 23,831).
What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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cruizer says:
🥉 Bronze🏆1
has anybody demonstrated actual performance improvement going from 6 GB RAM to 8 GB RAM on current Android phones? I highly doubt it. If anything, 8 GB at present simply eats more power
Paul says:
🥈 Silver🏆1
Could honestly care less about the Nova 4 since they explicity said they’re not bring it here in PH.
Jude says:
🥉 Bronze🏆1
Nova series is getting more expensive for every iteration.
jp leb says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
Are you saying that the NOVA 3 is a single band ( 2.4 ghz) wifi ?
Jlow says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
Im so waiting on this in Europe! Im a first ‘Nova’ user for 3 years now and wanting to upgrade as it is starting to lag.
I guess Nova 4 with 48Mpix camera will be my choice when it gets to Europe.
Cuz im looking in 400/450€ point. For this money i have not found better alternative.