THE NEW PURA 80 PRO

The Huawei Pura 80 Pro, released in June 2025 as part of Huawei's flagship Pura series, is a powerhouse smartphone that aims to redefine mobile photography and user experience. Positioned as a slightly more accessible yet still highly premium alternative to the top-tier Pura 80 Ultra, the Pro model shares many of its elder sibling's cutting-edge features while offering a compelling value proposition.

Design and Display: Immersive Visuals and Robust Build

The Pura 80 Pro immediately captures attention with its sophisticated design. It features a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display, offering an expansive and immersive viewing experience. The display boasts a resolution of 1276 x 2848 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of approximately 459 ppi, ensuring crisp and detailed visuals.

A key highlight of the screen is its 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate, which dynamically adjusts the refresh rate based on content, providing smooth scrolling and responsive interactions while optimizing battery consumption. With support for HDR and an impressive 3000 nits peak brightness, the Pura 80 Pro delivers vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent outdoor visibility, even under direct sunlight. Furthermore, Huawei has integrated 1440Hz high-frequency PWM dimming to minimize eye strain during prolonged usage, particularly in low-light environments.

The Pura 80 Pro features a glass front and back encased in an aluminum frame, contributing to a premium feel in hand. The display is protected by second-generation Kunlun Glass, which Huawei claims offers significantly enhanced durability against drops and scratches. The device is also built to last with an IP68/IP69 rating for dust and water resistance, meaning it can be submerged in up to 2 meters of water for 30 minutes and withstand high-pressure water jets.

Like the Ultra model, the Pura 80 Pro features a distinctive triangular camera module on its rear, which has become a signature design element of the Pura series, signifying its focus on photographic excellence. The phone is available in elegant color options such as Gold Glaze, White Glaze, and Black Glaze. It measures 163 x 76.1 x 8.3 mm and weighs 219 grams.

Camera System: Professional-Grade Photography

The camera system is where the Huawei Pura 80 Pro truly shines, inheriting much of the innovation from the Ultra model while maintaining its own set of impressive capabilities. It features a versatile triple-camera setup on the rear, empowered by Huawei's XMAGE imaging technology and advanced AI algorithms.

1. 50MP Variable Aperture Main Camera (1-inch type sensor): At the heart of the Pura 80 Pro's imaging prowess is a large 50-megapixel main sensor, reportedly a 1-inch type sensor. This large sensor size allows for exceptional light gathering, resulting in brighter images with less noise, particularly in challenging low-light conditions. The standout feature is its variable aperture, ranging from f/1.6 to f/4.0, combined with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and dual pixel PDAF. This flexibility allows users to control depth of field and exposure, from wide-open apertures for stunning bokeh and low-light performance to narrower apertures for increased sharpness and detail across the frame in well-lit scenes. Huawei claims this main camera offers a high dynamic range, preserving detail in both highlights and shadows.

2. 48MP Super-Focus Macro Telephoto Camera: The Pura 80 Pro differentiates itself with a highly capable 48-megapixel telephoto lens with an f/2.1 aperture, OIS, and PDAF. This lens offers 4x optical zoom (equivalent to approximately 93mm focal length) and supports an impressive 100x digital zoom. Crucially, it doubles as a "super-focus macro telephoto" lens, enabling incredibly detailed close-up shots from a distance, a feature that combines versatility with high resolution. This is a significant upgrade from many other telephoto implementations, offering both zoom and macro capabilities from a single lens.

3. 40MP Ultra-Wide-Angle Camera: For expansive shots, the Pura 80 Pro includes a 40-megapixel ultrawide sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and autofocus (AF). This 13mm equivalent lens is perfect for capturing sweeping landscapes, architectural marvels, and large group photos with excellent detail and minimal distortion.

4. 1.5MP Multi-Spectral Camera: Similar to the Ultra, the Pro model includes a 1.5MP multi-spectral sensor. This specialized sensor assists the primary cameras in precisely detecting and restoring natural colors, leading to more accurate and vibrant color reproduction across various shooting scenarios.

Front Camera: For selfies and video calls, the Pura 80 Pro is equipped with a 13MP ultrawide front camera with an f/2.0 aperture and autofocus. It supports 4K video recording at 60 FPS with HDR Vivid and gyro-EIS, ensuring high-quality self-portraits and video calls.

