Latest news with #Pura80Ultra
Phone Arena
a day ago
- Phone Arena
Huawei Pura 80 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Suspended animation
Huawei suffered a critical blow back in 2019 when the company was put on the "Entities" list and subsequently banned from the US. Despite all the troubles that followed suit, the brand has stuck with its smartphone portfolio and has not only survived but also managed to keep innovating and latest brainchild of this process is the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra, a camera-centric phone with some clever tech inside. And to see what's changed and what upgrades Huawei has brought to the table in this model, we're going to compare it to its predecessor, the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra. Both phones are heavy on camera specs; they sport 1-inch sensors, but the Pura 80 Ultra has a very interesting dual telephoto camera on board. Without further ado, let's see how the Pura 80 Ultra stacks up against the previous model, the Pura 70 Ultra. Huawei Pura 80 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra differences: Table of Contents: Design Display Performance Camera Battery Specs Summary These two employ the same design language, namely the quad-curved display and back, with a triangular camera bump on the back. However, there are some differences. The Pura 80 Ultra expanded the camera system quite a bit; the camera rings are much bigger, the XMAGE logo is now inside, and the whole system is substantially old Huawei Pura 70 Ultra manages a thinner camera bump, mainly due to the motorized pop-up main camera. In order to utilize the full surface of the 1-inch sensor, the lens just has to be at a certain distance, so you either go for a thick camera bump or a clever motorized pop-up setup. The Pura 80 Ultra gave up this, but that's a fair trade-off, as there's another motorized system at play inside. More on this later. Size-wise, both phones are quite similar, with the Pura 80 Ultra being a tad taller and a millimeter wider, mainly because the curvature of the screen is not as aggressive as the one on the older weights are also quite close; the difference is under 10 grams, which you might think is unperceivable. What's absolutely clear, though, is that the camera bump of the Pura 80 Ultra adds a lot of weight toward the top of the phone, making it a bit hard to hold firmly. The building blocks are largely the same; we have an aluminum frame and Huawei's proprietary tempered glass (called Kunlun glass) on the front and back. The Pura 70 Ultra opts for a different back material, it's a silicone polymer that mimics leather. The button placement is the same, the ports are in the same spots, you get the picture. Both phones sport IP68 water and dust resistance, a standard among modern flagships. Let's check out all available colors. The last year's model featured some cool colors and materials on the back, the aforementioned faux leather look with a stylish diamond pattern. The color palette is better; there are green and brown variants, not conventional colors for a flagship. The new Pura 80 Ultra comes in just two colors—Prestige Gold and Golden Black. These are very stylish, we must say. The black variant gives off ceramic vibes, and the golden one comes very close to real gold. They both look stunning in person. Display Differences The Huawei Pura 80 Ultra features a 6.8-inch AMOLED panel. The resolution is 1276 x 2848 pixels, resulting in around 459 PPI pixel density, and the display also uses LTPO tech, meaning it can dynamically change its refresh rate up to 120 Hz. Huawei cites 3000 nits of peak brightness, but we'll check this one out during our display not much of a difference compared to the old model; the Pura 70 Ultra features a very similar panel with the same 6.8-inch diagonal, a very similar resolution (1260 x 2844 pixels), and the same 120 Hz refresh rate as the new model. The pixel density is almost identical at 460 PPI, and the slight difference is down to aspect ratio and the softer curvature of the new model. Time for some tests! Well, our display tests confirmed the suspicion that we're talking about very similar panels here. The brightness is better on the Pura 80 Ultra, but not by much. What's interesting is that the minimum brightness and the color accuracy are both better on the older model. The difference isn't huge, and for all intents and purposes we should treat these two panels as equally good. They are not the brightest out there, but we didn't have any trouble under direct sunlight, so there's also that. The US ban has made sourcing silicon quite an endeavor for Huawei, and the company has had to develop its own chips in-house. The Kirin 9020 and Kirin 9010 inside the Pura 80 Ultra and 70 Ultra, respectively, use the same 7 nm manufacturing process and also have very similar core