Review of the HUAWEI nova 14 Smartphone
Another smartphone from Huawei has come to my test. The HUAWEI nova 14 model is twice as cheap as Pura 80 and thus belongs more to the budget segment. However, this device is not entirely cheap, so it should still have certain standards of quality and performance.
Let's dive into examining how well quality and price are balanced here.
Form
In terms of design, it is clearly simpler and more "standard" than that of the Pura. However, the smartphone is lighter and thinner. The power button is slightly recessed to avoid accidental presses. The volume button is covered by a case (i.e., the smartphone case is designed to cover it, protecting it from dust and moisture — a relatively rare but not unique solution).
The camera is quite stylishly executed, with the lenses integrated into a circle, and there are offsets above and below the circle, with the flash located in the upper offset. Interestingly, for aesthetics, a glass inlay was also made at the bottom, as if it were a second flash. The lenses are arranged in such a way that it looks like there are four, but in reality, there are three, and the fourth is also decorative.
The HUAWEI nova 14 features an OLED screen with all standard characteristics (display refresh rate of 120 Hz, touch sampling rate of 300 Hz) and certified eye protection. Its size is about 6.7 inches with a resolution of 2412 by 1084 pixels — not counting the rounded corners.
There is a single USB Type-C port, a slot for two SIM cards, and one of the speakers below. Overall, everything else is standard.
Functionality
The nova 14's camera, while not reaching the level of the Pura 80 (especially in terms of long-distance shots), still takes very decent photos overall. It has all the necessary modes — from panorama and document shooting to slow-motion and fast-motion recording, as well as various filters.
The smartphone even supports connection with other Huawei devices for shooting with their cameras. It’s a pity that, like with the Pura, there's no option to combine this mode with simultaneous shooting (yes, you can also make videos that combine images from the main and front cameras).
More photos - here.
Interestingly, the front camera of the smartphone has the same 50-megapixel lens as the main camera (it simply has no other two lenses). So selfies will be just as high quality as portraits and other shots. There is a function for enhancing quality with AI for portraits, by the way.
Another feature of the camera is the high speed of focus change. However, during video recording, rapid zoom change looks quite sharp, and it’s a pity that there’s no option to artificially slow it down.
Other videos - here.
There are no more special features in the smartphone. I can only say that the sound from the built-in speakers is good. You can listen to music without headphones.
Hardware
The HUAWEI nova 14 is equipped with an octa-core Kirin 8000 processor and has 12 GB of RAM. The total storage capacity is 256 GB (though there are versions with 512 GB). The operating system is EMUI 14.2 based on Android 12.
As with other Huawei mobile devices, this system is not fully compatible with Android and Google services, which must be installed and run through Gbox. There is an option to work in several applications simultaneously, but only one can be in a floating window (while the others automatically close), and the aspect ratio cannot be changed.
In tests, the smartphone performed well, considering the price of 25 thousand. Endfield runs stably on medium settings, and Call of Duty Mobile also runs fairly well at maximum settings. The only complaint is that during stress tests, the model overheated several times. So you need to monitor the temperature and not launch too many "heavy" applications indiscriminately.
Screenshots from tests - here.
As for the battery, it turned out to be quite decent — it lasts over 5 hours in the mentioned games and more than 16 hours of regular use, like watching videos online.
The smartphone turns on in 31 seconds (you have to hold the power button for 4 seconds). Am I imagining it, or did smartphones used to turn on faster?
Conclusion
At a price of 25,000 rubles, the HUAWEI nova 14 smartphone is at the upper limit of the "budget segment." Nevertheless, this is a quite powerful model capable of running the latest mobile games and other demanding applications (albeit at medium settings). However, it's important to remember that some of them need to be installed through AppGallery, others via Gbox and Google Play.
Of course, it's worth mentioning the quality cameras, especially the powerful front camera. I'm not sure if there are people who only take selfies, but if someone’s primary type of photography is indeed selfies, they should definitely consider this model.