HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra and Pura 80 Pro Review

What kind of phone can deliver DSLR or mirrorless camera-like quality from 50 meters away? How about macro shots with the quality of a dedicated 100mm macro lens, but small enough to fit in our pockets?

Well, HUAWEI just released two phones that can do just that. The HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra and Pura 80 Pro.

The Pura 80 Ultra sports the world-first Switchable Dual periscopic Telephoto Camera, and the Pura 80 Pro’s macro telephoto sensor combined with the overall camera system brings us detail close to, if not on par with mirrorless camera level quality from as close as 5cm.

The best part? Both units feature fine-tuned 1-inch camera sensors, delivering amazing dynamic range, sharpness, and improvements in lowlight.

Read on to find out more!

Design and Build

The Pura Series has always had a design-first philosophy and with the Pura 80 Ultra, we get a phone that doesn’t just look premium, it’s definitely a head-turner!

The phone’s rear gets a very chromatic, almost-mirror reflective finish especially with our Prestige Gold review unit. It’s highlighted by the sunburst camera ring, better known as the Forward Symbol (which was first introduced with last year’s Pura 70 series.) 

This year’s design language is inspired by the craftsmanship of fine jewelry and if the message was “Your phone is a gold brick” we definitely heard it loud and clear.  In the box we also have the option to fit a nice feeling monogram case if too much chrome isn’t our thing.

On the other hand, the Pura 80 Pro takes on a more refined look with its glazed texture design available in Red, Black, or White. Overall, it looks just as classy as previous iterations.

The Pura 80 Pro is protected by 2nd generation Kunlun Glass, while the Ultra gets 2nd gen Crystal Armor Kunlun, which is said to be 25 times tougher and 16 times more scratch-resistant than their predecessors, while 2nd Gen Kunlun glass is 20x tougher than regular standard glass.

Both phones are also IP68 and IP69-rated, meaning they can survive an accidental dunk in the toilet bowl, or even getting sprayed by the bidet.

This time around, we get side-mounted capacitive fingerprint sensors which double as their power buttons. The pop-out camera from last year’s ultra model is retracted for the aforementioned 1-inch camera sensors (which we’ll get to in a bit.)

Display and Multimedia

For display, both phones feature HUAWEI’s X-True technology.

Which basically means, whether we’re viewing photos, editing videos, or just watching content, without a doubt end-users will appreciate the 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display panels which are Widevine L1 certified. 

Peak brightness goes up to 3,000 nits with an adaptive refresh rate that can bounce between 1Hz to 120Hz depending on usage, allowing users to save on battery life when idle. Color reproduction feels punchy with great contrast and deep blacks, and visibility outdoors is excellent even under direct sunlight. 

Something weird here is even though both models get Widevine L1 certification, when playing videos on apps like Youtube, we actually don’t get 4K resolution support and probably even HDR, while locally stored videos with the same aspects run perfectly fine on the phones natively. We presume this has something to do with app optimization that will most likely be fixed at a later date.

But what continues to impress us since the P60 series are the dual/stereo speakers.  And this year’s Pura 80 models are probably just as good, if not better.
 –They get very-very loud and the sound stage always feels full and immersive with a lot of clarity. 

In my opinion, both the Pura 80 Ultra and Pro most likely have the best sounding smartphone speakers in 2025. No question. 

Cameras

Now, with that out of the way let’s head straight into the camera systems. Starting with the Ultimate Zoom Beast, the Pura 80 Ultra.

First of all, the Ultra features a 1-inch Ultra Lighting HDR Main Camera sensor with 16EV (stops/Exposure Value) of dynamic range, which by technicality on paper, can rival professional cinema cameras which are at about 16.5EV or more. 

We’ve been told this is the highest dynamic range we can get from a smartphone today. And truth be told, we got beautifully exposed shots even in the most challenging lighting conditions, like shooting Wat Arun and cityscapes at night or quick portraits of harshly backlit subjects.

But why are we referring to it as the ultimate zoom beast?

Well it also features the industry’s first Switchable Dual Telephoto Camera. Which means, instead of two separate lenses with inconsistent image quality, HUAWEI managed to engineer a single module that houses two optical zoom levels, 3.7x and 9.4x, both using the same 1/1.28-inch sensor. 

