The new Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, Huawei’s premium 2024 model boasts an expandable camera that cleanly captures even hyperactive subjects.
Design
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra isn’t cheap but it looks and feels premium, weighing in at 226g. The front is similar to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra with a slightly curved screen. The aluminium frame solid build. The back features a patterned eco-leather finish, available in brown, black, or green, and the green model resists smudges and provides a good grip.
The standout feature is the camera array, which protrudes from the back. the lens retracts when not in use. The camera app activates the lens, which also doubles as a finger shelf.
The front has a crystal armor Konun glass, offering better drop and scratch resistance. It comes with a pre-installed screen protector and is IP68 rated, making it quite durable.
Unlocking the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is swift with face recognition, but the in-display fingerprint sensor works well too, except when fingers are messy.
Features and EMUI
Once you’re in, you’ll notice the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra runs on EMUI 14.2, which is based on Android. UI is familiar and offers plenty of customization options. And the interactive themes, like the Wi tennis theme, which uses eye tracking to animate the lock screen.
However, the absence of the Google Play Store is noticeable. Instead, there’s Huawei’s App Gallery, which lacks some popular apps. To compensate, there’s Petal Search to find alternative installation options, though installing from outside sources requires caution.
It comes 512GB storage, While there’s no memory card support, the large internal storage should suffice for most users.
Display
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra features a 6.8-inch 1260×2844 pixels resolutions OLED display, It delivers sharp visuals with vibrant colors and deep contrast. And has a peak brightness of 2500 nits, ensuring clear visibility even in bright conditions. Supports a refresh rate 1Hz to 120Hz providing smooth performance. Also comes with stereo speakers that deliver powerful audio output.
Performance
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is reportedly powered by the Kirin 910 chipset. Performance is smooth and responsive, with apps loading instantly and multitasking without issues.
Testing some games from the app gallery, such as Toilet Man and War of Driving Thief, revealed a disappointing experience due to excessive ads interrupting gameplay. Pixel City Blaster, another game, offered a bizarre encounter with a character resembling a strange version of Mickey Mouse.
Battery life
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra boasts 5,200mAh battery delivering exceptional battery life even with heavy camera usage. It easily lasts through a full day on a single charge. Additionally, charging is fast and convenient with support for 100W wired charging, 80W wireless charging, and 20W reverse wireless charging, allowing you to juice up your devices quickly and efficiently.
Cameras
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra’s camera technology takes the spotlight, featuring a popup 50-megapixel primary shooter with optical image stabilization. It offers four X Mage filters for customization: Original, Vivid, Bright, and Mono. The primary shooter excels in action shots, producing clean photos with ultra-fast shutter speed and minimal blurring.
With a variable aperture lens, the Pura 70 Ultra captures bright, realistic tones in various lighting conditions. Night photography is impressive thanks to the large sensor and anti-shake technology. Additionally, there’s a 50-megapixel telephoto shooter with 3.5 times optical zoom, suitable for macro shots and wide-angle photography.
Video recording supports up to 4K resolution at 30 or 60 frames per second, providing smooth footage with minimal shake. The transition between lenses is seamless, and night footage maintains detail with minimal grain. Audio capture is solid across the board.
The 13-megapixel selfie lens with autofocus delivers satisfactory results even in low-light conditions. However, occasional graininess in selfie footage is observed. Overall, the camera setup on the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra provides versatility and impressive performance in various shooting scenarios.
Final Thought
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is an impressive piece of hardware offering one of the best camera in 2024. However, it comes with limitations on the software side, especially in regions where Google services are not available. But despite limitations delivers exceptional performance with features like disappearing characters in between ads, adding to the overall experience.
Overall, while the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra may have its drawbacks, it’s still a smartphone worth considering for its top-notch camera capabilities.
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is a solid choice for photography lovers and power users though its lack of Google services may be a dealbreaker for some users.
Pros
- Solid build with eco-leather back, retractable camera, and durable Konun glass.
- Exceptional Camera
- Sharp, vibrant 6.8-inch OLED display
- Long-lasting 5200mAh battery with fast wired and wireless charging
Cons
- Absence of Google Play Store and Google apps is a significant drawback for many users.
- Huawei's App Gallery lacks some popular apps
- At 226g, it might feel bulky and heavy for some users
- Lack of expandable storage
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Design9
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Software and EMUI7
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Display9
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Performance8
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Battery10
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Camera9
