Introduction
US sanctions may have taken Huawei out of the limelight in the international smartphone market, but the company remains a major force domestically. According to Counterpoint, it continues to lead the Chinese market and even recorded its highest market share in years in the latest quarter.
From time to time, one of Huawei’s flagship phones makes it beyond the borders of China, serving its loyal global fan base and reminding us of what the company is still capable of. The Pura 90s Pro Max is one of those rare releases – a close relative of the China-exclusive Pura 90s Pro Max.
Huawei describes the Pura 90s Pro Max as a special edition of the Chinese model, designed for true fans of the Pura series. It is also branded as a holiday phone, with fresh exterior colors and exceptional cameras.
But let’s start from the beginning. The Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max is the current flagship of the photo-focused series. It’s a large glass slab with a signature triangular camera arrangement on the back, about as big as the FreeBuds 7i case, for example.
The Pura 90s Pro Max uses a 6.9-inch LTPO OLED screen with 1,308p resolution, 10-bit color depth, and HDR support. It is protected by the latest Kunlun Glass with anti-glare and anti-fingerprint properties.
Then there’s the Kirin 9030S chip, which has switched to the 5nm node. It still offers a mid-range-level 8-core CPU and GPU, but it’s paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS storage. Also, there is 5G support on the Pura 90s Pro Max even on the global unit, which means Huawei has successfully bypassed the restrictions imposed by the US.
Of course, the centerpiece of the Pura 90s Pro Max is the camera system. It has a 50MP primary camera with variable aperture, a 40MP ultrawide-angle camera with autofocus and macro support, and a 200MP telephoto/telemacro camera with 4x optical zoom and 20x lossless zoom (works in video as well). There are additional assistive systems such as laser assist and a color spectrum sensor.
The selfie camera is a 13MP ultrawide-angle with autofocus.
We mentioned that the Pura 90s Pro Max works on 5G networks, but it can also work with Bluetooth 6.0, Wi-Fi 7, NFC, IR, and all types of GPS positioning support. However, satellite communications is reserved for the Chinese entity.
Finally, the global units of the Pura 90s Pro Max come with a 5,270mAh battery (which should mean a typical capacity between 5,400-5,500mAh), while the Chinese model has a 5,850mAh rated battery (typical capacity is 6,000mAh). Both versions support 100W wired and 80W wireless charging.
The global model of the Pura 90s Pro Max boots EMUI 16 with Android 16 core, which is again a new development. All recent previous EMUI versions were based on Android 12. Of course, there are still no Google Mobile Services preinstalled. But there are many solutions for that.
Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max specifications at a glance:
- Body: 164.0×77.1×8.1 mm, 231 g; Front glass, aluminum frame, rear glass; IP68/IP69 dust resistant and water resistant (high pressure water jets; submersible up to 2 meters for 30 minutes).
- Display: 6.90″ LTPO OLED, 1B color, 120Hz, PWM, HDR, 1308x2880px resolution, 19.82:9 aspect ratio, 460ppi; anti-reflective coating.
- Chipset: Kirin 9030S (5nm).
- Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM.
- OS/Software: Android 16, EMUI 16.
- rear camera: wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.4-4.0, 24mm, 1/1.28″, PDAF, OIS; telephoto: 200 MP, f/2.6, 89mm, 1/1.28″, PDAF, OIS, 4x optical zoom; ultra wide angle: 40 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, AF.
- Front Camera: 13 MP, f/2.0, (ultrawide), AF.
- video capture: rear camera:4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, HDR, Gyro-EIS, OIS; front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, HDR, Gyro-EIS.
- Battery: 6000mAh; 100W wired, 80W wireless, 18W reverse wired, reverse wireless.
- Connectivity: 5G; é SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 6.0, L2HC; NFC; Infrared port.
- various: fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Stereo speaker.
One thing Huawei hasn’t figured out yet is an under-display fingerprint sensor. The Pura 90s Pro Max uses a side-mounted scanner instead.
Unboxing the Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max
We didn’t get a retail box for the Pura 90s Pro Max, the retail bundle comes with a 100W charger, a USB-C cable, and a clear protective case.
And you can see some of those accessories in the picture above.