HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max: An In-Depth Review

HUAWEI has consistently introduced a wave of new products across various categories, from smartphones to wearables, towards the end of the year. Among these, the HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max stands out as perhaps the most intriguing launch. This review delves into what this latest offering brings to the table, and whether HUAWEI continues to lead in mobile photography despite ongoing challenges.

Unboxing the HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max

The HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max comes in a notably large box, significantly more substantial than many of its contemporaries. This generous packaging ensures the valuable contents are well-protected. Inside, the inclusion of accessories aligns with what’s typically expected from premium Chinese smartphone manufacturers.

Upon opening, the smartphone itself is the first thing that catches the eye. Beneath it, you’ll find a smaller compartment housing documentation, a SIM tray ejector tool, and a hard, transparent plastic case. While this case offers decent protection for the prominent camera array, it’s prone to scratches, with initial scuffs appearing even from wiping with a microfiber cloth. At the very bottom of the box, a standard USB-C to USB-C cable completes the package.

Design and Build Quality

At first glance, the HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max doesn’t appear drastically different from its predecessor, the Pura 80 Ultra, maintaining similar shapes and proportions. However, the overall design has undergone a significant modernization. HUAWEI’s latest flagship now boasts bolder color options and distinctive, cut-off edges, giving it a much more contemporary appeal.

The Pura 90s Pro Max is available in white, black, and a truly striking orange-blue gradient. The latter variant, which we reviewed, is genuinely eye-catching. While it tends to show fingerprints easily and might not be the most universally appealing color scheme, it undeniably helps the smartphone stand out in a crowded market.

The gradient effect is dynamic, with colors shifting beautifully under different lighting conditions—from studio lights to bright natural sunlight. This gradient even extends to the frame, ensuring the distinctive colors are visible even when viewing the device from the front.

The most defining feature of the rear panel is, without a doubt, the enormous camera island. Below it, the HUAWEI logo is subtly placed, with essential regulatory markings discreetly relocated to the top edge, a design choice we appreciate.

Regarding the camera island’s shape, it presents both a drawback and an unexpected advantage. Its asymmetrical placement and significant protrusion mean the phone wobbles when placed on flat surfaces, though this effect is less irritating than on some competitor models. On the upside, when holding the device in the right hand, the index finger naturally rests along one of the camera island’s edges, providing a comfortable and stable grip. Despite its 230-gram weight, the device doesn’t feel overly heavy. The construction is also sealed, boasting an IP69 certification for water and dust resistance.

The device features an aluminum frame. The top edge houses only a speaker grille and a microphone opening. White antenna lines are visible on all sides. On the left side, these white lines are the only distinguishing features.

The right side features the volume rockers and the power button, which doubles as a fingerprint scanner. While the scanner’s accuracy is reliable, we found it less convenient than a good in-display ultrasonic reader. This often led us to rely on facial recognition instead.

The bottom edge includes another speaker grille, a USB-C charging port, a microphone opening, and a dual SIM card tray. It’s worth noting that the device supports modern connectivity modules such as 5G, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6.0.

The stereo speakers are impressive. The bottom driver is louder and offers deeper bass than the top one. However, the slightly unbalanced stereo effect is our only minor criticism. The HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max delivers clear, loud audio with ample bass, easily competing with devices like the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL in this category.

The front of the phone is adorned with the vibrant colors peeking through from the edges. The bezels are slim, and the flat screen is protected by Kunlun Glass Crystal Armor 2. Gen, contributing to an attractive front profile. The only notable elements at the top are a narrow earpiece cutout and the front camera. As mentioned, an in-display fingerprint reader is absent.

Display Performance

The HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max features a massive 6.9-inch LTPO OLED panel, offering a high resolution of 1308 × 2880 pixels and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. While some competitors push to 144 Hz, the difference is often imperceptible even in gaming scenarios.

The OLED panel delivers phenomenal image quality. Colors are saturated, blacks are deep, and viewing angles are wide, making multimedia consumption and web browsing on the HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max a superb experience.

Official documentation does not specify the maximum brightness. However, aggregated specifications suggest a peak brightness of 3000 nits. In practice, the screen exhibits brightness levels typical of leading flagships, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL. Readability under bright sunlight remains excellent.

Battery Life and Charging

Chinese manufacturers have recently accustomed consumers to incredibly powerful batteries. In this regard, the HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max falls slightly behind. Its 5270 mAh capacity does surpass the Samsung S26 Ultra, but even the European version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max offers a larger 5391 mAh cell. For comparison, the foldable vivo X Fold6 packs a 6900 mAh battery.

