Huawei Pura 80 Ultra: Huawei’s back with another photography powerhouse, and this time they’re not messing around. The Pura 80 Ultra, launched in June 2025, feels like the company’s boldest statement yet about what smartphone cameras can actually achieve. After years of being pushed out of mainstream markets, Huawei’s doubling down on what they do best – creating phones that make professional photographers take notice.

What immediately grabs your attention isn’t just the specs sheet, though that’s impressive enough. It’s the fact that Huawei managed to pack two periscope telephoto lenses into one camera module, sharing a single sensor. That’s not just engineering wizardry – it’s borderline crazy, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Design and Display Excellence

The Pura 80 Ultra doesn’t try to reinvent smartphone design, but it doesn’t need to. At 163 x 76.1 x 8.3mm and weighing 233.5 grams, it’s substantial without being unwieldy. The signature triangular camera bump on the back isn’t just for show – it houses some seriously advanced optics that justify the prominent placement. Available in Gold and Black variants, the device screams premium from every angle.

The 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display is where Huawei really shows off. With a 1276 x 2848 pixel resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, everything looks incredibly sharp and smooth. The peak brightness hits 3000 nits, which means you can actually see your screen in direct sunlight – something that sounds basic but surprisingly few phones get right. The 8T LTPO technology intelligently adjusts the refresh rate based on what you’re doing, saving battery while keeping animations fluid.

What I appreciate most is the attention to viewing comfort. The 1440Hz PWM dimming reduces eye strain during extended use, while HDR10+ support makes streaming content look genuinely impressive. Kunlun Glass 2 protection adds durability without affecting touch sensitivity.

Performance That Delivers

Under the hood, the Kirin 9020 processor powers the show. Now, before anyone starts comparing benchmark scores to Snapdragon flagships, let’s be honest about what this phone is really for. The Kirin 9020 is built with three CPU clusters running at 2.5GHz, 2.15GHz, and 1.6GHz, delivering solid performance for everyday tasks and photo processing.

Huawei claims 36% improved performance over the Pura 70 series, and in real-world usage, that translates to snappy app launches, smooth multitasking, and responsive camera operations. The 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM ensures everything stays loaded in memory, while storage options go up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 – plenty of space for those massive photo files the camera system produces.

The performance isn’t about gaming benchmarks or synthetic scores. It’s about having enough power to handle Huawei’s computational photography algorithms in real-time, and in that regard, the Kirin 9020 delivers admirably.

Camera Innovation That Actually Matters

Here’s where things get genuinely exciting. The main camera features a massive 50MP sensor with a 1-inch type sensor, which is larger than what you’ll find in most flagship phones. This isn’t just about megapixel count – larger sensors capture more light, resulting in better low-light performance and more natural-looking photos.

The real party trick is the dual periscope telephoto system. Instead of having two separate telephoto cameras, Huawei engineered a switchable system where two telephoto lenses share a single camera sensor. This allows for both 3.5x and 10x optical zoom levels without compromising image quality. The engineering complexity here is staggering, and early samples show it actually works as advertised.

The 40MP ultrawide camera captures expansive scenes without the usual edge distortion, while additional sensors for spectral analysis and depth mapping round out the system. A 13MP front camera handles selfies and video calls with decent quality, though it’s clearly not the focus here.

Video capabilities include 4K recording with impressive stabilization, though Huawei’s strength has always been in still photography. The computational photography features, including improved night mode and portrait processing, showcase what happens when hardware innovation meets software expertise.

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Battery Life and Charging Technology

The 5700mAh battery supports 100W wired charging, 80W wireless charging, and 18W reverse charging. In practical terms, that means all-day battery life even with heavy camera usage, and incredibly fast charging when you need to top up. The 100W wired charging can take the battery from empty to full in around 30 minutes, which is genuinely impressive for a battery this large.

The wireless charging speed of 80W is faster than most phones’ wired charging, making it practical for daily use rather than just a convenient backup option.

Huawei Pura 80 Ultra: Software and Ecosystem Considerations

Running HarmonyOS 5.1, the software experience is smooth and feature-rich, though the elephant in the room remains Google services. In China, this isn’t an issue, but international users need to consider whether they can live without the Google ecosystem. The camera features, AI capabilities, and overall performance are excellent, but app availability remains a consideration.

With pricing expected around ₹1,18,990 in India, the Pura 80 Ultra positions itself as a premium camera-focused flagship. It’s not trying to be everything to everyone – it’s specifically designed for users who prioritize photography above all else. If you’re willing to work around software limitations for genuinely innovative camera technology, the Pura 80 Ultra delivers something unique in the smartphone market.