I’m a photographer and Huawei’s latest camera phone has some of the wildest tech I’ve seen yet – including this world-first
There are some incredible camera phones coming out of China right now, including the Xiaomi 15 Ultra with its 1-inch sensor and Leica lenses and the Vivo X200 Ultra with its innovative add-on lens, but Huawei’s latest offering could just top the lot.
Unveiled on June 11, the Pura 80 Ultra seemingly features a triangular triple camera unit, but a second glance reveals one of those lenses does, in fact, host twin telephoto optics that share the same 1/1.28-inch sensor.
One of those periscope lenses is a 3.7x zoom, and the other a monster 9.4x zoom. This space-saving setup, which utilizes a moving prism to switch focal length, is unusual enough – although we’ve seen it before in the Sony Xperia 1 III from 2021 – but judging from the Pura 80 Ultra’s specs it looks like the real deal.
The switchable telephoto lenses offer a particularly versatile reach – the 3.7x zoom is an 83mm f/2.4 prime ideal for portraits, while the 9.4x zoom is a 212mm f/3.6 equivalent – plus they share that 1/1.28-inch sensor, which is larger than most others used for telephoto lenses, and shouldn’t sacrifice quality.
My only reservation is that it looks like there’s some pixel binning or sensor-cropping going on with the 9.4x zoom, which shoots 12.5MP stills, as opposed to the 50MP stills of the 3.7x zoom. Either way, the quality of the photos I’ve seen taken with both telephoto lenses look impressive.
Could this be the world’s best camera phone?
As a photographer, the telephoto lenses look genuinely useful, but I’m just as impressed with main camera. It’s a 23mm lens with variable f/1.6-4 aperture, utilizing a larger-still 1-inch sensor for 50MP stills.
What’s more, Huawei says that the main camera is capable of capturing 16 stops of dynamic range, which would be a record for any smartphone.
The wider the dynamic range a camera is able to capture, the more perceivable detail you get across highlights and shadows, which should make for more natural-looking images.
Completing the camera array is an ultra-wide 13mm lens with 40MP stills, though Huawei doesn’t list the sensor size for this camera. It’s a safe bet that it won’t match the quality of the main camera.
Unlike the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, which I’ve been using for months and is a genuine alternative for my premium compact camera, I haven’t got my hands on the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra yet, so I can’t be sure if it’s one of the best camera phones.
Its specs are certainly eye-catching, as is the optional photography edition kit by Tilta (see above). Add-on grips that mimic the camera experience are becoming a thing – Xiaomi and Vivo’s aforementioned smartphones have their own versions. However Tilta’s looks gloriously over-the-top.
It includes a large grip, case, extra power supply, continuous light, and additional wooden handle. There’s more to the case than meets the eye, too – it not only provides extra power, but can keep the phone cool and it allows follow focus functionality, which is a boon for filmmakers. The kit also allows the use of additional lens filters, such as NDs, plus it comes with a portable carbon fiber tripod.
Like previous Huawei phone launches, the Pura 80 Ultra is currently only available in China, and it costs CNY 9,999 (approximately $1,400 / £1,050 / AU$2,150). It’s touted for a wider release, though not in the US.
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There are some incredible camera phones coming out of China right now, including the Xiaomi 15 Ultra with its 1-inch sensor and Leica lenses and the Vivo X200 Ultra with its innovative add-on lens, but Huawei’s latest offering could just top the lot. Unveiled on June 11, the Pura 80…