This results in super consistent colors, brightness, and clarity, even when you jump between zoom levels. We tested it during this Gilas basketball game from about 50 meters away, and our 10x zoom samples don’t really look like they were taken from how far we actually were.

During the game we were also able to test Snapshot, a feature that assures us we can get a nice, sharp and in-focus image when capturing fast-paced action like in the basketball game. In general we were very impressed with how true to life the colors were in lowlight stills.

It’s amazing how easy it is to get a really nice image with such little effort, whether of people, pets, architecture, or even whatever we had for lunch.

HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra & Pro Misc Samples

Jul 5 – 28, 2025

The Pura 80 Pro on the other hand is pretty much a carryover of the Ultra model, minus the extra periscopic telephoto lens, or in other words, the telephoto module on the Pro is a single camera compared to the Ultra’s dual.

It shares the same 1-inch Ultra Lighting Camera sensor that also gets a mechanically adjusting aperture of f/1.6 to f/4. The large sensor size and variable aperture on the main camera helps deliver bright, noise-free night photos without the usual grain or blur with the help of post-processing. 

But despite the lack of the second telephoto camera, we can still literally zoom into tiny textures like water droplets, flower petals, and still get super clean, vibrant and sharp images.

HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra & Pro MACRO PHOTOS

Jul 18 – 23, 2025

And yes, video quality looks equally cinematic, with deep contrast, smooth exposure roll-off, and no harshly blown-out highlights. Both phones can capture 4K video at up to 60fps depending on the shooting mode.

The biggest caveat here is the ultrawide sensor performance on both phones, which can leave a little more desired when compared to shots taken with the main or telephoto cameras; especially in low light. 

But it wasn’t much of a surprise, and in the grand scheme of smartphone ultrawide sensor history, the images produced are still pretty good regardless.

HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra & Pro ULTRAWIDE

Jul 5 – 28, 2025

Performance

For hardware, both units are operated by the same in-house Kirin 9020. A 7nm chipset that packs-in an octa-core processor capable of up to 2.5Ghz clock speeds, and features a Maleoon 920 GPU.

Honestly, there really isn’t a lot of things to complain about, especially if you’re someone who likes to tinker. Apps and games, whether downloaded from the HUAWEI AppGallery or side-loaded from a browser, don’t really feel too ‘functionally’ different from other phones in the market.

Which is why we can whole heartedly say it does pretty-much everything we can think of doing with smartphone. Streaming content, browsing the web, the cameras are amazing, and it just works.

Unfortunately, if you care about the numbers, the benchmark scores aren’t here to impress you fellas. Check them out below.

OS, Apps and UI

Running on EMUI 15, both devices offer a suite of AI-powered features. In general we get some visual and UI updates, like the drop-down menu has been tweaked to look more modern with sections we can also easily customize if warranted.

For AI features, some of our favorites come in the form of AI Erase, which allows us to edit and erase unwanted elements from our photos, AI messaging which hides pop-out message notifications when the phone notices another set eyes on our screen. And AI noise-cancellation during calls, which allow us to hear and be heard clearer by the person we’re on the phone with.

And of course, the HUAWEI AppGallery has never been more optimized than ever. Finding all our favorite apps feels smooth and seamless. 

Of course, there are still some apps that may lead users to a GBox pop-up but honestly, if you’re somebody already invested in HUAWEI handsets, at this point these minor concerns shouldn’t really bother us too much any more. Google apps, and even games we can’t find in the AppGallery natively can all be easily installed with no major issues. 

Overall, the software experience feels snappier than before, UI animations are smooth. And non-native AppGallery apps work with little to no qualms from us here in HQ.

Battery

Powering both the Pura 80 Ultra and Pro is a 5,170mAh battery, which easily lasts a full day even with heavy photo and video use.

They also support 100W wired charging and 80W wireless SuperCharge, some of the fastest in the industry. And yes, the chargers are included in the box! We were even able to get from 0 to 50% in under 15 minutes using the included brick.

And when it came to PCMark Work 3.0 Battery test results, the Pura 80 Pro lasted 18 hours and 6 minutes, while the Pure 80 Ultra garnered a result of 18 hours and 5 minutes.