configurations. The Pura 80 Ultra features 1x2.5 GHz Taishan Big & 3x2.15 GHz Taishan Mid & 4x1.6GHz Cortex-A510, while the previous generation Pura 70 Ultra comes equipped with 1x2.3 GHz Taishan Big & 3x2.18 GHz Taishan Mid & 4x1.55 GHz Cortex-A510. As you can see, all Huawei did was a slight tweak in clock speed, so we don't expect a huge difference in performance. In terms of RAM and storage, the situation is almost identical. The Pura 70 Ultra featured one variant with 12GB of RAM, but Huawei has dropped it in the new Pura 80 Ultra. We have 16GB of RAM and two storage variants on the new model—512GB and 1TB. Time for some benchmarks! Our suspicions have been confirmed. The Huawei Pura 80 Ultra is actually slower in single-core tasks, and even though the 3DMark score of the new model is substantially better than what the Pura 70 Ultra can achieve, thermal throttling is an issue on both models, bringing down the sustained performance to very similar and also quite unimpressive levels. The software situation is very muddy, so to speak. Huawei doesn't disclose the actual upgrade cycle, but digging around the forums, we found that you're probably getting one or two major updates, which is not ideal. Both phones run the EMUI operating system, which is Android-based with a HarmonyOS skin on top, but due to restrictions and regulations, it's kind of a dead-end OS. In China Huawei peddles full-blown HarmonyOS that's integrated with other gadgets in the ecosystem, but we won't see this globally anytime soon. The camera department is where innovation lives when it comes to Huawei smartphones. The company has always been strong in the smartphone photography game, ever since the P30, which was one of the best camera phones of its Pura 80 Ultra builds upon what its predecessor managed to achieve. The new model features the same 1-inch sensor as the Pura 70 Ultra and the same ultrawide camera, but it introduces a unique double telephoto system. It uses a motor to move the prism under the periscope lenses, thus providing different focal lengths while using the same image sensor. The result is a telephoto camera with two switchable focal lengths—83 mm and 212 mm, or, if we measure the magnification compared to the main camera, 3.7X and 9.4X zoom. Let's quickly run through the camera specs of both phones. Looking at our lab camera tests, it's clear that the Pura 80 Ultra excels when it comes to zoom (guess that switchable telephoto is the main culprit). The other scores are quite similar, which is not surprising, given the same hardware and the limited software development. Specs are just specs, and lab tests in a controlled environment can only do so much, so where things get real is camera samples. So, let's snap some and compare! Samples from the main camera look quite similar when it comes to quality and resolved detail, but there are some differences. The color palette and the used presets lean toward a reddish tint in the Pura 80 Ultra, while the Pura 70 Ultra produces yellowish photos (check out the pavement difference in the samples above). That said, these two are very close. The zoom samples at 3.5X and 3.7X, respectively, also look similar, but here the difference in tonality is even more clear. The Pura 80 Ultra sample looks brighter, and the colors are more saturated, while the Pura 70 Ultra has this warm and soft quality to the image. As far as quality, detail, dynamic range, and sharpness go, again, both are very close. The telephoto samples tell a different story. As the Pura 70 Ultra caps at 3.5X optical and doesn't sport a switchable telephoto, there's some loss in quality at 10X. The Pura 80 Ultra, on the other hand, manages to preserve more details; the sharpness is quite natural (while the digital zoom on the Pura 70 Ultra makes the photo a tad grainy); and all in all, there is a huge difference in favor of the Pura 80 Ultra (as we already saw in the lab tests). The ultrawide cameras are identical on these two, and so are the samples. There's a slight variation in the applied color preset; again, the Pura 70 Ultra has a warm, yellow-green quality to the photo, while the Pura 80 Ultra produces a punchier red color tone. Selfies look somewhat better on the older Pura 70 Ultra. The quality and resolved detail are both very similar, but the exposure is handled better on the Pura 70 Ultra. The new model tends to overexpose the background. The Huawei Pura 80 Ultra offers two different battery capacities, depending on the market. The international version includes a 5,170 mAh cell, while the Chinese model has a much bigger 5,700 mAh battery on board. This implies that the Far East version has a silicon-carbon battery, but the international version has a standard lithium-ion cell, probably due to restrictions and regulations. The Pura 70 Ultra comes equipped with a 5,200 mAh battery, very similar capacity to the international version of the new model. There's no silicon-carbon technology on board. Sadly, we couldn't get our battery benchmarks to run on the Pura 70 Ultra, so we can't directly compare it to its successor. Subjectively though, both phones seem to drain their batteries in a very similar manner. The same goes for the fast charging. Both use the same 100W wired charger, and the wireless speeds cap at 80W if you happen to have the proprietary fast charger. For all intents and purposes, you can take the Pura 80 Ultra result in this benchmark and apply it to both models. It turns out there's very little in terms of upgrades when we compare the Pura 70 Ultra and its successor, the Pura 80 Ultra. Hence the title of this comparison. Huawei seems to be in a state of suspended animation, at least when it comes to the global smartphone Kirin 9020 chipset is just an overclocked version of the Kirin 9010, and the difference in performance is nonexistent in some tests. The battery and charging are the same between these two phones, and the display panels are almost identical too. The only difference lies in the camera system. The Pura 80 Ultra has a brand-new dual telephoto with switchable focal lengths, but other than that, both the main camera and the ultrawide have been carried over from the previous model.
Phone Arena
2 days ago
- Phone Arena
Two telephoto cameras in one! A revolution or a gimmick?
Smartphone photography is constantly evolving and pushing the boundaries of what is possible. It's one of the last areas where innovation still drives the industry forward. From big one-inch sensors to variable apertures to sophisticated continuous zoom camera systems, we've seen it all. Or have we? The latest seed of ingenuity in that department sprouted a very intriguing dual periscope telephoto system. It's nested on the back of the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra, and today we're going to find out how it operates and, most importantly, if it's worth the hype. Two focal lengths in one camera? The system uses two objective lenses | Image by Huawei A quick glance at the specs of the Pura 80 Ultra gives us the following description: "Get crystal-clear images from far away to up close, thanks to 3.7x and 9.4x dual optical zoom on the groundbreaking Switchable Dual Telephoto Camera." This doesn't give us much, but going deep into the specs, we find that the system provides two different focal length equivalents, 83 and 212 mm, using one 50MP sensor. Sony did a similar thing but the system incorporates moving lenses inside | Image by Sony Some of you might remember that Sony did something similar with its periscope system—the Xperia 1 III was the first phone to feature a variable telephoto with two separate focal lengths—70 mm and 105 mm—all in one camera. Sony perfected the system later and made the zoom continuous, offering the whole zoom range between the two focal lengths in small steps. The system in the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra is different. How does it work? Two fixed lenses and a moving prism There's a system that physically moves the prism under the objective lenses | Image by Huawei While Sony is moving some elements inside the telephoto with precise actuators to achieve continuous zoom, Huawei has opted for a simpler approach. Two lenses are fixed on the surface of the camera—you can see them on the ring at the back of the telephoto camera. Underneath there's a prism that directs the light toward the other elements of the system. This is the so-called "periscope" design. The light is reflected at a 90-degree angle by the prism to allow the other lenses to be positioned longitudinally inside the body, bypassing the thickness limitation of modern smartphones. Huawei has motorized this prism, and it is physically moving under the two fixed objective lenses of the telephoto camera. This physically changes the focal length between the objective lens and the sensor, and you're getting two magnification levels. There are advantages and disadvantages to this kind of a system | Image by PhoneArena Why do this in the first place? There are some benefits and drawbacks to such a system. First, it saves a lot of space. You're getting two telephoto cameras in the space of one. It's still a big system that needs to find space for the moving parts, the actuators, and various sensors, but it's more compact than two separate telephoto cameras—such as the ones used on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. This is even more important when you have a big 1-inch sensor for the main camera. In the previous iteration of the phone, the Pura 70 Ultra, Huawei motorized the lens above the main camera to be able to use the whole surface of the sensor without making the camera bump enormous. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra and its pop up main camera Now, the Pura 80 Ultra sports one of the biggest camera bumps we've seen to date, and it's probably due to the fact that the main lens doesn't pop up anymore. It just needs to be at a certain distance to utilize the whole surface of the sensor. Our guess is that Huawei couldn't find the space for two motorized systems and decided to go the switchable telephoto route. Another advantage of such a system over the more complicated continuous zoom that the latest Xperia phones have is the simplicity of this solution. There's no need for complicated and precise actuators and no need for sophisticated software to run them to get good results. Now for the drawbacks. Having a moving part inside a system is always a compromise with its durability. These systems are stress tested and can survive hundreds of thousands of operations, but still, it's a weak link that's prone to failure, especially if you accidentally drop your phone. The second trade-off with such a fixed system is that using one sensor for two focal lengths means that you won't be able to utilize the whole surface of that sensor, as the focal area shrinks with magnification. This is the reason why the 9.4x mode of the telephoto inside the Pura 80 Ultra is listed as 12.5MP, while the 3.7x uses the whole 50MP of the sensor. This is all too technical, and what really matters the most is the end result. Results Portrait samples look really good at both 3.7X and 9.4X magnification. There's no squashing, and the face isn't elongated. The quality is also quite good, although the algorithms have smeared a couple of hair strands on the second picture. You can use the 9.4X mode to snap some close-ups, read signs, or capture stunning wildlife photos (sadly, all grizzly bears were absent at the time of our shootout). The McDonald's above was about 100 yards away when we took the picture, and the details are still there; you can read the Pay Station sign or the plate of the vehicle in the top left. Dual telephoto—a revolution or a gimmick? Can a phone replace a good telephoto lens? Probably not... | Image by PixaBay The beauty of this system is its relative simplicity. There are no super-precise actuators or complicated software to make sense of the continuous zoom. The megapixel count of modern sensors is high enough to allow for the compromise with the focal surface we talked about, and companies can choose two focal lengths that are the most useful. In the case of the Pura 80 Ultra, the 83 mm focal length is just great for portraits; there's less distortion compared to wider lenses, and images look more natural. On the other hand, 212 mm ventures into the "real" telephoto territory, providing a great tool for wildlife and sports photography. So, we're quite impressed with Huawei's idea and execution and would love to see similar systems on more phones. Imagine a compact iPhone 18 with such a system, coupled with Apple's processing power. This could also be a solution to be used in the upcoming trend of super-slim phones. When you switch to Total Wireless, keep your number & grab 3 mo. of 5G We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
GSM Arena
4 days ago
- GSM Arena
Google Pixel 10 lineup shown in multiple leaks, Week 30 in review Comments
Huawei has switchable lenses on the Pura 80 Ultra, iOS 26 is here, Week 24 in review
Android Authority
24-07-2025
- Android Authority
This is my favorite camera phone of the year, and I wish I could tell you to buy it, but I can't
Odd camera designs are all the rage right now, and the latest HUAWEI flagship is jumping right into this trend. The Pura 80 Ultra is the Chinese company's latest effort, and once again, it doesn't disappoint when it comes to the photographic experience… but it comes with a familiar set of caveats for anyone keeping up with HUAWEI's situation. I recently took the phone on a trip to Dubai and took a whole bunch of samples to test it out, and I think it's my favorite camera phone of 2025. Because of that, I just wish I could tell any dedicated smartphone photographers to rush out and buy it — but I can't. A one-inch camera with a phone attached to it Paul Jones / Android Authority I first want to touch on the biggest draw of this phone: its one-inch 50MP camera with variable f/1.6-f/4.0 aperture. This camera excels outdoors, capturing superb detail in the bright sunny conditions of Dubai. The dynamic range is probably among the best I've seen for a long time. I took a few shots comparing this to my daily driver, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and there is a clear winner. Check out the video at the top of this article for all my comparison samples. At a glance, the photos don't look massively different between Samsung's top dog and HUAWEI's new pup, but when you start to look a little closer, the Pura 80 Ultra clearly captures more detail. It handles