Huawei Pura 70 Ultra Design and Display
Bold and Unorthodox
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra features a bold and distinctive design, especially its camera bump. Unlike anything we’ve seen before, the bump has a complex shape with clear separations between the various cameras. The mix of glass and metal adds an edgy aesthetic, with the XMAGE logo next to the LED flash completing the look.
The back of the phone is made from a silicone-polymer material that resembles eco-leather. It feels papery to the touch, repels fingerprints effectively, and gives off a premium feel. However, it can scratch easily if you don’t use the included back cover.
The phone boasts a rounded aluminum frame that feels great in the hand. Both the front and back are slightly curved, resembling 2.5D glass, though the curvature is more pronounced. The Pura 70 Ultra comes in three colors: Green, Brown, and Black.
The retail box is also impressive. It includes a premium-looking square box containing a 100W charging brick, a USB-C cable, and a stylish cover. Additionally, the charger supports both USB-C and USB-A cables, offering added convenience.
Display
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra comes with a 6.8-inch OLED display boasting a resolution of 2844 × 1260 pixels, which gives a pixel density of 460 PPI, matching the iPhone 15 Pro Max. It features an LTPO panel, offering a dynamic refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz, with Huawei’s proprietary Kunlun Glass Armor for added durability.
Huawei claims a peak brightness of 1,500 nits, but our tests showed a more modest 1,000 nits, which still ranks among flagship phones. While the difference between 1,000 and 1,500 nits isn’t as noticeable as between 300 and 800 nits, it’s still impressive.
The display is color-accurate, with an average deltaE of 1.26, and it offers great minimum brightness and color temperature settings. You can customize the always-on mode, enable system-wide dark mode, and adjust the refresh rate. You can choose between Dynamic Mode, 120Hz, or 60Hz, though the latter is not likely to be used much.
Biometrics
The Pura 70 Ultra includes an under-display fingerprint scanner that works well but can occasionally require perfect finger placement. The facial recognition system relies on the front camera and does not use 3D scanning, so it’s less secure compared to other methods.
Huawei Pura 70 Ultra Camera
Popping Out!
Huawei’s camera system is one of its standout features. The main camera uses a 1-inch sensor with a variable F1.6 to F4.0 aperture and a mechanical actuator to extend the lens for better performance. This pop-out feature is unique, although its main function is to maximize the sensor’s potential.
The phone also includes an ultrawide and telephoto camera, along with a new tele-macro mode that lets users take detailed close-ups using the periscope zoom camera. Portrait mode benefits from the variable aperture, offering excellent depth of field effects. The camera also supports video recording up to 4K at 60fps.
- Main Camera: Daylight shots are vibrant, with accurate colors and excellent detail. Low-light performance is impressive, with good noise control and dynamic range.
- Ultrawide Camera: Maintains the tonal characteristics of the main sensor, with slightly softer details but good exposure and dynamic range.
- Zoom: The camera supports 2x crop, 3.5x optical zoom, and 10x digital zoom, with the latter two providing sharp results.
- Selfies: The 13MP front camera captures good details and supports autofocus for better focus.
- Macro: New tele-macro mode provides fantastic close-up shots with good lighting.
- Video: 4K video at 60fps performs well, though some lens flare and focus issues may occur during rapid zooms.
Performance & Benchmarks
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra runs on the Kirin 9010 processor, built on a 7nm node. It includes 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. While the processor lags behind the competition in synthetic benchmarks, real-world performance is still solid.
- Geekbench 6: Single-core score of 1389, multi-core score of 4381.
- 3DMark Extreme (High): 1577.
- 3DMark Extreme (Low): 644.
Though the chip is not as powerful as newer alternatives like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the Pura 70 Ultra still offers a smooth user experience, especially with its ample RAM and storage.
Software
The Pura 70 Ultra runs on EMUI 14 (with Harmony OS 4 for Chinese units). There are no Google services, but Huawei offers its ecosystem with apps like Petal Maps, Huawei Browser, Music, and Wallet. The phone includes AI features such as Celia (smart assistant), AI Voice, AI Search, and more.
The device will receive two major OS updates and three years of security patches.
Battery Life
The Pura 70 Ultra is equipped with a 5,200mAh battery, offering decent battery life. During normal use, the phone lasts a full day and a half, with about 40–50% charge left by the end of the day. It supports 100W fast charging, allowing the phone to charge up quickly, with a 0 to 100% charge time of just 51 minutes.
- Battery Test Results: In 15 minutes, the phone charges to 40%, and in 30 minutes, it reaches 69%.
- Wireless Charging: The phone supports 80W wireless charging but requires a proprietary Huawei charger.
Audio Quality and Haptics
The Pura 70 Ultra features a stereo speaker setup, offering good loudness for calls and videos. However, the highs can be harsh at max volume. The haptic feedback is tight and responsive, though it feels a bit weak at times.
Price:
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is expected to be priced at approximately $1,200 USD for the base model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, with higher configurations potentially priced around $1,400 USD for the 1TB variant.
Final Verdict:
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra offers a standout design, impressive camera capabilities, and solid performance, but its Kirin 9010 processor and lack of Google Services may turn some users off. Still, for those looking for a unique flagship experience, it’s a compelling option.
