I want to get as excited as I was about the Pura X Max over the Pura90 series, but to be honest, I cannot find any reason to, mainly because Huawei Pura90 Pro Series smartphones lack any real highlights, if there are any at all. Anyhoo, the Pura90 inherits the Pura80 design language and has some upgrades in the imaging department, well, at least on the Pura90 Pro Max, anyway.
That said, Huawei did make a few strategic changes across the lineup—bigger batteries on one model, which is perfect for users with battery anxiety, stronger zoom with an extra on another, and one version has its sights set squarely on mobile photography enthusiasts.
However, Huawei also quietly removed some “perks” on the new Pura90. The official spec sheet does not say so, but we heard that it’s USB 2.0 across the board (!?), and biometrics have been “downgraded” to a side-mounted fingerprint sensor—also across the board. Personally, I am not a huge fan of optical or ultrasonic fingerprint sensors, so it is not a dealbreaker for me. Anyhoo, let’s keep going with a quick rundown of each model.
Huawei Pura90
The standard Pura90 [CH] is Huawei building a phone for people who care more about reliability than headline specs—and cannot stand being seen with a mid-range phone.
The standout feature here is the 6,500 mAh battery, which is unusually large for a flagship-tier device, paired with 100 W wired and 50 W wireless charging. It not only addresses battery anxiety but also recharges quickly.
Camera hardware includes a 50 MP main camera, 12.5 MP ultra-wide, and 50 MP telephoto, along with a 50 MP front camera that outclasses what most non-Pro phones offer. Both the main camera and telephoto also benefit from OIS.
Performance comes from the Kirin 9010S, which sounds good until you remember the top-spec’ed mid-ranger Nova 15 Ultra also uses the same chip—and has a 50 MP ultra wide-angle camera instead, and costs less. Something is not adding up here. Pura90 is a flagship line, isn’t it?
Huawei Pura90 Pro
The Pura90 Pro [CH] restores some flagship character to the series. Kind of.
At first glance, it looks like it has the same camera setup as the standard Pura90. Well, almost. It may share the same 12.5 MP ultra wide-angle camera, but the telephoto camera has a different aperture (f/2.1 versus f/2.2). Speaking of telephoto, it also gains close-focus capability (macro). Most importantly, the 50 MP main camera now features a variable aperture, first introduced in the Mate80 series.
OIS comes standard on both the variable-aperture main camera and the telephoto/macro camera.
Over at the front, it has a 13 MP ultra-wide-angle selfie camera with AF.
The phone also moves to the Kirin 9030S, Huawei’s flagship chip.
However, there are sacrifices. In particular, the battery capacity drops slightly to 6,000 mAh. Still, it remains large by current flagship standards.
Huawei Pura90 Pro Max
This is where Huawei puts its strongest upgrade [CH]. Like, duh—obviously, right? It is essentially a better Pura90 Pro sharing much of the spec-sheet details, including the Kirin 9030S chip.
The ultra-large-sensor 200 MP periscope telephoto camera, with OIS no less, changes what the phone can do at a distance. It does not just let you zoom in—it lets you zoom in with detail.
Huawei also upgrades the ultra-wide camera to 40 MP, improving landscape and group shots that usually receive less attention in flagship camera systems.
And then there’s the 50 MP Super Dynamic main camera with variable aperture, also with OIS.
Over at the front, it also has a 13 MP ultra-wide-angle selfie camera with AF.
It also packs a 6,000 mAh battery, but charging gets a bump to 100 W wired and 80 W wireless. The display grows to 6.9 inches, and the anti-reflective Kunlun Glass improves outdoor visibility.
If there is a model in the Pura90 series that stands out, it is the Pro Max (again, obviously). The other two refine what already worked, perhaps much to the dismay of some devotees. This one expands what the lineup can do.
Pricing and availability
The new Huawei Pura90 Series smartphones have been launched in China. The standard Pura90 starts at 4,699 yuan [CH] (about US$689), while the Pura90 Pro and Pura90 Pro Max start at 5,499 yuan [CH] and 6,499 yuan [CH], respectively (about US$806 and US$953).
Images: Huawei [CH].
