Head to head

Asus ROG Phone 9 vs Huawei nova 16 SE

Full specification and price comparison for Pakistan, updated 25 Jan 2026.

The short answer

The Asus ROG Phone 9 is the stronger phone of the two, scoring 91 against 81 on our combined specification score. It leads on performance, camera and memory & storage. The Huawei nova 16 SE still wins on battery & charging and value for money, so it remains the better choice if that is your priority. The Huawei nova 16 SE is the cheaper of the two at PKR 127,999 against PKR 347,999.

View raw data
Add another phone to this comparison

Up to 4 devices can share one comparison table.

The verdict

Spec-derived

Asus ROG Phone 9 takes it by 9.9 points on our weighted spec score.

Performance Asus ROG Phone 9 leads

Gaming score where available, otherwise chipset tier plus usable RAM.

Camera Asus ROG Phone 9 leads

Camera Score where available, otherwise sensor resolution and lens count. Megapixels alone do not measure image quality.

Battery & charging Huawei nova 16 SE leads

Cell capacity in mAh weighted with rated wired charging output.

Display Level

Pixel density, refresh rate and panel technology.

Memory & storage Asus ROG Phone 9 leads

Highest advertised RAM and internal storage configuration.

Value for money Huawei nova 16 SE leads

Combined spec score divided by current Pakistani retail price.

What actually differs

  • Huawei nova 16 SE costs PKR 220,000 less.
  • Huawei nova 16 SE packs a 2,700 mAh larger battery.
  • Huawei nova 16 SE charges 1W faster.
  • Asus ROG Phone 9 offers 8 GB more RAM.

Buy the Asus ROG Phone 9 if…

you care most about performance, camera and memory & storage.

Buy the Huawei nova 16 SE if…

you care most about battery & charging and value for money.

Full specification comparison

Specification Asus ROG Phone 9 Huawei nova 16 SE
Price in Pakistan
Retail price PKR 347,999 PKR 127,999 Cheaper
Design & build
Release date November 19, 2024 (Official global launch) August 5, 2026 — China
Dimensions 163.8 × 76.8 × 8.9 mm Not officially confirmed
Weight 227 g Better 229 g
Water resistance IP68 dust/water resistant IP65 (reported)
Display
Screen size 6.78 inches 6.84 inches Better
Resolution 1080 × 2400 pixels 1276 × 2776 pixels Better
Panel type AMOLED, HDR Up to 185Hz (Game Genie) LTPS OLED 120Hz Up to 8,000 nits (reported)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Kunlun Glass
Performance
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (SM8750-AB) Huawei Kirin 8020 (7nm)
CPU Octa-core (2×4.32 GHz + 6×3.53 GHz) Octa-core 1 × high-performance core + 3 × performance cores + 4 × efficiency cores
GPU Adreno 830 Huawei Maleoon
Operating system Android 15 (ROG UI) HarmonyOS 6.1
Memory & storage
RAM 12 GB / 16 GB Better 8GB
Internal storage 256 GB / 512 GB 128GB / 256GB / 512GB
Card slot No No
Camera
Main camera 50 MP (wide, Sony Lytia 700, OIS) 13 MP (ultrawide) 5 MP (macro) 50 MP f/1.9 RYYB, reported Huawei Red Maple multispectral sensor LED flash, HDR, panorama, AI photography
Selfie camera 32 MP RGBW 32 MP f/2.2 HDR, AI photography
Video recording 8K@30fps 4K@30/60fps 1080p@30/60/120/240fps Up to 4K@30fps, reported
Battery & charging
Battery capacity Non-removable Li-Po 5800 mAh Li-Ion (non-removable) 8,500 mAh Better
Wired charging 65W wired Wireless charging Reverse charging 66W fast charging, reported Better
Connectivity & extras
SIM Dual Nano-SIM Dual Nano-SIM
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7 Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 6.0
NFC Yes Yes
Sensors Fingerprint (under-display) Accelerometer Gyroscope Compass Proximity Fingerprint Side-mounted Accelerometer Gyroscope Proximity Ambient Light Compass Color Spectrum / Multispectral Sensor
USB USB Type-C 3.2, OTG USB Type-C OTG

“Better” marks the higher (or, for price and weight, the lower) figure. It is a specification difference, not a judgement about real-world experience.

Questions people ask

Which is better, Asus ROG Phone 9 or Huawei nova 16 SE?

Asus ROG Phone 9 comes out ahead on our combined spec score, leading by 9.9 points. It wins on performance, camera and memory & storage. Huawei nova 16 SE can still be the better buy if your priorities sit elsewhere or if you find it at a lower street price.

What is the price of Asus ROG Phone 9 and Huawei nova 16 SE in Pakistan?

Asus ROG Phone 9 is listed at PKR 347,999 and Huawei nova 16 SE at PKR 127,999. That makes Huawei nova 16 SE cheaper by PKR 220,000. Retail prices move often, so treat these as indicative.

Which has the better camera, Asus ROG Phone 9 or Huawei nova 16 SE?

Asus ROG Phone 9 scores higher in our camera assessment. Both use comparable main sensors, so day to day results come down to processing.

Which phone has the better battery, Asus ROG Phone 9 or Huawei nova 16 SE?

Huawei nova 16 SE leads on battery. Asus ROG Phone 9 carries a 5800 mAh cell and Huawei nova 16 SE a 8500 mAh cell, with 65W and 66W wired charging respectively.

Which is better for gaming, Asus ROG Phone 9 or Huawei nova 16 SE?

Asus ROG Phone 9 is the stronger gaming phone here. Asus ROG Phone 9 runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (SM8750-AB) while Huawei nova 16 SE runs the Huawei Kirin 8020 (7nm).

Related comparisons

Asus ROG Phone 9 vs Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 Huawei nova 16 SE vs Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 Asus ROG Phone 9 vs Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max Huawei nova 16 SE vs Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max Asus ROG Phone 9 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 Pro Max Huawei nova 16 SE vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 Pro Max Asus ROG Phone 9 vs Tecno Camon 19 Pro 5G Huawei nova 16 SE vs Tecno Camon 19 Pro 5G

Tools that use this data

Camera Score Tool Battery Score Tool Gaming Performance Checker AI Mobile Recommendation Tool All comparisons

Scores are calculated from the published hardware specification of each device using the same formula for every phone on WhatMobilePK — they are not paid placements and they are not laboratory test results. Prices are indicative Pakistani retail prices and change frequently.