Huawei Nova 12i review: A slim style-focused mid-ranger with 40 W charging and a 108 MP camera.
A style mid-ranger held back by no-GMS.
Nova 12i offers a 108 MP camera, 40 W charging and a slim premium build at $280 — but the SD680 keeps it 4G and EMUI ships without Google services. For buyers in Huawei-friendly markets it looks and charges well.
01Display
66/10066/100 is one of the weaker display results among mid-range phones of 2024 — 14 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.
02Camera
64/10064/100 is one of the weaker camera results among mid-range phones of 2024 — 7 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.
03Performance
56/10056/100 is one of the weaker performance results among mid-range phones of 2024 — 13 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.
04Battery
80/10080/100 trails the 84-point cohort average for mid-range phones of 2024.
05Build
70/10070/100 is one of the weaker build results among mid-range phones of 2024 — 6 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.
06Value
64/10064/100 is one of the weaker value results among mid-range phones of 2024 — 13 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.
- 108 MP main camera at $280.
- 40 W SuperCharge fast for the segment.
- Slim 7.99 mm, premium feel.
- Stereo + 3.5 mm jack.
- No Google services.
- 4G only — SD680 has no 5G.
- Stuck on 90 Hz LCD.
- EMUI app-store limitations.
How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 171-phone cohort of mid-range devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .