iPhone 16 Pro and Huawei Pura 80 Ultra camera modules
Prakhar Khanna
Apple is all set to launch the iPhone 17 Pro on September 9, according to a new report. Ahead of the big Apple event, I got my hands on the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra and there’s one feature that I wish made its way to the next flagship iPhone: dual periscope telephoto camera setup.
The Huawei Pura 80 Ultra features four cameras on its back, like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Oppo Find X8 Ultra. But unlike those two phones, its twin telephoto optics share the same 1/1.28-inch sensor. As a result, you get similar quality photos in both 3.7x and 9.4x optical zoom. The huge camera module houses a moving prism to switch focal length, which looks like an engineering marvel when put to use.
Huawei Pura 80 Ultra’s 3.7x zoom is an 83mm f/2.4 prime for portraits, while the 9.4x zoom is a 212mm f/3.6 equivalent — both featuring the same 1/1.28-inch sensor size, which is larger than almost every other telephoto phone camera on the market. While the 3.7x zoom shoots 50MP stills, the 9.4x zoom produces 12.5MP stills. But both look equally impressive.
For example, in the below photo, I used 10x zoom macro mode to capture the water droplets on the flower. It not only captured the details on the flower but you can see the reflection of the flower’s surroundings inside the water droplet. I wish my iPhone had this feature. These photos come out looking sharp and vibrant, which isn’t the norm for 10x+ zoom photos in the Apple world.
Huawei Pura 80 Ultra camera samples
Prakhar Khanna
Things get more interesting at 30x or even 50x zoom, where the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra manages to retain a good amount of details while offering a natural-looking bokeh behind the subject. As can be seen in the above photos, the bird was moving its head and yet, the Pura 80 Ultra managed to shoot a relatively clear photo. For context, you can check my 1x point of view for these shots on Threads here.
Huawei has left no stone unturned on its latest flagship. Apart from the two telephoto cameras, the Pura 80 Ultra features a 50MP 23mm lens with variable f/1.6-4 aperture, utilizing a larger-still 1-inch-type sensor capable of capturing 16 stops of dynamic range. Plus, you get a 40MP ultra-wide-angle camera.
What Else Should You Know About The Huawei Pura 80 Ultra?
Huawei Pura 80 Ultra
Prakhar Khanna
The Huawei Pura 80 Ultra offers a 6.8-inch 120Hz display with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits for supported HDR content. It is powered by an in-house chipset, which isn’t the best at heat management in extended camera use. It sports a side-mounted fingerprint sensor instead of an in-display biometric security option.
The phone packs a 5,170mAh battery with support for 100W wired and 80W wireless charging with proprietary accessories. Unfortunately, there’s no pre-installed Google apps and it still requires other third-party ways to install Play services. As for the price, it will set you back at around 1,220 euros.
Will The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Sport Dual Periscope Telephoto Cameras?
Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Prakhar Khanna
According to previous iPhone 17 Pro design rumors, the upcoming Apple flagship is speculated to adopt a Google Pixel-inspired design where the squarish camera module can be replaced with one that stretches the full width of the phone.
If the rumors are to be believed, it is unlikely for the Apple iPhone 17 Pro to sport two periscope telephoto cameras. It is likely to have the same three-camera setup with a main sensor, telephoto camera for optical zoom, and an ultrawide-angle sensor. I’m hoping for a better zoom performance but the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra remains in a league of its own.
