Review | Huawei Pura 70 Ultra review: no Google apps, but cutting-edge cameras, battery see Chinese phone giant return to form
- The Pura 70 Ultra continues the camera innovation of Huawei’s P series, with new technology that enables the phone to capture fast-motion shots without blur
- Core Google apps can’t be installed, but the photography, great battery and display show the Chinese company is back to winning ways with its new flagship
Huawei’s P series smartphones are known for being pioneers of mobile camera technology.
The P9, released in 2016, was the first smartphone to launch with more than one rear-facing camera; two years later the P20 introduced the computational photography trick “night mode” before Google or Apple; and 2019’s P30 Pro was the first smartphone with a Periscope zoom lens.
Innovations slowed for a few years as the Chinese tech giant faced hardware and software sanctions from the US government, with the P series even skipping a release in 2022. But in its latest P series flagship – the series rebranded this year as Pura – Huawei is showing a return to form.
Design and hardware
The Pura 70 series comprises four phones – this review focuses on the highest-tier model, the 70 Ultra.
Aesthetically, all four phones are similar, but the Ultra is the biggest, with a 6.8-inch OLED screen and a faux-leather back with an X pattern stitching.