Advanced Imaging Features:

• Ultra Speed Snapshot: The integration of the Ultra Lighting Camera and HUAWEI XD Motion Engine allows the Pura 80 Pro to capture fast-moving subjects with exceptional clarity, even at high speeds.
• AI Photo-Editing Tools: The device incorporates intelligent editing functionalities, such as Ultra-clear panoramic mode and AI reflection removal, which can intelligently optimize images and eliminate unwanted glare.
• One-tap Capture: Huawei offers intuitive camera controls, including one-tap capture for quick and seamless photo taking.
• XMAGE Presets: Users can choose from various photographic style presets (Nature, Film, Movie, Cartoon) and customize color palettes to achieve desired artistic effects.

Performance: Optimized Kirin Chipset and HarmonyOS

The Huawei Pura 80 Pro is powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 9020 chipset, a 7nm octa-core processor that delivers robust performance. While specific clock speeds and core configurations for the Pura 80 Pro's version of the Kirin 9020 are not explicitly detailed by Huawei, it's confirmed to offer significant improvements over previous generations. Huawei has stated that the Pura 80 series (including the Pro and Pro+) benefits from a 36% improved performance compared to the Pura 70 Pro+, thanks in part to their "Ark Engine" optimizations. This translates to smooth multitasking, fast app launches, and efficient handling of demanding applications and AI tasks. The Maleoon 920 GPU ensures excellent graphics performance for gaming and multimedia consumption.

The Pura 80 Pro comes with 12GB of RAM, which is ample for fluid multitasking and running multiple applications simultaneously. Storage options include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, providing generous space for photos, videos, apps, and other files. Unlike some previous Huawei flagships, there is no support for NM (Nano Memory) SD card expansion.

The device runs on HarmonyOS 5.1 (for the Chinese market), Huawei's independently developed operating system. HarmonyOS offers a highly optimized and secure user experience, with a strong focus on privacy. Key software features include:

• Enhanced Security and Privacy: HarmonyOS 5.1 prioritizes user data protection with features like granular app permissions, clear data access dashboards, and real-time security risk detection.
• Intelligent AI Features: The operating system integrates advanced AI capabilities, including an upgraded Celia AI assistant, AI anti-peeping alerts (which detect if someone else is looking at your screen), and AI noise reduction for clearer calls.
• Optimized User Experience: Huawei claims a 47% improvement in animations, transition smoothness, and overall system fluency with HarmonyOS 5.1, providing a highly fluid and responsive interface.
• Satellite Communication: A significant feature, the Pura 80 Pro supports two-way Beidou satellite messaging, allowing users to send and receive messages (and even photos) in areas without cellular coverage. This is a critical safety and communication feature, particularly for remote locations or emergencies.

Battery and Charging: Uninterrupted Power

The Huawei Pura 80 Pro is equipped with a large 5700 mAh Li-Po battery, ensuring impressive endurance throughout the day, even with intensive usage.

When power runs low, the Pura 80 Pro offers leading-edge charging solutions:

• 100W wired SuperCharge: This rapid wired charging technology allows the device to be quickly topped up, minimizing downtime.
• 80W wireless SuperCharge: The Pura 80 Pro supports incredibly fast wireless charging, making it convenient to power up without cables.
• 18W reverse wired charging: The phone can charge other devices via a wired connection.
• Reverse wireless charging: It can also wirelessly charge other compatible devices, such as earbuds or smartwatches.

Connectivity and Other Features

The Huawei Pura 80 Pro supports 5G connectivity, primarily catering to the Chinese market. It features Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) for blazing-fast wireless internet speeds, Bluetooth 5.2 for robust and efficient connections with peripherals, and a USB Type-C 3.1 Gen1 port with DisplayPort 1.2 for high-speed data transfer and external display connectivity.

For navigation, it offers comprehensive GPS support (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, NavIC). Other notable features include NFC for convenient contactless payments and data transfer, and an infrared port for controlling compatible home appliances. The Pura 80 Pro comes with stereo speakers for an immersive audio experience, though it lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack. Security is handled by an optical in-display fingerprint sensor for quick and secure unlocking.

Conclusion

The Huawei Pura 80 Pro is a highly compelling flagship smartphone that strikes an excellent balance between cutting-edge camera technology, robust performance, and a premium user experience. While it forgoes the unique dual-lens telephoto mechanism of the Pura 80 Ultra, its 1-inch variable aperture main sensor and powerful 48MP super-focus macro telephoto lens still position it as a leader in mobile photography.

Combined with the optimized Kirin 9020 chipset, the fluid and secure HarmonyOS 5.1, a stunning LTPO OLED display, and exceptional battery life with ultra-fast charging, the Pura 80 Pro delivers a comprehensive and highly satisfying smartphone experience. It is a strong testament to Huawei's ongoing innovation and commitment to delivering top-tier devices, especially for users who demand professional-grade camera capabilities and a refined software ecosystem.