GoKawiilWhile the Huawei Pura 90 Pro Max's name is far from unique, the way the phone is designed and its 200-megapixel camera provide one of the most distinctive looks I've seen on a slab phone.
The Huawei Pura 90 Pro Max has a two-tone gradient back. I used it for a day and it reminded me of the Huawei P30 Pro -- the last phone I tried with a similar gradient back. That was back in 2019, when the Chinese company was still collaborating with Leica and shipping phones with pre-installed Google services. Six years later, Huawei continues to deliver premium hardware, out-of-the-box ideas and innovative camera features -- but alas, no Google services.
A big phone with character and pop
The screen is sharp, vibrant and easy to read outdoors. Prakhar Khanna/CNET
Huawei's new phone doesn't mirror the Huawei P30 Pro's aurora or breathing srystal finishes. Instead, the so-called orange ocean variant features a bolder purple-to-orange gradient that stands out more dramatically. Alongside orange ocean, the phone also comes in two other gradient finishes -- sunset purple and emerald lake -- as well as two solid colors: dawn gold and obsidian slack.
However, I'm not fond of Huawei's choice of going for a flat frame. I liked the curvy sides of the Pura 90 Ultra more. It was easier to hold and use in day-to-day life. Fortunately, the new Huawei Pura 90 Pro Max doesn't feel like a brick in the hand. It weighs 230.5 grams (vs. 233g for the iPhone 17 Pro Max and 232g for the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL) and remains comfortable enough to use with a single hand. Like other flagship phones, it also carries IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance.
On the front, you get a 6.9-inch OLED display with support for a 1Hz-to-120Hz refresh rate and an anti-reflective coating on top. I took it around the sunny streets of Bangkok and had no issues with legibility. Whether I was framing shots in the viewfinder or navigating with Huawei's Petal Maps, everything remained clearly visible outdoors. I couldn't install my go-to media apps during my limited hands-on time -- again, there's no access to Google's Play Store here -- but the display's minimal bezels should still make it feel immersive for watching videos.
Feature-packed camera hardware and software
You can physically see the aperture blades adjust on the bottom sensor when changing settings in Pro mode. Prakhar Khanna/CNET
Aside from the colorful design, this phone's stacked with the latest camera technologies. A 200-megapixel camera? Check. Variable aperture? Check. New AI features? Also, check! And yet, it sits below the Pura 90 Ultra in the lineup.
... continue reading