Chinese tech giant, Huawei has announced the global release of its latest flagship smartphone, the Huawei Pura 80 Series, with key advancements in mobile photography and design. The new series aims to push the boundaries of smartphone imaging technology according to the company. The range consists of the Pura 80 (6.6” screen, 460 ppi), the Pura 80 Pro (6.8” screen, 460 ppi) and the flagship model, the Pura 80 Ultra (6.8” screen, 460 ppi).

A camera system that shifts

TechSmart was introduced to the Pura 80 series during an event at the company’s offices in Shenzhen, China last month. Having played with the devices there were a few key features we believe are strong standouts.

Perhaps most interesting is a new feature on the imaging side of the new Pura 80 Ultra. The smartphone introduces an industry-first Switchable Dual Telephoto Camera. This allows a 1.28" sensor to automatically switch between two lenses - a 3.7x optical zoom (F2.4, 50 MP), and a 12.5 MP camera with an impressive 9.4x optical zoom (F3.6, 12.5 MP). The main benefit of optical zoom above digital zoom is better image quality, although the option to REALLY zoom in remains, with a 100x digital zoom onboard.

The #Huawei Pura 80 Ultra is a photography powerhouse, with a large 1-inch 50MP main camera. A second 50MP sensor shifts between two lenses, a 3.7x (f2.4) and a 9.4x (f3.6) optical zoom. It also has a 100x digital zoom. pic.twitter.com/mhwtDIay60

— TechSmart (@TechSmartZA) June 25, 2025

Huawei states the 3.7x and 10x focal lengths are intended for capturing portraits and sharp close-up images. And we can certainly vouch for the portrait functionality, with images captured while with the device in China truly impressive.

Also striking is the big 1-inch sensor for the main camera (50MP, F1.6-F4.0). This size were usually found in some of the better compact cameras from a few years back and are now cropping up in high-end smartphones. The company believes this sensor offers 15x higher dynamic range than the previous Pura 70 Ultra, specially effective for night imagery.

Rounding off the Ultra’s camera system at the back is a 40 MP ultra-wide angle camera (F2.2), with a 13 MP (F2.0) selfie camera.

As far as videography is concerned, the Pura 80 Ultra allows for 3840 × 2160 pixels, meaning 4K video recording.

We can finally talk about it. Here is the new #Huawei Pura 80 series we recently had the chance to see in China! pic.twitter.com/9IfT5NtDaD

— TechSmart (@TechSmartZA) June 25, 2025

Huawei puts “Fashion Next”

Also striking is the design of the new Pura 80 devices, especially the "Forward Symbol" design around the lens system at the back of the Pura 80 Ultra and the Glazed Red Huawei Pura 80 Pro. This design draws inspiration from sunray/sunburst motifs often seen in jewellery and luxury watches, creating a radiant pattern with depth and an interplay of light and shadow. The Pura 80 Ultra's design is further distinguished by a golden ring around the lenses.

AI-driven features

Huawei notes the Pura 80 Pro and Pura 80 Ultra include an AI Smart Controls Button, which provides quick access to functions such as the camera, flashlight or AI lens. This feature can be customised to individual preferences and includes fingerprint recognition for security. Additionally, AI Noise Cancellation is integrated for calls, offering two-way noise reduction to isolate the speaker's voice and reduce ambient noise.

Power and more specs

Both the Pura 80 Pro and Pura 80 Ultra are powered by a 5170 mAh battery, perhaps not the largest we’ve seen on high-end smartphones. They do, however, support 100 W Huawei SuperCharge for fast wired charging and 80 W Wireless Huawei SuperCharge. For durability, the Pura 80 Ultra features the company’s own 2nd-Gen Crystal Armour Kunlun Glass, which is claimed to offer enhanced scratch and drop resistance.

For those interested in a few more specifications, the Pura 80 Ultra includes 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB storage space, IP68/IP69 water and dust resistance, while running on Huawei’s own EMUI 15.0 operating system. There is no mention of the chipsets on Huawei's official webpages, but GSMArena notes the octa-core Kirin 9020 on the Pura 80 Ultra. 

Unfortunately, none of the new Pura 80 models support 5G locally.

At this stage, no local release dates or prices are available, but we will update the article as soon as we receive this information. Below images of each phone in the Pura 80 line-up.