Huawei Nova Y63 review
The Nova Y63 suits someone on a tight budget in a region with solid LTE coverage who values screen real estate and two-day battery life over sharpness, processing speed, or charging pace. Anyone who spends time editing photos, gaming, or relying on niche apps should look elsewhere.
This review is written with AI assistance from Huawei’s published specifications and public benchmark data for the Huawei Nova Y63, and the rating is spec-based. GoSolo does not physically test devices; where we estimate real-world behaviour such as battery life or charge time, we say so. How we rate phones.
Overview
The Nova Y63 is a lean budget phone that trades raw power and display sharpness for screen size and multiday battery life. For around 240 EUR, it hits the bare essentials in a market segment where LTE and a large display still matter more than processing muscle.
Design & build
The Nova Y63 is slim and light at 207g and 8.9mm thick, fitting easily in a pocket or small bag. The phone feels deliberately stripped down—no obvious premium materials or distinctive styling—but the engineering is sound and the dual-SIM tray adds real flexibility for people juggling work and personal numbers or traveling between regions. There is no microSD slot, so your 128GB is final; step up to the 6GB RAM variant if you plan to store more apps alongside media.
Display
The 6.75-inch IPS LCD is the Nova Y63's selling point for the money: that much screen real estate rarely appears at this price. The 90Hz refresh is genuine and makes scrolling feel responsive, which matters more than you'd expect on a budget phone. The problem is pixel density. At 260 ppi, text and photos are noticeably soft when you hold the phone at reading distance; fine print on websites blurs, and zooming photos highlights the lack of detail. The 720×1600 resolution is a real compromise, not just a spec sacrifice. If you spend a lot of time reading or editing photos, this will frustrate you. For video playback or casual browsing, the large, smooth screen wins out.
Performance
The Snapdragon 680 handles daily tasks—messaging, calls, light browsing, YouTube—with no stuttering. It is a mainstream entry-level chip designed to do exactly this, and it does it fine. Open three or four apps at once, or fire up any 3D game, and you will feel the limits: animations stall, apps close to free memory, and heavy games are unplayable. The 4GB base RAM makes this worse; the 6GB variant adds some breathing room, but it does not transform the phone into a performance device. This is not a machine for power users or mobile gamers. It is for people who check email, scroll social media, and stream video. For that audience, the Nova Y63 is honest about what it is.
Software
The phone ships with Android 12 and Huawei's EMUI 14.2 skin. Huawei's critical omission: no Google Play Services. You will have to use Huawei's App Gallery to install apps, which lacks the breadth of the Google Play Store. Many popular apps are missing or unavailable—banking apps, certain social media clients, smaller utilities. If your essential apps are available through App Gallery (WhatsApp, Gmail, YouTube, Spotify, and most major names are there), you will adapt. If you rely on niche or regional apps, this phone could be a dealbreaker. For someone in a region where Huawei phones are common and app availability is understood, this is less of a surprise. For others, it is a significant friction point that should influence your decision before purchase.
Camera
The 50MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture and phase-detect autofocus captures sharp, well-exposed photos in daylight. The 26mm focal length is a practical all-rounder, and the LED flash works as expected for emergency low-light shots. The macro lens is a minor novelty rather than a useful tool—2MP is too low to yield detail. Video maxes out at 1080p@30fps with no stabilization listed, which means handheld footage is prone to wobble. The 8MP front camera handles selfies adequately. Overall, this is a capable daytime phone. Low-light shots will be grainy because the sensor and aperture, while decent, are not designed for shadow detail. You are not getting Computational Nightography here; expect conventional low-light results. For a budget buyer who mostly shoots in daylight, it is more than serviceable.
