Huawei introduces the Nova 16 SE in China, marking the return of the SE line with a high-brightness OLED display, massive battery capacity, and advanced water resistance, positioning it as a high-end mid-range device.
Huawei has added a new member to its Nova range with the launch of the Nova 16 SE in China, extending a line-up that already includes the Nova 16, Nova 16 Pro, Nova 16 Ultra and Nova 16z. The move also marks the return of the SE branding after several years, according to local technology coverage of the company’s summer product event.
The phone is built around a 6.84-inch flat OLED display with a 2,756 x 1,272 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Huawei says the panel can reach a peak local brightness of 8,000 nits and uses 1,440Hz PWM dimming, a high-frequency technique designed to reduce visible flicker. The handset has an aluminium alloy frame, a fibreglass back, a thickness of 7.98mm and a weight of 229g. It is also rated IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K for dust and water resistance.
Inside, the Nova 16 SE uses Huawei’s Kirin 8020 chip and is offered with up to 512GB of storage. Power comes from an 8,500mAh battery with 66W wired charging, while software duties are handled by HarmonyOS 6.1. Other features include a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, dual super-linear 1115 speakers, an infrared blaster, NFC, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, Star Flash 2.0 and satellite messaging through Beidou. That combination places the device close to the higher end of Huawei’s mid-range portfolio, even as it sits below the more expensive Nova 16 models launched earlier this year.
Camera hardware consists of a 32MP front-facing camera and a dual rear system led by a 50MP RYYB main sensor with a 1/1.56-inch format and optical image stabilisation. Huawei pairs that with its Red Maple colour camera, which the company says is intended to improve colour reproduction. In China, the Nova 16 SE is available in Starry Black, Sky White, Dawn Orange and Sakura Sky, with prices starting at about $370 for the 128GB model and rising to roughly $475 for the 512GB version.
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