colors better and more accurately, too, and overall, it just produces a much better photo. HUAWEI made a big deal about the Pura 80 Ultra at night, suggesting that its one-inch sensor should capture some good, true-to-life pictures. That is mainly true, especially when you compare the results to the Samsung flagship. The primary lens captures much more light, the colors are more accurate, and there isn't as much noise in the photo from the Pura 80 Ultra compared to the S25 Ultra. The HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra's main camera gives it a huge photography boost over even the best in the business. As for video, the Pura 80 Ultra is right up there once again. It can do 4K 60fps only, so no 4K 120fps or 8K, but I can live without these options when both daylight and low light results are so impressive. The image is sharp and has great dynamic range in bright conditions. My favorite thing is how well the phone stabilizes the sensor — it's almost gimbal-like. Even in low light, the one-inch sensor means it can capture some pretty impressive scenes, whether it's fish in an aquarium or a fancy boat ride down the middle of Dubai The HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra offers three additional cameras, including a 50MP f/2.4 83mm 3.7x telephoto, a 12.5MP f/3.6 212mm 9.4x periscope, and a 40MP f/2.2 13mm ultrawide. Let's talk about the latter. Compared to the primary camera, the Pura 80 Ultra's ultrawide is disappointing. For nighttime photography, it produces rather noisy results and doesn't capture nearly as much detail as you would want. But during the day, it gives you some nice wide shots perfect for vlogs or broader viewscapes. Paul Jones / Android Authority In daylight, results are a little better, but there's some noticeable distortion around the closer parts of the image. I think the S25 Ultra's 50MP ultrawide lens has a leg up in some scenarios. There's more detail in the closer section of the scene, but the Pura 80 Ultra grabs more detail in further away subjects. It's a bit of a 'pick what you like' situation. The Pura 80 Ultra's other innovative trick is its dual lens zoom system, which seamlessly switches lenses based on your optical zoom requirements. One of the standout features of the Pura 80 Ultra is its dual optical zoom lenses, reaching up to 9.4x optical zoom. HUAWEI told me that the telephoto sensor on the Pura 80 Ultra is the same size as the main camera on the S25 Ultra, which is pretty huge. This dual lens system is different because it automatically switches lenses depending on the selected focal range. The details that the telescope zoom captures are so good. Sometimes, grabbing shots is a little slow, so I suggest not using it to capture moving objects. However, for still subjects, I have no complaints. What else does the Pura 80 Ultra offer? Paul Jones / Android Authority We know the cameras are good, but how else does the Pura 80 Ultra hold up? Up front, there's a 6.8-inch 120Hz display, which offers a peak brightness of 3,000 nits — that's plenty for all viewing scenarios. The battery is also pretty good, with a 5,170mAh capacity that supports 100W wired and 80W wireless charging (with proprietary accessories). Rather strangely, it has a side-mounted fingerprint reader rather than an ultrasonic unit in the screen. I'm not a fan of this choice considering the phone's premium price tag of ~$1,400. Despite its excellent camera chops, the Pura 80 Ultra is still a HUAWEI device in 2025, and that means severe software shortcomings. Sadly, the biggest letdown here is the software. It doesn't really matter how well the in-house Kirin 9020 SoC performs (it does just fine) because the software would put most people off. Yes, I like the UI; it's intuitive, friendly, quick, and familiar, but the phone still lacks Google Play services and is running on Android 12 as a knock-on of the ongoing HUAWEI-US trade ban. While I've since got it to work, I also couldn't get the microG workaround to function during my Dubai trip, so I was stuck without most of Google's products unless I used them directly through a browser. There are other third-party options to access Google Play services, but none are guaranteed to be stable or reliable. I know some people don't mind taking time to set this up, but it takes far too much effort for most users. The lack of NFC payment support as a result also hampered me quite a bit. Chinese phones have been leading the industry with one-inch sensors for quite a while, with the OPPO Find X8 Ultra, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, and now the Pura 80 Ultra following suit with HUAWEI's own impressive take on the tech. The camera housing is enormous, but I don't mind it because it packs an incredible set of cameras… I just wish I could continue using the rest of the phone without the invasive software caveats.
