Explore the Huawei Nova 10 Youth in this comprehensive review. Learn about its design, camera capabilities, performance, and battery life to see if it fits your needs.

Huawei Nova 10 Youth Review: A Budget-Friendly Smartphone with Premium Features

In 2023, Huawei expanded its Nova series with the release of the Huawei Nova 10 Youth, targeting users who seek a balance between affordability and functionality. Released on March 4, 2023, the Nova 10 Youth packs a variety of impressive features, including a large display, a quad-camera setup with a 108MP primary camera, and fast 66W charging.

This review will delve deep into the Huawei Nova 10 Youth, assessing its performance, design, camera quality, and overall usability to determine whether it stands out in an increasingly competitive budget smartphone market.

Introduction

The Huawei Nova series has always been known for offering a good mix of style, performance, and camera capabilities without breaking the bank. The Nova 10 Youth continues this tradition, catering to younger audiences who want more from their smartphone but are also conscious of their budget.

With a 6.78-inch IPS LCD, a 108MP primary camera, and the efficient Snapdragon 680G 4G processor, the Nova 10 Youth is an attractive choice for consumers who prioritize multimedia consumption, social media, and light gaming. Priced at around 230 EUR, it sits comfortably in the mid-range segment.

Design & Build Quality

The Huawei Nova 10 Youth boasts a sleek and modern design, with dimensions of 164.6 x 75.6 x 7.9 mm and a weight of 191 grams. It’s thin and relatively lightweight, making it comfortable to hold for long periods, whether you’re browsing the web or watching videos.

The smartphone is splash and dust resistant, providing a layer of durability that ensures it can handle daily use with minimal concerns about water damage or dirt accumulation. Available in two color options, Black and Blue, the design is minimalist yet appealing, featuring a glossy finish that adds a touch of premium aesthetics to the phone.

The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is strategically placed for easy access, making unlocking the phone feel quick and seamless. Huawei has opted to omit the 3.5mm headphone jack, which may be a dealbreaker for those who prefer wired audio, but Bluetooth 5.0 ensures that you can enjoy wireless listening with minimal latency.

Display: Smooth and Bright

The Huawei Nova 10 Youth comes with a 6.78-inch IPS LCD display, boasting a resolution of 1080 x 2388 pixels. With an impressive 89.5% screen-to-body ratio, the phone offers a large, immersive display experience, ideal for watching videos, gaming, or scrolling through social media.

The display also supports a 90Hz refresh rate, making navigation smoother, whether you’re scrolling through web pages or switching between apps. While it isn’t OLED, the IPS LCD panel still offers bright and vibrant colors, excellent viewing angles, and decent contrast levels. The pixel density of 387 ppi ensures that images and text remain sharp and clear.

Although the Nova 10 Youth lacks HDR support, it delivers a pleasant visual experience for its price range. The 90Hz refresh rate, combined with the large display, makes this phone a solid choice for media consumption.

Performance: Powered by Snapdragon 680G 4G

Under the hood, the Huawei Nova 10 Youth is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680G 4G processor, built on a 6nm process. This chipset is energy-efficient, ensuring that you get good performance without draining the battery too quickly. The Octa-core CPU (4×2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 and 4×1.9 GHz Cortex-A53) ensures decent performance for most day-to-day tasks, including browsing, streaming, and social media use.

The Adreno 610 GPU ensures that light gaming runs smoothly, although you may experience limitations with more graphically demanding games. Paired with 8GB of RAM, the device handles multitasking with ease, allowing you to switch between apps without noticeable lag.

While the phone lacks 5G connectivity, the Snapdragon 680G’s 4G LTE performance is adequate for most users, offering stable and fast internet speeds.

The Huawei Nova 10 Youth runs on HarmonyOS 2.0, which delivers a clean and easy-to-navigate user interface. HarmonyOS has come a long way in improving app availability and functionality, making it a reliable alternative to Android, though users transitioning from Android or iOS might find the app selection slightly limited.

Storage Options

The Nova 10 Youth is available in two storage configurations: 128GB and 256GB, both paired with 8GB of RAM. Unfortunately, there is no option to expand storage via a microSD card, so users will need to be mindful of their storage needs when choosing between the two variants.