Battery & charging
The 6000 mAh battery is genuinely useful. On light to moderate daily use—messaging, browsing, the odd video—you will comfortably reach two days between charges, sometimes more. Heavy streaming or gaming cuts this to under one day, as expected. The 22.5W wired charging is the weak point. It will take roughly 90 minutes to 2 hours to go from empty to full, which is noticeably slower than the 30W or 33W chargers now standard on similarly priced phones. If you do not have time to charge overnight or find yourself caught short during the day, this speed will annoy you. There is no fast charging technology here, which feels like a missed opportunity at this price.
Connectivity & value
The Nova Y63 is LTE-only with no 5G radio. In markets where 5G is still rolling out or where LTE is robust, this is not an immediate problem. In urban areas where carriers are phasing older networks, LTE speeds can lag when networks are congested. Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) is adequate for home and office but not a future-proof investment. Dual SIM and NFC are welcome touches for the price. At around 240 EUR, the Nova Y63 occupies an interesting middle ground: too underpowered to be a daily driver for anyone doing real work on their phone, but too large and long-lived on battery to dismiss for someone prioritizing endurance and screen size over sharpness or speed. It is a phone for a narrow but real audience—budget-conscious users in stable LTE markets who value size and battery life above processing power or display clarity.
Verdict
The Nova Y63 suits someone on a tight budget in a region with solid LTE coverage who values screen real estate and two-day battery life over sharpness, processing speed, or charging pace. Anyone who spends time editing photos, gaming, or relying on niche apps should look elsewhere.
- 6000 mAh battery comfortably delivers 1.5 to 2 days of light-to-moderate use, a real advantage in this price tier
- 6.75-inch display feels genuinely spacious for everyday browsing and video, unusual for phones this affordable
- 50MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture and phase-detect autofocus takes decent daylight shots without processing lag
- 90Hz refresh makes scrolling noticeably smoother than the 60Hz standard at this price
- 720×1600 resolution on a 6.75-inch screen yields 260 ppi—text reads fuzzy and photos lack sharpness at arm's length
- 22.5W charging is slower than the 30W and 33W chargers now standard on similarly priced rivals
- No 5G and no 5G-capable networks means you're locked into LTE speeds, a real limitation as carriers phase legacy networks
Huawei Nova Y63 Key Specifications
The essentials at a glance. See the full spec sheet.
| Released | 2025, May 07 |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.75 inches, 110.0 cm2 (~84.1% screen-to-body ratio), IPS LCD, 90Hz |
| Resolution | 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~260 ppi density) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM6225 Snapdragon 680 4G (6 nm) |
| RAM & storage | 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM |
| Main camera | 50 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), PDAF 2 MP (macro) |
| Selfie camera | 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide) |
| Battery | 6000 mAh |
| Charging | 22.5W wired |
| Software | Android 12, EMUI 14.2, no Google Play Services |
| Dimensions | 168.3 x 77.7 x 8.9 mm (6.63 x 3.06 x 0.35 in) |
| Weight | 207 g (7.30 oz) |
| Network | GSM / HSPA / LTE |
| NFC | Yes |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 |
Huawei Nova Y63 FAQ
Common questions, answered from the spec sheet.
Does the Nova Y63 support 5G?
No. The Nova Y63 tops out at GSM / HSPA / LTE, without 5G.
What chipset does the Nova Y63 use?
The Nova Y63 runs on the Qualcomm SM6225 Snapdragon 680 4G (6 nm).
What display does the Nova Y63 have?
A 6.75 inches, 110.0 cm2 (~84.1% screen-to-body ratio) IPS LCD, 90Hz, 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~260 ppi density).
How big is the Nova Y63 battery?
The Nova Y63 has a 6000 mAh battery. Charging is rated at 22.5W wired.
Does the Nova Y63 have NFC?
Yes, the Nova Y63 has NFC.
Does the Nova Y63 support a microSD card?
No, the Nova Y63 does not support expandable storage.
Does the Nova Y63 have a headphone jack?
No, the Nova Y63 does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Alternatives to consider
If the Nova Y63 isn’t quite right, these are the closest calls.
Nova Y73
Nova Y72S
nova 14i
nova 13i
N6
