Huawei’s newly released Nova 12 Ultra can be touted as their ultimate creation for users at the end of 2023. Firstly, it features an integrated plain leather embossed design, Display Turbo dynamic display enhancement technology, second-generation Kunlun glass, and a range of advanced technologies like physically variable aperture lenses and the self-developed Hongmeng 4.0 system. The overall configuration is undeniably attractive. Now, let’s delve into a comprehensive look at the daily use experience of the Huawei Nova 12 Ultra.
Starting with the design, the Huawei Nova 12 Ultra showcases an iconic Nova embossed pattern with an integrated plain leather embossed design. Available in three color options: Color 12, Smoke Gray, and Obsidian Black, the device weighs 198 grams and measures 7.68mm in thickness.
Furthermore, the back cover features the same integrated design, complementing the metal nova lettering on the star ring and the silver nova lettering under the back panel. This integrated plain leather process extends over the lens module’s metal frame, merging the rear lens module with the fuselage’s back panel for a seamless visual experience.
The Huawei Nova 12 Ultra boasts a comfortable grip, thanks to its integrated plain leather design, which also provides a smooth touch feel.
Additionally, the rear camera module design has been enhanced to a “superstar ring”, making it larger and more striking than its predecessors. The lens module sports a classic symmetrical shape, surrounded by a simple, slender ring wheel, resembling a planet in orderly orbit. Silver laser engraving and a diamond-cut process add a touch of elegance to the main camera’s periphery.
On the front, the Huawei Nova 12 Ultra is safeguarded by second-generation Kunlun glass, significantly improving its toughness and drop resistance.
The device features a popular full-screen design with a central top hole and a slightly curved straight screen on all sides. This design combines a straight screen with a subtle curved arc to enhance the daily holding experience.
Moving to the screen, the Huawei Nova 12 Ultra leads with its 6.76-inch OLED FHD+ screen, offering 2776×1224 pixels. It includes an under-screen fingerprint sensor and supports Huawei’s AI HDR technology and 2160Hz high-frequency PWM dimming.
Moreover, the screen incorporates 1-120Hz LTPO dynamic adaptive display technology, found only in top-tier flagship phones. This technology adjusts the frame rate based on usage, reducing power consumption while enhancing the smooth application experience.
In addition, the Huawei Nova 12 Ultra introduces a full-screen AOD display function. This feature allows users to access important information like date, time, battery status, and app service status without unlocking the phone.
In terms of gaming, the Nova 12 Ultra is equipped with a high-performance chip and 12GB of memory. The new Nova game engine ensures a smooth gaming experience.
Our game frame rate test included settings like performance mode, smart screen refresh rate, and smart screen resolution.
In the Honor of King’s game test, we set the game screen to a high frame rate and ultimate image quality. The Huawei Nova 12 Ultra maintained a stable 60 frames per second, exhibiting an almost straight line frame rate curve.
We also assessed Genshin Impact, a more demanding game, with settings at extremely high quality and 60 frames, without game acceleration. The 15-minute Liyue Port run averaged 39.6 frames.
Additionally, the Nova 12 Ultra incorporates AI Scheduling 4.0, Touch Turbo 4.0, GPU Turbo 4.0, and a super heat dissipation architecture. This architecture uses low-resistance, high-performance VC and ultra-high thermal conductivity graphene to enhance heat dissipation.
After a 15-minute Genshin Impact session, we measured the back cover temperature of the Huawei Nova 12 Ultra. The highest temperature recorded was 40.3 degrees Celsius, indicating effective temperature control.
For imaging, the Nova 12 Ultra excels with its rear module, consisting of a 50-megapixel physical variable aperture main camera and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle macro lens. The main camera uses a second-generation physical variable aperture system for improved light input and adaptable aperture size.
The front lens module includes a 60-megapixel ultra-wide-angle tracking camera and an 8-megapixel portrait close-up camera, offering industry-leading 0.7x to 5x portrait zoom shooting capabilities.
Our sample shooting revealed that the Nova 12 Ultra’s imaging color style closely resembles Huawei’s flagship bright color mode, with rich color expression in the pictures.
The device supports 2x zoom shooting mode, providing more compositional space and an excellent zoom shooting experience, thanks to Huawei’s computational photography algorithm.
With the physical variable aperture, the Nova 12 Ultra adeptly handles diverse night scene shooting needs. It also includes a built-in night mode for clearer night imaging.
In the charging arena, the Huawei Nova 12 Ultra uses a 100W smart fast-charging Turbo combined with a 4600mAh battery. Our tests showed that the original charger can fully charge the device in 30 minutes.
In summary, the Huawei Nova 12 Ultra focuses on portrait shooting and daily use experience, making it ideal for users who enjoy capturing everyday life without demanding high performance.
Currently, the Huawei Nova 12 Ultra is available for pre-sale on major platforms. The 512GB version is priced at 4,699 yuan, and the 1TB version at 5,499 yuan.