Head to head

Huawei nova 16 SE vs Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro

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

The short answer

The Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro is the stronger phone of the two, scoring 87 against 81 on our combined specification score. It leads on performance, camera and memory & storage. The Huawei nova 16 SE still wins on 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 145,999.

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The verdict

Spec-derived

Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro takes it by 5.8 points on our weighted spec score.

Performance Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro leads

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

Camera Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro leads

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

Battery & charging Level

Cell capacity in mAh weighted with rated wired charging output.

Display Level

Pixel density, refresh rate and panel technology.

Memory & storage Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro 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 18,000 less.
  • Huawei nova 16 SE packs a 2,500 mAh larger battery.
  • Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro charges 1W faster.
  • Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro offers 8 GB more RAM.

Buy the Huawei nova 16 SE if…

you care most about value for money.

Buy the Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro if…

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

Full specification comparison

Specification Huawei nova 16 SE Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro
Price in Pakistan
Retail price PKR 127,999 Cheaper PKR 145,999
Design & build
Release date August 5, 2026 — China May 22, 2025
Dimensions Not officially confirmed 157.05 × 73.2 × 7.65 mm
Weight 229 g 181 g Better
Water resistance IP65 (reported) No Official IP Rating
Display
Screen size 6.84 inches Better 6.55 inches
Resolution 1276 × 2776 pixels Better 1236 × 2750 pixels (1.5K)
Panel type LTPS OLED 120Hz Up to 8,000 nits (reported) AMOLED, 68 Billion Colors, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR Vivid 120Hz Adaptive
Protection Kunlun Glass Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Performance
Chipset Huawei Kirin 8020 (7nm) Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 (4nm)
CPU Octa-core 1 × high-performance core + 3 × performance cores + 4 × efficiency cores Octa-core 1× Cortex-X4 @ 3.21 GHz 3× Cortex-A720 @ 3.0 GHz 2× Cortex-A720 @ 2.8 GHz 2× Cortex-A720 @ 2.0 GHz
GPU Huawei Maleoon Adreno 825
Operating system HarmonyOS 6.1 Android 15, HyperOS 2
Memory & storage
RAM 8GB 12GB / 16GB LPDDR5X Better
Internal storage 128GB / 256GB / 512GB 256GB / 512GB UFS 4.0
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 50MP Leica Wide Camera (OIS) 50MP Leica Telephoto Camera 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera Leica color tuning 4K video recording HDR Panorama Night Mode
Selfie camera 32 MP f/2.2 HDR, AI photography 50MP Selfie Camera Autofocus HDR Better
Video recording Up to 4K@30fps, reported 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 720p OIS + EIS (Rear), EIS (Front)
Battery & charging
Battery capacity Li-Ion (non-removable) 8,500 mAh Better 6000mAh Silicon-Carbon Battery
Wired charging 66W fast charging, reported 67W Wired Fast Charging Better
Connectivity & extras
SIM Dual Nano-SIM Dual Nano-SIM, Dual Standby (DSDS)
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be), Dual-Band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth Bluetooth 6.0 v5.4 with A2DP, LE, LHDC, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive
NFC Yes Yes
Sensors Fingerprint Side-mounted Accelerometer Gyroscope Proximity Ambient Light Compass Color Spectrum / Multispectral Sensor Optical In-display Fingerprint Sensor Face Unlock Accelerometer Gyroscope Proximity Sensor Compass Ambient Light Sensor Barometer Snapdragon Elite Gaming Adreno Frame Motion Engine Game Turbo Liquid Cooling System AI Performance Optimization
USB USB Type-C OTG USB Type-C 2.0, 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, Huawei nova 16 SE or Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro?

Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro comes out ahead on our combined spec score, leading by 5.8 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 Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro in Pakistan?

Huawei nova 16 SE is listed at PKR 127,999 and Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro at PKR 145,999. That makes Huawei nova 16 SE cheaper by PKR 18,000. Retail prices move often, so treat these as indicative.

Which has the better camera, Huawei nova 16 SE or Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro?

Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro scores higher in our camera assessment. Both use comparable main sensors, so day to day results come down to processing.

Which is better for gaming, Huawei nova 16 SE or Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro?

Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro is the stronger gaming phone here. Huawei nova 16 SE runs the Huawei Kirin 8020 (7nm) while Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 (4nm).

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Huawei nova 16 SE vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 Pro Max Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 Pro Max Huawei nova 16 SE vs Tecno Camon 19 Pro 5G Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro vs Tecno Camon 19 Pro 5G Huawei nova 16 SE vs Tecno Camon 30 5G Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro vs Tecno Camon 30 5G Huawei nova 16 SE vs Tecno Camon 40 Pro 4G Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro 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.