So, the results seem pretty close and comparable with each other, which also proves that both units are capable of a whole day’s worth of use or even 2 days with light to moderate usage.

Connectivity

For connectivity, unfortunately the global models for both units do not give its users 5G data connectivity. Instead, we get up 4G / LTE which actually gives most users better data coverage in sacrifice of speed. If you aren’t someone always downloading and uploading files and assets on data, this shouldn’t be such a big deal.

But still for a flagship in 2025, it may ward away prospecting buyers looking to be on the cutting edge of smartphone technology and features. Either way, we still get support for WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.2, infrared, and NFC.

Conclusion

So who are these phones for?

The HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra is made for content creators, people who love a sharp and clear zoom range, and anyone who wants devices that can achieve almost cinema-quality results right from their pockets. It truly earns the title Ultimate Zoom Beast in 2025.

The HUAWEI Pura 80 Pro, on the other hand, is for the same demographic of end users but can do without the extra zoom range, at a lower cost.
 –It’s kind of just a bonus for both phones, that they can double as portable speakers.

With official Philippine SRP’s starting at PHP 59,999 for the Pura 80 Pro, and PHP 89,999 for the Pura 80 Ultra; Whichever one you choose, you’re getting a flagship camera system with a beautiful design and premium features across the board. 

What we LIKED:

• Overall camera performance
• Stereo speaker output
• Battery Life
• Design

What we Liked LESS:

• Phone supports Widewine L1 but can downgrade to L3 depending on the app
• No 5G

Huawei Pura 80 Ultra (Global) specs:
6.8 inches LTPO OLED @ 2848 × 1276 pixels
1–120 Hz adaptive refresh, 1440 Hz PWM dimming, 300 Hz touch sampling, 3000 nits (peak)
Crystal Armor Kunlun Glass 2 protection
Kirin 9020 (7 nm) chipset
Maleoon 920 GPU
16 GB RAM (LPDDR5X)
512 GB (UFS 4.0); no microSD slot
Rear cameras:
50 MP 1-inch Ultra Lighting HDR main (f/1.6–4.0, OIS)
40 MP ultra-wide (f/2.2)
Dual telephoto:
50 MP @ 3.7× zoom (83 mm, f/2.4, sensor-shift OIS)
12.5 MP @ 9.4× zoom (212 mm, f/3.6, sensor-shift OIS)
1.5 M Spectral-Channel Ultra Chroma sensor
Video: up to 4K @ 60fps
Front camera: 13 MP (f/2.0, autofocus)
Dual SIM
Wi-Fi 6/7, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS, Infrared
USB Type-C (USB 3.1)
IP68/IP69 water and dust resistance
5,170 mAh battery (global)
100 W wired, 80 W wireless charging (with reverse options)
EMUI 15.0 (global)
Dimensions: 163 × 76.1 × 8.3 mm
Weight: 233.5 g
Colors: Prestige Gold, Golden Black

Huawei Pura 80 Pro (Global) specs:
6.8 inches LTPO OLED @ 2848 × 1276 pixels
1–120 Hz adaptive refresh, 1440 Hz PWM dimming, 300 Hz touch sampling, 3000 nits (peak)
Kunlun Glass 2 protection
Kirin 9020 (7 nm) chipset
Maleoon 920 GPU
12 GB RAM (LPDDR5X)
512 GB internal storage (UFS 4.0), no microSD slot
Rear cameras:
50 MP 1-inch Ultra Lighting main (f/1.6–4.0, OIS)
40 MP ultra-wide (f/2.2)
48 MP macro telephoto (f/2.1, OIS), 4× optical zoom
1.5 M Spectral-Channel Ultra Chroma sensor
Video: up to 4K @ 60fps
Front camera:
13 MP wide-angle (f/2.0, autofocus)
Dual SIM
Wi-Fi 6/7, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS
USB Type-C
IP69 dust/water resistance
5,170 mAh Li-Po battery
100 W wired, 80 W wireless charging (with reverse options)
EMUI 15.0
Dimensions: 163 × 76.1 × 8.3 mm
Weight: 219 g
Colors: Glazed Red, Glazed White, Glazed Black