• Huawei has a trio of new Nova smartphones launching in South Africa this week.
• The Nova 11i is already available to purchase and will be joined by the Nova 11 and 11 Pro.
• Recommended pricing for the Nova 11 starts at R649 per month (24-month contract).

Huawei has a trio of new smartphones slated to launch in South Africa, but it’s actually two.

Allow us to explain. The company is set to launch both the Nova 11 and 11 Pro this week, with the Nova 11i debuting locally earlier in the year and already available to purchase in SA for a recommended price of R5 999.

As such, our focus is on the two new additions even though there will be three Nova 11 models to purchase in SA.

Now that’s cleared up, let’s look at what’s on offer as the Nova 11 and 11 Pro head into a rather crowded and well-specced mid-range market.

To that end, both new models are featuring many of the same specifications, with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 778 4G chipset on hand, as well as 8GB RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. Added to this is a 4 500mAh battery, along with a 50MP shooter on the rear and 60MP option up front for both phones.

The key differentiator between the two then is the display size and rear covers. Regarding the former, the 11 Pro is slightly larger with a 6.78″ screen compared to the Nova 11’s 6.7″ flavour. As for the rear cover, the 11 Pro features a vegan leather option that comes in Green or Black, along with the Nova logo being embossed in a pattern that reminds us of some Gucci bags.

Huawei has not set a firm date on the release of the two new phones, but you can already find them on the local Huawei online store, with the Nova 11 listed at R12 999 and the 11 Pro at R16 999.

As mentioned, with the local mid-range market already stacked with plenty of great options, the lack of 5G and GMS may be a dealbreaker for some, but in recent years, Nova has remained the company’s best selling line up.