Huawei nova 6 5G vs. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max: A Detailed Comparison of Flagship Power
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing a polished ecosystem, long-term software support, and consistently excellent camera performance, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max is the superior choice. However, the Huawei nova 6 5G offers significantly faster 40W charging and 5G connectivity at a potentially lower price, making it attractive for power users and those seeking value.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Huawei nova 6 5G | Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 26, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 - A2342 |
| 5G bands | 1, 3, 41, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79, 260, 261 Sub6/mmWave - A2342 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G (2+ Gbps DL) | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78, 79 Sub6 - A2410, A2411, A2412 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2019, December. Released 2019, December | 2020, October 13 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2020, November 13 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 162.7 x 75.8 x 9 mm (6.41 x 2.98 x 0.35 in) | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.29 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 212 g (7.48 oz) | 228 g (8.04 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~401 ppi density) | 1284 x 2778 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.57 inches, 104.2 cm2 (~84.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 109.8 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | IPS LCD | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.86 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2x2.09 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x1.86 GHz Cortex-A55) | Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm) |
| Chipset | Kirin 990 (7 nm) | Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm) |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP16 | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 10, EMUI 10 | iOS 14.1, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM |
| UFS 3.0 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, Panorama, HDR, LED flash | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Triple | 40 MP, f/1.8, 27mm (wide), 1/1.7", PDAF 8 MP, f/2.4, 80mm (telephoto), 1/4.0", PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 8 MP, f/2.4, 16mm (ultrawide) | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.9", 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 65mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2.5x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@960fps, (gyro-EIS) | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10‑bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | 32 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm, PDAF 8 MP, f/2.2, 17mm (ultrawide) | - |
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | - | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 4K@30fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5) | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 40W wired, 70% in 30 min | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.4 update |
| Type | Li-Po 4200 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 3687 mAh (14.13 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Blue, Red, Provence | Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue |
| Models | WLZ-AN00, WLZ-TN00 | A2411, A2342, A2410, A2412, iPhone13,4 |
| Price | - | $ 328.00 / C$ 549.75 / £ 270.67 / € 339.00 |
| SAR EU | - | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 128GB 6GB RAM | - | $ 599.99 |
| 256GB 6GB RAM | - | $ 728.45 |
| 512GB 6GB RAM | - | $ 886.67 |
| RENEWED | - | $ 627.00 |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 95h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -23.8 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 638584 (v8) GeekBench: 4240 (v5.1) GFXBench: 55fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Huawei nova 6 5G
- Significantly faster 40W wired charging
- Integrated 5G connectivity
- Potentially lower price point
- Less refined software experience
- Potentially limited long-term software support
- Inferior CPU and GPU performance
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
- Superior CPU and GPU performance (A14 Bionic)
- Best-in-class camera system
- Long-term software support and ecosystem integration
- Slower charging speeds (40W vs 15W)
- Higher price point
- Relies on Lightning port (vs USB-C)
Display Comparison
The iPhone 12 Pro Max boasts a significantly brighter display, peaking at 822 nits measured, which translates to superior visibility in direct sunlight. While the nova 6 5G’s display specs aren’t provided, Huawei typically employs OLED panels, but likely lacks the same peak brightness. The iPhone’s ‘infinite’ contrast ratio, typical of OLED technology, delivers deeper blacks and more vibrant colors. The lack of LTPO technology in either phone means refresh rates are fixed, but the iPhone’s color accuracy is generally considered industry-leading.
Camera Comparison
Both devices are equipped with capable camera systems, but Apple’s image processing and sensor technology give the iPhone 12 Pro Max a clear edge. While both are listed as having 'Photo / Video' capabilities, the iPhone’s larger sensor and advanced computational photography algorithms deliver superior dynamic range, detail, and low-light performance. The nova 6 5G likely relies more heavily on software enhancements to compensate for potentially smaller sensor sizes. The iPhone’s video recording capabilities are also renowned for their quality and stabilization.
Performance
The Apple A14 Bionic, fabricated on a 5nm process, demonstrably outperforms the Huawei Kirin 990 (7nm) in both CPU and GPU benchmarks. The A14’s hexa-core architecture, with its 3.1 GHz Firestorm cores, provides a significant single-core performance advantage, crucial for responsive app launches and smooth multitasking. While the Kirin 990’s octa-core setup is capable, the A14’s superior efficiency also translates to better thermal management, reducing the likelihood of throttling during sustained workloads. The iPhone 12 Pro Max’s 6GB of RAM is comparable to the nova 6 5G, but the A14’s architecture optimizes memory usage more effectively.
Battery Life
Both phones achieve an endurance rating of 95 hours, indicating similar overall battery life despite differing battery capacities (not specified for the nova 6 5G). However, the charging speeds are drastically different. The Huawei nova 6 5G’s 40W wired charging can reach 70% charge in just 30 minutes, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max takes 30 minutes to reach only 50% with wired PD2.0. The iPhone offers 15W wireless charging via MagSafe and Qi2 (with iOS 17.4), a convenience the nova 6 5G lacks.
Buying Guide
Buy the Huawei nova 6 5G if you need blazing-fast 40W charging, prioritize 5G connectivity, and are comfortable with the Huawei ecosystem. Buy the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max if you prefer a seamless user experience, a best-in-class camera system, and guaranteed software updates for years to come, even if it means slower charging speeds.