In real-world usage, battery life isn’t as short as the capacity might suggest, but it’s certainly not a category leader. We comfortably made it to the evening with around 20% battery remaining after a day of intensive use, a result comparable to the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL. However, the device lasts noticeably shorter than flagships with capacities around 7000 mAh, such as the OnePlus 15, OPPO Find X9 Pro, or vivo X500 Pro Max. Less demanding users might achieve up to two days of use.

The relatively modest battery capacity, combined with powerful 100W wired charging, translates to impressively fast energy replenishment. Starting from 2%, the device reached 39% in just 15 minutes, meaning 37% of the battery was charged in a quarter of an hour. The first 50% was achieved in 20 minutes, and a full charge took approximately 47 minutes.

Advanced Camera System

For years, HUAWEI’s Pura (formerly P) series set benchmarks in mobile photography. Recently, however, the gap in quality, especially among Chinese ultra-flagship competitors, has significantly narrowed. Yet, the expansive camera island on the HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max strongly suggests exceptional photographic capabilities.

The main camera sensor is slightly smaller than the previous generation, but still a substantial 1/1.28-inch sensor. It features a 50 MP resolution, LOFIC technology (which excels at managing overexposed areas), and a variable aperture ranging from f/1.4 to f/4.0.

Complementing this is a 200 MP telephoto lens (f/2.6) with 4x optical zoom and a dedicated macro mode. This phone is designed to focus as close as 5 cm from the subject. The camera setup is completed by a 40 MP ultrawide angle lens (f/2.2).

The camera application is functional, prioritizing simplicity and speed. Users aren’t overwhelmed with dozens of options and modes. The default night photo mode extends exposure time. With a single tap, users can activate AI photo enhancement, Living Photo, or one of four XMAGE color profiles. It’s a pity these profiles aren’t customizable like on vivo flagships. The software also offers dedicated modes for night photography, quick shots (Snapshot), and a Pro mode for fine-tuning nearly every parameter. Aspiring photographers can benefit from AI Composition, a tool that suggests attractive framing, reminiscent of the Photography Assistant that debuted on the Google Pixel 10 series.

Image Quality

Daylight Photography

Under good lighting conditions, the HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max captures phenomenal images. The main camera’s LOFIC technology effectively manages bright elements in frames by allowing the sensor to capture more photons, resulting in excellent detail retention.

The telephoto lens’s focal length is particularly practical, delivering superb portraits and capturing distant scenes with native zoom. The ultrawide-angle lens performs competently in these conditions. A notable highlight is the consistent color reproduction across all cameras, ensuring natural-looking colors.

Zoom Capabilities

The camera app allows for up to 100x digital zoom, a setting that, regardless of the smartphone, rarely yields quality photography. We focused on evaluating 10x, 20x, and 30x digital zoom. With ‘AI Photography Master’ mode off, the results were remarkably free of typical AI artifacts, offering usable images at these zoom levels.

Macro Photography

HUAWEI frequently emphasizes its macro photography capabilities. The Pura 90s Pro Max utilizes its 4x telephoto lens for this purpose, achieving exceptionally close focus. The results are superb, making it arguably the best smartphone for macro photography on the market.

Night Photography

Night photography tests the camera’s limits in challenging conditions. The HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max automatically extends exposure times, often up to three seconds, which impacts photo capture speed. In contrast, devices like the Pixel 11 Pro XL and vivo X500 Pro Max captured similar test photos almost instantly in their basic modes.

The main camera performs reliably, consistently producing detailed and high-quality night shots. The telephoto lens fares slightly less well, sometimes lacking in detail, but with patience, decent photos can be captured even with 10x digital zoom.

The ultrawide-angle lens was the most disappointing in low light. When ambient light is minimal, the 40-megapixel sensor struggles. While the phone attempts to produce the brightest possible image with maximum detail, this often comes at the expense of bright areas in the frame, as observed in some test shots.

Once again, however, the color consistency across all lenses deserves praise. Colors are rendered very naturally, with no noticeable shifts between the different optics.

Selfie Camera and Video Recording

The 13 MP selfie camera, featuring an f/2.0 aperture and autofocus, offers average performance. In low light, the smartphone defaults to screen flash, which effectively illuminates the face but often creates reflections in glasses.

The HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max records video at a maximum of 4K at 60 frames per second. Slow-motion is limited to 1080p but can achieve up to 960 frames per second. While the absence of 8K isn’t a major concern, the lack of 4K at 120 frames per second is a missed opportunity.

Daytime video quality is fantastic. Stabilization is effective, autofocus is quick, and exposure and white balance are accurate. A more professional mode with raw color profiles and options for 25 or 50 frames per second recording would be a welcome addition. Nighttime video performance mirrors still photography: the main camera captures very good footage, the telephoto performs almost as well, but the ultrawide struggles significantly. Overall, it’s a capable but not outstanding smartphone for video recording.

