Head to head

Huawei nova 16 SE vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Full specification and price comparison for Pakistan, updated 12 Aug 2026.

The short answer

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the stronger phone of the two, scoring 84 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 389,999.

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The verdict

Spec-derived

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra takes it by 3.1 points on our weighted spec score.

Performance Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra leads

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

Camera Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 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 Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 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 262,000 less.
  • Huawei nova 16 SE packs a 3,500 mAh larger battery.
  • Huawei nova 16 SE charges 21W faster.
  • Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra offers 4 GB more RAM.
  • Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra ships with 512 GB more storage.
  • Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 150 MP higher-resolution main sensor.

Buy the Huawei nova 16 SE if…

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

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra if…

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

Full specification comparison

Specification Huawei nova 16 SE Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Price in Pakistan
Retail price PKR 127,999 Cheaper PKR 389,999
Design & build
Release date August 5, 2026 — China February 17, 2023
Dimensions Not officially confirmed 163.4 × 78.1 × 8.9 mm
Weight 229 g Better 233–234 g (varies slightly by market)
Water resistance IP65 (reported) IP68 dust and water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes)
Display
Screen size 6.84 inches Better 6.8 inches
Resolution 1276 × 2776 pixels 1440 × 3088 pixels (QHD+) Better
Panel type LTPS OLED 120Hz Up to 8,000 nits (reported) Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz Adaptive (1–120Hz)
Protection Kunlun Glass Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Performance
Chipset Huawei Kirin 8020 (7nm) Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy (4nm)
CPU Octa-core 1 × high-performance core + 3 × performance cores + 4 × efficiency cores Octa-core 1 × Cortex-X3 @ 3.36 GHz 2 × Cortex-A715 @ 2.80 GHz 2 × Cortex-A710 @ 2.80 GHz 3 × Cortex-A510 @ 2.00 GHz
GPU Huawei Maleoon Adreno 740
Operating system HarmonyOS 6.1 Android 13, One UI 5.1 (Upgradable)
Memory & storage
RAM 8GB 8GB / 12GB Better
Internal storage 128GB / 256GB / 512GB 256GB / 512GB / 1TB UFS 4.0 (256GB version may use UFS 3.1 in some markets) Better
Card slot No No
Camera
Main camera 50 MP f/1.9 RYYB, reported Huawei Red Maple multispectral sensor LED flash, HDR, panorama, AI photography 200 MP (Wide), f/1.7, OIS 10 MP (3× Telephoto), OIS 10 MP (10× Periscope Telephoto), OIS 12 MP (Ultra-Wide), 120° Laser Autofocus Multi-directional PDAF LED Flash HDR Panorama Expert RAW Nightography 100× Space Zoom 3× Optical Zoom 10× Optical Zoom Better
Selfie camera 32 MP f/2.2 HDR, AI photography Better 12 MP, f/2.2 Dual Pixel PDAF HDR
Video recording Up to 4K@30fps, reported 8K @30fps 4K @30/60fps 1080p up to 240fps Super Steady Video HDR10+ Video
Battery & charging
Battery capacity Li-Ion (non-removable) 8,500 mAh Better Li-Ion (non-removable) 5000 mAh
Wired charging 66W fast charging, reported Better 45W Wired Fast Charging 15W Wireless Charging 4.5W Reverse Wireless Charging (Wireless PowerShare)
Connectivity & extras
SIM Dual Nano-SIM Dual Nano-SIM + eSIM (market dependent)
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7 (Wi-Fi 7 available on select regional variants) Tri-band Wi-Fi Dual-band support (market dependent) Wi-Fi Direct Mobile Hotspot (Wi-Fi Tethering)
Bluetooth Bluetooth 6.0 5.3, A2DP, LE
NFC Yes Yes
Sensors Fingerprint Side-mounted Accelerometer Gyroscope Proximity Ambient Light Compass Color Spectrum / Multispectral Sensor Under-display Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Proximity Sensor Compass (Magnetometer) Barometer Face Unlock (software-based) Auto Brightness Sensor (Ambient Light) Virtual Proximity Sensing Motion & Gesture Recognition Samsung Knox security integration S Pen detection and hover sensing
USB USB Type-C OTG USB Type-C 3.2 OTG supported

“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, Huawei nova 16 SE or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes out ahead on our combined spec score, leading by 3.1 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 Huawei nova 16 SE and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in Pakistan?

Huawei nova 16 SE is listed at PKR 127,999 and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra at PKR 389,999. That makes Huawei nova 16 SE cheaper by PKR 262,000. Retail prices move often, so treat these as indicative.

Which has the better camera, Huawei nova 16 SE or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra scores higher in our camera assessment. Huawei nova 16 SE uses a 50 MP main sensor against 200 MP on Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, though sensor size and processing matter more than resolution alone.

Which phone has the better battery, Huawei nova 16 SE or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?

Huawei nova 16 SE leads on battery. Huawei nova 16 SE carries a 8500 mAh cell and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra a 5000 mAh cell, with 66W and 45W wired charging respectively.

Which is better for gaming, Huawei nova 16 SE or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the stronger gaming phone here. Huawei nova 16 SE runs the Huawei Kirin 8020 (7nm) while Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy (4nm).

Related comparisons

Huawei nova 16 SE vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 Pro Max Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 Pro Max Huawei nova 16 SE vs Tecno Camon 19 Pro 5G Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Tecno Camon 19 Pro 5G Huawei nova 16 SE vs Tecno Camon 30 5G Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Tecno Camon 30 5G Huawei nova 16 SE vs Tecno Camon 40 Pro 4G Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Tecno Camon 40 Pro 4G

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.