For most users, the 128GB option should be sufficient, but if you plan to store a lot of media files, apps, or games, the 256GB variant may offer a bit more peace of mind.

Camera: Quad-Camera Setup

One of the standout features of the Huawei Nova 10 Youth is its quad-camera setup, headlined by a 108MP primary sensor. Here’s a breakdown of the camera specifications:

108 MP (wide): The primary camera uses phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and captures highly detailed shots, especially in well-lit conditions. The 108MP sensor ensures that even when zooming in, details remain sharp.
8 MP (ultrawide): The ultrawide camera provides a wider field of view, making it ideal for landscapes and group photos. However, the drop in resolution compared to the primary sensor is noticeable, especially in low-light conditions.
2 MP (macro): The macro camera lets you get up close to subjects, but its lower resolution means the image quality isn’t as high as the primary sensor.
2 MP (depth): The depth sensor helps enhance portrait shots, creating a more defined bokeh effect for blurred backgrounds.

The main camera supports 1080p video recording at 30fps, which is decent but falls short of the 4K capabilities found on many competing devices. For casual photographers and those who enjoy capturing everyday moments, the camera is more than capable.

On the front, the 16 MP selfie camera performs well in good lighting, delivering sharp and vibrant selfies. It also supports 1080p video recording, making it ideal for video calls or vlogs.

Battery Life: All-Day Power with Fast Charging

The Huawei Nova 10 Youth is equipped with a 4000mAh battery, which is somewhat standard for smartphones in this category. The efficient Snapdragon 680G chipset and HarmonyOS optimization help the battery last throughout the day with moderate use, including browsing, social media, video streaming, and light gaming.

What really stands out is the 66W wired charging, which Huawei advertises can charge the phone from 0% to 60% in just 15 minutes, and a full charge in 35 minutes. This fast-charging capability makes it easy to quickly top up your phone before heading out for the day.

Additionally, the phone supports 5W reverse charging, allowing you to charge other devices, such as wireless earbuds, from your phone’s battery.

Connectivity & Additional Features

The Huawei Nova 10 Youth comes with dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, ensuring strong and stable internet connectivity. While it lacks NFC and 5G support, it still offers Bluetooth 5.0 and dual-SIM functionality, which is useful for those who need two numbers on the same device.

The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is fast and reliable, while other sensors like the accelerometer, proximity sensor, and compass add to the phone’s overall functionality.

USB Type-C 2.0 with OTG support allows for fast charging and data transfer, but the absence of a 3.5mm headphone jack means users will need to rely on wireless audio options or a USB-C adapter.

Conclusion: A Solid Mid-Range Choice

The Huawei Nova 10 Youth offers a balanced package of features for its price point. With a large, immersive display, powerful Snapdragon 680G processor, excellent camera setup, and fast 66W charging, it delivers a smooth and reliable user experience for daily tasks, photography, and media consumption.

However, its lack of 5G support and expandable storage might be limiting for some users. If you’re looking for a smartphone that combines a high-quality display, solid performance, and great cameras at an affordable price, the Huawei Nova 10 Youth is a compelling option.

Huawei Nova 10 Youth Full Specifications

Feature	Specification
Launch Date	March 4, 2023
Dimensions	164.6 x 75.6 x 7.9 mm (6.48 x 2.98 x 0.31 in)
Weight	191 g (6.74 oz)
Display	6.78 inches, IPS LCD, 1080 x 2388 pixels, 90Hz refresh rate
Operating System	HarmonyOS 2.0
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 680G 4G (6 nm)
CPU	Octa-core (4×2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.9 GHz Cortex-A53)
GPU	Adreno 610
Memory	128GB/8GB RAM, 256GB/8GB RAM
Main Camera	Quad: 108 MP (wide), 8 MP (ultrawide), 2 MP (macro), 2 MP (depth)
Selfie Camera	16 MP, f/2.2, (wide)
Battery	4000 mAh, 66W fast charging, 5W reverse charging
Colors Available	Black, Blue
Price	About 230 EUR
Models	JLN-AL00