Software and Performance

The HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max runs on EMUI 16, based on a relatively recent Android 16. The interface is consistent with other Chinese Android overlays, most closely resembling HONOR’s MagicOS, though without the “liquid glass” effect. Several manufacturer applications are pre-installed, including a useful AR measurement tool. While the initial setup presents numerous folders, these primarily contain installation shortcuts rather than pre-loaded programs, allowing for quick removal of bloatware.

The interface operates swiftly, applications launch quickly, and extensive personalization options allow users to tailor the system to their preferences. Daily use of basic functions is identical to other Android flagships. The primary challenge arises when attempting to utilize Google services.

The HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max does not offer Google Mobile Services (GMS), relying instead on its proprietary solutions. HUAWEI has, however, refined its workarounds, as most Google applications we tested functioned without issues. Nevertheless, installing and updating applications outside of the HUAWEI AppGallery remains a more cumbersome process. Transitioning from a flagship (or even a mid-range phone with full GMS support) to a top-tier HUAWEI model still leaves a sense of incompleteness. Managing apps outside of HUAWEI’s app store isn’t as seamless as on devices from other brands.

The smartphone gains significant value when integrated into the HUAWEI ecosystem. Pairing with a device like the HUAWEI WATCH 6 Pro is instantaneous, granting users access to a full suite of features. Files can be quickly transferred between the smartphone and a tablet, and the smartphone’s interactive display can even be mirrored onto a tablet, as we verified with the HUAWEI MatePad Air.

EMUI also incorporates several AI tools. Beyond the AI Photography Expert, artificial intelligence is also present during photo editing. The built-in assistant also leverages AI, though we often preferred the proven Gemini, which can be installed on the HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max.

During its product presentation, HUAWEI emphasized that the Kirin 9030S processor is even better at image processing. We can confirm that both photography and daily tasks on the HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max are pleasant experiences, with no complaints about fluidity in these scenarios. The device also features 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage.

When running more demanding applications and games, it becomes apparent that the Kirin 9030S lags behind last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the latest MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro, and even the Tensor G6 from Pixel devices. Performance is decent but not exceptional, as synthetic benchmark results indicate. The graphics unit’s performance particularly lags behind competitors.

Regarding temperatures, the device performs well. During daily use, the phone only becomes slightly warm. Under heavy load, the casing heats up considerably, but not alarmingly. After 10 minutes of a stress test in AnTuTu, we measured approximately 44 degrees Celsius on the casing.

Technical Specifications and Pricing

The HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max was launched at a premium price point. However, during its promotional period, the device was available at a reduced price, making it a more attractive proposition. Prospective buyers should consider these factors when evaluating its value.

• System: EMUI 16
• Display: 6.9-inch LTPO OLED, 1308 × 2880 pixels, up to 120 Hz refresh rate, Kunlun Glass Crystal Armor 2. Gen
• Processor: Kirin 9030S
• RAM: 12 GB RAM
• Internal Storage: 512 GB
• Rear Cameras: 50 MP (f/1.4-f/4.0, LOFIC, OIS), 200 MP (f/2.6, 4x telephoto), 40 MP (f/2.2, ultrawide)
• Front Camera: 13 MP (f/2.0)
• Connectivity: 5G + Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 6.0
• Other Features: Fingerprint reader in power button, IP69 certification, stereo speakers
• Battery: 5270 mAh, 100W wired charging, 80W wireless charging
• Dimensions: 164 × 77.1 × 8.1 mm
• Weight: 230.5 g

Conclusion: Our Verdict on the HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max

The HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max is arguably the most unconventional flagship on the market, not least due to its captivating color scheme. HUAWEI has once again demonstrated its prowess in designing brilliantly constructed smartphones. The build quality is excellent, the aesthetics are appealing, and the display offers flagship-tier parameters.

Despite its not-so-impressive battery capacity, it performs adequately and charges incredibly fast. The camera system is another significant highlight. Photographically, it stands among the best, primarily thanks to its main camera with LOFIC technology and the 200 MP telephoto lens with its fantastic macro capabilities.

Regrettably, since 2019, HUAWEI smartphones have lacked access to Google Mobile Services. While a significant majority of Google services can be installed without major issues, a premium flagship should offer a seamless experience right out of the box. The HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max requires some tinkering, making it difficult to recommend at its full retail price.

However, during its launch promotion, the device becomes a truly compelling option. For many, a more popular model might still be a better choice. Around this price point, the selection of flagships is vast, and with a slight additional investment over the regular price, one could acquire a complete ultra-flagship like the OPPO Find X9 Ultra.

Source: Internal analysis. Opening photo: Krzysztof Wilamowski

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Anuj Kushwaha

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