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.