Huawei Pura 80 Ultra review
Competition
Huawei isn't using the Ultra moniker lightly and the Pura 80 Ultra has some serious camera chops that position it against the rest of the big names' high-end cameraphones. Depending on how you look at it, you can consider some China-exclusive bests, or compromise towards their lesser, but more functional international variants, or you can pivot towards truly global Ultras.
Going all out with Ultras, you've got the vivo X200 Ultra with an unmatched 35mm-equivalent primary, and possibly the best ultrawide on the market, next to a single but very capable telephoto. The Find X8 Ultra has two telephotos and puts them to really good use, plus it too rocks a 1-inch main camera, like the Pura. Both of these come with Chinese software (and questionable importing strategies), meaning they may be worse for some uses but better for others, compared to the Huawei, depending on what specific app or use case you've got in mind.
Of course, the respective Pros will come with none of the Google limitations, at the expense of some camera prowess. Obviously, both are plenty good enough cameraphones to be the better option for most people that can't be bothered to contend with the occasional Chinese settings screen and want their phone to just work as they're used to.
vivo X200 Ultra • Oppo Find X8 Ultra • vivo X200 Pro • Oppo Find X8 Pro
Then there are the fully international alternatives. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra just might be the best blend of camera greatness and Google compatibility (it may very well be the best cameraphone today - without the need for further qualifiers - but things are never that simple).
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is quite possibly the most feature-packed Android phone, with some excellent cameras attached to it. Or if you want to stay somewhat close to the Pura, you could explore the Honor Magic7 Pro.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra • Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra • Honor Magic7 Pro
Verdict
Another top-tier Huawei cameraphone, another conundrum about what to make of it.
As a proper flagship device, the Pura 80 Ultra arrives with a flashy design, top-tier ingress protection, fast charging, great speakers and innovative cameras that capture great photos and great nighttime video.
It certainly has its merits; however, its high price tag puts it in direct competition with the best smartphones out there, while it's also disadvantaged in some significant ways, outside of Huawei's control.
Most notably, the Pura 80 Ultra is denied some important pieces of technology in Western markets, including top-of-the-shelf chipsets and 5G network compatibility, as well as full Google service support and recent Android versions. While Huawei can patch around some of these limitations, the end result is a phone that's not competitive in terms of performance or battery life, and those are hard to justify.
On the other hand, Huawei is making the best out of its situation by leaning heavily into its legacy of making great designs and great cameras, and quite successfully so. With the Pura 80 Ultra, you get head-turning looks and a versatile camera system, which you can count on for excellent photo quality and some impressive-looking low-light video. And for someone who is not constantly trying different apps or doesn't care for 5G, but can appreciate the camera features here, the Pura 80 Ultra is a cameraphone that's well worth considering.
Pros
- Standout design, IP68/IP69 rating.
- Fast charging all around - wired, and wireless.
- Very good photo quality; standout results from the 3.7x telephoto in the dark and at close range; great selfies; great low-light video.
- Wi-Fi 7; Infrared port; eSIM support.
Cons
- No Google Mobile Services out of the box, and some apps still won't work despite available workarounds.
- Mid-range chipset performance with heavy thermal throttling.
- No 5G.
- Display brightness is behind the competition.
- No under-display fingerprint reader.
- No HD or HDR video streaming on popular platforms.
- Battery life is below average.
- Video recording quality in good light could be better.
| 512GB 16GB RAM | $ 1,567.36 |
€ 1,117.48 |
| Show all prices | ||
