The HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra is not only a leading smartphone, it’s a testament to innovation in imaging and subtle user experience. Inspired by the passion and power of photography enthusiasts and heavy users, it adopts HUAWEI’s dynamic HarmonyOS 5.1 to create innovative performance experiences with creativity that exceeds expectations in the fierce high-end market

At 233.5 grams and only 8.3mm thick, the Pura 80 Ultra has some good grip in it and doesn't feel big at all when held in hand. Its design is modern with a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display featuring a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate at 2848 × 1276 pixels. The screen can display up to 10.7 billion colors, while maximum brightness peaks at 3000 nits for visually stunning graphics even in direct sunlight. The display is covered by second-generation Xuanwu Kunlun Glass for protection, and offers a 300Hz touch sampling rate for smooth interactions.

At the heart of the phone is the Kirin 9020 SoC, along with 16GB RAM and an internal storage of up to 512GB. Under the hood, it has a HarmonyOS 5.1 that provides a smooth and user-friendly interface. In testing, it performed multitasking as well as running graphic intensive apps perfectly fine, never feeling a lag. The machine learning capabilities that power these new features are also used for AI-driven functions such as “Xiaoyi Kan Shijie” (Little Assistant Sees the World), which offers real-time object recognition and translation, resulting in useful productivity tools all day long.

The Pura 80 Ultra shines especially in the camera department. It comes with a penta-lens rear system having 1-inch 50MP main sensor that supports OIS, 50MP ultra-wide which focus on improving the wide shot which initially couldn’t even upgrade much and an innovative dual-telephoto combo of “3.7x zoom +9.4x optical zoom” achieves double space configuration’s“one-base dual-lens” design structure. This new type construction enables both telephoto lenses to share the large 1/1.28 inch sensor, which guarantees that image quality and detail remains outstanding even at high zoom levels. In real world usage, shots taken even with 10x zoom maintained clarity and the low-light performance was excellent due to the large aperture of the sensor and HUAWEI’s computational photography algorithms. The 13MP front camera captures stunning selfies and is ideal for recording 4k video.

In day-to-day use, it shines, too, helped in part by HarmonyOS 5.1’s optimizations. Apps including WeChat and Douyin are easily connected to the camera, where users can shoot with all lenses directly and post photos/videos on social media. The composition and personal color card features powered by AI designed in simple manner make creative photography much easier.

But, the phone is heavy and not ideal for those looking at lightweight phones. Also, lack of Google Mobile Services may be a challenge for people who plan to take the phone overseas but there's HUAWEI’s AppGallery and Petal Search as workarounds.

Huawei Pura 80 Ultra, a high-end flagship with emphasis on photography, long battery life and system compatibility. With its dual-telephoto system and sturdy construction is the perfect weapon of choice for bloggers or professionals on the go. The weight and software ecosystem will take some getting used to, but its performance delivers at a starting price of ¥9,999. For those looking for image quality and long-distance viewing, the Pura 80 Ultra is an excellent option.