Huawei nova 6 vs. iPhone 11 Pro Max: A Deep Dive into Flagship Performance and Value
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing long-term software support and a refined user experience, the iPhone 11 Pro Max remains the superior choice. Its A13 Bionic chip, coupled with excellent battery life and a strong camera system, provides a consistently polished performance. However, the Huawei nova 6 offers compelling fast charging and a competitive chipset for a significantly lower price.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Huawei nova 6 | Apple iPhone 11 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, 18, 19, 26, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2218 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE | HSPA, LTE 1.6 Gbps DL, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE |
| - | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 - A2161, A2220 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2019, December. Released 2019, December | 2019, September 10 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2019, September 20 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Corning-made glass), glass back (Corning-made glass), stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 162.6 x 75.7 x 8.6 mm (6.40 x 2.98 x 0.34 in) | 158 x 77.8 x 8.1 mm (6.22 x 3.06 x 0.32 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 197 g (6.95 oz) | 226 g (7.97 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 4m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | Scratch-resistant glass |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~401 ppi density) | 1242 x 2688 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.57 inches, 104.2 cm2 (~84.7% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.5 inches, 102.9 cm2 (~83.7% 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 (2x2.65 GHz Lightning + 4x1.8 GHz Thunder) |
| Chipset | Kirin 990 (7 nm) | Apple A13 Bionic (7 nm+) |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP16 | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 10, EMUI 10, no Google Play Services | iOS 13, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM | 64GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM |
| UFS 3.0 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, Panorama, HDR, LED flash | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | - | 13 MP, f/2.2, PDAF |
| 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/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.0, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.6" |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@960fps, (gyro-EIS) | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | 32 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm 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 Wireless (Qi) |
| Type | Li-Po 4100 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 3969 mAh, non-removable (15.04 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Blue, Red, Provence | Matte Space Gray, Matte Silver, Matte Gold, Matte Midnight Green |
| Models | WLZ-AL10, WLZ-TL10 | A2218, A2161, A2220, iPhone12,5 |
| Price | - | $ 233.00 / C$ 369.75 / £ 226.95 / € 249.00 |
| SAR | - | 1.16 W/kg (head) 1.17 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.95 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 256GB 4GB RAM | - | $ 874.46 |
| 512GB 4GB RAM | - | $ 1,004.31 |
| 64GB 4GB RAM | - | $ 435.00 |
| RENEWED | - | $ 485.00 |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | - | Noise -94.3dB / Crosstalk -81.5dB |
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 102h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 459713 (v7), 536883 (v8) GeekBench: 13870 (v4.4), 3503 (v5.1) GFXBench: 57fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Huawei nova 6
- 40W fast charging significantly reduces charging time.
- Potentially lower price point offers excellent value.
- Kirin 990 provides competitive performance.
- Software support and updates may be less consistent than Apple.
- Camera performance details are limited, potentially lagging behind the iPhone.
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Exceptional battery life with 102-hour endurance rating.
- A13 Bionic chip delivers consistently smooth performance.
- Strong camera system with excellent image and video quality.
- Higher price point compared to the Huawei nova 6.
- Slower wired charging speed than the nova 6.
Display Comparison
The iPhone 11 Pro Max boasts a display capable of reaching 820 nits of peak brightness, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While the nova 6’s display specifications aren’t provided, Huawei typically employs vibrant OLED panels. The iPhone’s ‘infinite’ contrast ratio, characteristic of OLED technology, delivers deep blacks and vivid colors. The lack of high refresh rate information for the nova 6 suggests the iPhone 11 Pro Max offers a smoother visual experience, though this is not a guaranteed advantage without further data on the nova 6’s panel.
Camera Comparison
Both devices are described as having capable Photo/Video capabilities, but specifics are limited. The iPhone 11 Pro Max’s camera system is renowned for its consistent image quality and excellent video recording. Without detailed sensor size or aperture information for the nova 6, it’s difficult to make a direct comparison. However, Huawei often emphasizes computational photography, potentially offering unique image processing styles. The absence of details regarding the nova 6’s camera suggests the iPhone 11 Pro Max likely holds an advantage in overall image quality and video stabilization.
Performance
The Apple A13 Bionic (7nm+) and Huawei Kirin 990 (7nm) are both built on 7nm process nodes, but their architectures differ significantly. The A13’s hexa-core configuration (2x2.65 GHz Lightning + 4x1.8 GHz Thunder) focuses on maximizing single-core performance, crucial for responsive app launches and smooth multitasking. The Kirin 990’s octa-core setup (2x2.86 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2x2.09 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x1.86 GHz Cortex-A55) aims for a balance between performance and efficiency. While the Kirin 990 has more cores, the A13’s superior architecture and optimization within the iOS ecosystem generally translate to faster real-world performance. The iPhone 11 Pro Max’s 4GB of RAM is matched by the nova 6, but iOS’s memory management is typically more efficient.
Battery Life
The iPhone 11 Pro Max achieves an impressive endurance rating of 102 hours, indicating exceptional battery life. While the nova 6’s battery capacity isn’t specified, its 40W wired charging capability is a significant advantage, achieving 70% charge in just 30 minutes. The iPhone 11 Pro Max offers 50% charge in 30 minutes with PD2.0, and also supports Qi wireless charging. The faster charging speed of the nova 6 is ideal for users who frequently need to top up their battery quickly, while the iPhone 11 Pro Max excels in longevity.
Buying Guide
Buy the Huawei nova 6 if you need blazing-fast 40W charging and are comfortable with the EMUI software experience, prioritizing value and quick power-ups. Buy the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max if you prefer a mature, optimized operating system (iOS), a consistently excellent camera, and long-term software updates, even at a higher price point.