Khaleej Times
23-07-2025
- Khaleej Times
Smartphone photography enters a new era with Pura 80 Ultra
The smartphone scene has become a bit disappointing in recent years. There are no head-turning features or jaw-dropping innovations. Some minor spec bumps and a fresh coat of paint is all we have been getting year after year. Many have given up waiting with bated breath. That's when Huawei, the same brand that brought us the first-ever mainstream tri-fold smartphone, drops the HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra. What's the deal with this phone, you ask? Well, it might make many people reconsider their plans to buy a mirrorless system. The cameras are that good, and we are not just talking about the main camera. Best telephoto camera in town Even for smartphones that flex on camera capabilities, the main camera has always been the centerpiece. The ultra-wide and especially the telephoto were an afterthought. The Pura 80 Ultra is fixing this broken formula by introducing a trailblazing Switchable Dual Telephoto Camera, with versatile 3.7x and 9.4x focal lengths, sharing a super-large sensor to create cinematic portraits and dramatic, razor-sharp close-ups with rich spatial depth. Having a large photosensitive area means the telephoto lens can take stunning pictures even in low light, which used to be the Achilles' heel of telephoto cameras. From intricate architectural details to expansive city skylines, it excels at capturing vivid night atmospheres with precise hue and saturation. Photos and videos of concerts and stage events will come out with vibrant colours, closer than ever to professional event photography. Even better main shooter While the telephoto camera has seen monumental upgrades, the main camera has improved leaps and bounds. A 1-inch Ultra Lighting HDR Camera powers the main camera on the Pura 80 Ultra. Such a large sensor increases the dynamic range beyond what any other smartphone, achieving the industry's highest 16EV, more than that of many professional cinema cameras. In scenes with bright skies and dark shadows in the same frame, it recovers blown-out highlights and lifts details from the dark areas, creating a more balanced image that looks closer to what your eyes actually see. To improve the colour accuracy and details in night scenes, the main camera combines the information from the Ultra Chroma Camera to deliver ultra-clear and brilliant nightscapes even in low-light environments. Lead by aesthetics The HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra unveils a Dazzling Forward Symbol design, drawing inspiration from the timeless sunray motifs found in exquisite jewellery and luxury watches. This radiant sunburst pattern dazzles with intricate depth and harmonious interplay of light and shadow. The camera lens is accentuated by a resplendent golden ring, forming the iconic forward symbol camera module adorned with the golden XMAGE emblem, creating a captivating visual icon. Smarter than ever The actual experience of using a smartphone depends, above all, on the software. Huawei has packed the EMUI 15 with intelligent AI features that users actually benefit from every day. The phone can recognise its owner and display or hide the message content depending on who is looking at the phone. To ensure voice clarity even in extremely loud environments, the phone employs a two-way noise reduction during handheld calls. The new Smart Controls Button doubles as a fingerprint reader and a customisable shortcut button you can tap to quickly access your favourite features, such as the camera, flashlight, notepad, and AI lens. Flagship battery and display The HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra supports 100W HUAWEI SuperCharge with a massive 5170mAh battery and supports 80W Wireless HUAWEI SuperCharge for convenient, instant charging. The phone also features an All-new Ultra-clear HUAWEI X-True Display™ with 3000nit peak brightness and adaptive brightness adjustment across lighting conditions, more comfortable viewing in low light, and more transparent and clearer images at high brightness. The 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate intelligently adjusts based on browsing needs for buttery-smooth visuals. In a market full of incremental updates, the HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra stands tall with a monumental camera revolution. If you care about photography, this might be the only phone that truly deserves your attention in 2025.
