Huawei launches Pura 80 Ultra with world-first dual telephoto lens system

Huawei is taking its flagship smartphone, the Pura 80 Ultra, beyond China for the first time, confirming plans to launch the device in international markets.

While the phone may not top the speed charts, it breaks new ground in smartphone photography. The Pura 80 Ultra is the world’s first phone to feature two physically switchable telephoto lenses stacked vertically—a feature that sets it apart in an increasingly crowded flagship market.

Its standout design includes a distinctive triangular camera island that houses a 50MP 1-inch RYYB main sensor, a 40MP ultra-wide lens, and a 1.5MP spectral sensor aimed at enhancing colour accuracy. But the highlight is the massive 50MP telephoto lens, the largest ever on a smartphone. It supports 3.7x optical zoom and includes a motorised periscope module capable of 9.7x optical zoom—just shy of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 10x, but with a significantly larger sensor.

As with many recent Huawei models, the company hasn’t disclosed the exact chipset, though reports suggest it uses Huawei’s in-house Kirin 9020 processor. The phone features a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 3,000 nits.

The Chinese variant comes with 5G and satellite connectivity, running on HarmonyOS 5.1, while the global version will ship with 4G and Huawei’s Android-based EMUI 1.5. Storage and memory configurations go up to 16GB RAM and 1TB internal storage.

Powering the device is a 5,170mAh battery in the global version (down from 5,700mAh in China), with support for 100W wired and 80W wireless fast charging.

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The phone is available in black and gold, and currently retails in China for 9,999 yuan (approx. Rs 1.19 lakh). Huawei is yet to announce the global pricing and availability.