Sareena Dayaram/CNET
Pura 70 Ultra’s (not so) mysterious processor
Huawei was tight-lipped about the processor powering its fanciest new flagship phone. However a teardown of the device conducted by research firm TechInsights reveals its runs on the Kirin 9010 chipset made by China’s SMIC, likely using the cutting-edge 7-nanometer process. For reference the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip found in phones like the Galaxy S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12 has a 4-nanometer process.
Since the usual benchmark apps, Geekbench 6 and 3D Mark, were not available on the Huawei App Gallery for performance testing, I used the Antutu Benchmark app to start a 45-minute stress test, however the device’s temperature rose over 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). The app automatically stopped the test saying the temperature passed the safety threshold of 45 degrees celsius.
I also leaned on my day-to-day experience for judging the overall performance. The camera app launches quickly, multi-tasking was smooth, graphic-intensive gameplay also went on without a hitch, and I could easily switch websites between landscape and portrait mode without any lag.
Pura 70 Ultra AI features
Although Huawei didn’t mention AI all that much during the media briefing, the Pura 70 Ultra has a bevy of AI features sprinkled throughout the user experience. One of the most noticeable features was Snapshot and Ultra Snapshot, which apparently can take crisp images even if the object is moving at a few hundred miles per hour – like F1 race car fast. According to Huawei, Snapshot fuses together the camera’s hardware capabilities with proprietary AI software algorithms. The phone captures and combines the same image taken with long and short exposures, and then goes on to fine-tune it to create a sharp image. I haven’t tried it yet, but look forward to testing it for my full review.
The Pura 70 Ultra also has a basic photo editing tool that can remove unwanted objects from a photo in a matter of seconds. However the space leftover was blurry and appears to have been tampered with. Unlike Google’s Magic Editor, the phone couldn’t generate a background to fill that empty space with realistic-looking content. Speaking of AI, I was surprised to see Microsoft’s Bing available as a pre-loaded app, which means users get access to GPT-4, Open AI’s most advanced large language model.
Read More : Google’s Pixel 8 Blurs the Line Between Reality and Fantasy
Overall thoughts
The Pura 70 Ultra is a boundary-pushing Android phone with an exceptionally versatile and high-quality camera system. Apart from the wonderful pictures, the Pura 70 Ultra has a lot else going for it from a fashion-forward design, sharp display, long-lasting battery, and even a smooth overall user experience with the the Kirin 9010, a China-made chipset. However, even though Huawei has made strides in bringing more apps to the Huawei App Gallery, it’s still missing many of the apps that I would use on a daily basis as a result of US sanctions. It’s a big factor to overlook for a phone that retails at 1499 euros. To me, that’s the crucial missing piece in an otherwise excellent phone.
Pura 70 Ultra vs. Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra
Huawei Pura 70 Ultra
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate
6.8-inch AMOLED, 2,844 × 1,260 pixels 1-120Hz adaptive
6.73-inch AMOLED; 3,200 x 1,440 pixels, 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate
6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,120×1,440 pixels; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate
Pixel density
N/A
522 ppi
501 ppi
Dimensions (inches)
N/A
6.35 x 2.96 x 0.36 in
6.40 x 3.11 x 0.34 in.
Dimensions (millimeters)
N/A
161.4 x 75.3 x 9.2mm
163 x 79 x 8.6 mm
Weight (grams, ounces)
226g (7.97)
220g (7.8 oz.)
233 g (8.22 oz.)
Mobile software
EMUI 14.2
Android 14
Android 14
Camera
50-megapixel (wide/main), 40-megapixel (ultra-wide), 50-megapixel (telephoto)
50-megapixel (wide), 50-megapixel (ultrawide), 50-megapixel (3.2x telephoto), 50-megapixel (5x telephoto)
200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto), 50-megapixel (5x telephoto)
Front-facing camera
13-megapixel (ultra-wide)
32-megapixel
12-megapixel
Video capture
8K
8K
8K
Processor
Kirin 9010
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM/storage
16GB RAM + 256GB
16GB + 512GB
12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Expandable storage
None
None
None
Battery
5,200 mAh
5,000 mAh
5,000 mAh
Fingerprint sensor
Under display
Under display
Under display
Connector
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
Headphone jack
None
None
None
Special features
IP68 rating, satellite connectivity, 2,500 nits peak brightness, Crystal Armor Kunlun Glass, 100W wired charging, 80W wireless charging, 20W reverse wireless charging, 3.5x optical zoom, 100x digital zoom
IP68 rating, 3,000 nits peak brightness, Xiaomi Shield Glass Front, 4 Generations of Android support, 90W wired charging, 80W wireless charging, Wi-Fi 7, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, 16-bit Ultra Raw photos,
Titanium frame, 2,600-nit peak brightness; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water and dust resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; integrated S Pen; UWB for finding other devices; 45W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7; Gorilla Glass Armor cover glass
Price
1499 euros (converts to roughly $1,606)
Converts to $1,646 (512GB); £1,299 (512GB)
$1,300 (256GB)
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