The Huawei Pura 90s series was launched globally at an event held in Kuala Lumpur last week. Finally, after several years of only offering 4G devices in Malaysia, the Pura 90s series supports 5G networks in Malaysia. Is 5G enough for you to return to using Huawei devices.
SPECIFICATIONS
Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max
6.9″ LTPO OLED screen, 120Hz,
HDR.
Kirin 9030S processor (5nm)
1 x 2.7 GHz Taishan Big chip
3 x 2.15 GHz Taishan Mid
4 x 1.62 GHz Taishan Little
Maleon 935F Graphics Chip
12 GB of RAM
512GB Internal Storage
Primary Camera 50 MP, f/1.4-4.0, OIS (Wide Angle)
40 MP f/2.2 (Ultra Wide)
200 MP f/2.6, OIS (Telephoto 4X)
Front Camera 13MP f/2.0
6000 mAh SiC battery
Wired 100W
Wireless 80W
Reverse Wireless 10W
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM Nano /5G
NFC Yes
Infrared Yes
Waterproof IP69
Side built-in Fingerprint Scan System
Sale Price RM4899 (12/512GB)
SCREEN and BIOMETRICS
The 6.9″ screen is from the LTPO OLED family with 120Hz refresh rate support. There is HDR support but unfortunately it is not supported in popular devices like Netflix and Disney+. On Netflix only HD streaming is possible with the Dolby Vision logo and HDR10 is not displayed.
The screen displays colors well with high enough brightness to be used in bright sunlight. Every touch and swipe is also detected well. The haptic system is also modern. I have no negative comments to make about the Pura 90s Pro Max screen except that it does not have an under-screen fingerprint scanner like other flagship devices.
The fingerprint scanner is built into the power button on the right side. It scans quickly but it is rare for a candybar flagship device not to have an under-screen fingerprint scanner. The included face scanning system is fast and can unlock as long as there is a light source.
DESIGN
The body design is the same as last year’s Pura 80 Pro Max. The boxy sides are nice in the hand and the metal frame feels premium. On the model reviewed, the frame has a gradient color that matches the rainbow gradient color of the device's rear panel.
The power button and audio rocker on the right side are made of metal and are comfortable to press. At the bottom there is a SIM tray, one of the stereo speakers and a USB-C charging port. Meanwhile, on top there is a microphone hole and an audio grille for another speaker.
The body of the device is not the thinnest but still satisfactory. The camera bump alone is very large so it takes up a lot of space on the back. The bump houses all three lenses, a color sensor and also an infrared emitter. Due to the large bump, the device is less balanced and it is top-heavy. It also makes the Pura 90 s Pro Max unable to be placed flat on a table because of the high bump.
The body passes the IP69 standard which allows it to be submerged under water and high-pressure water splashes. The battery is 6000 mAh of silicon carbon (SiC) type that supports 100W wired charging, 80W wireless and 10W reverse. The charger is included in the box with every device purchase.
SOFTWARE AND USAGE EXPERIENCE
In Malaysia the operating system used is EMUI 16 based on Android 16. This is a good move because HarmonyOS 6 in China has removed all Android support. With HarmonyOS's application selection more towards China, it will limit the number of applications that can be used.
Like previous versions of EMUI, applications can be installed via App Gallery or Petal Search. The integration of searching for applications outside the App Gallery is very good with Micro G opening the Play Store screen directly from within the App Gallery. There are a few extra steps but the integration is getting better and it is no longer a headache compared to two years ago.
I have no problems installing YouTube, Gboard, Maps, Gmail, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Netflix, and various other applications that require Google. The update process is also no longer complex because in the App Gallery there is a tab to update applications instead of using the App Gallery or other stores.
The majority of applications can be run without any major issues. I mentioned above Netflix can be run but no HDR. The only two apps that I noticed failed to open were Google Wallet and Android Auto.
One thing that was a little disappointing was the amount of ads on the device. The App Gallery would display ads for a few seconds (which could not be closed immediately) every few times I searched for an app. Unlike in HyperOS 3, I couldn't find a setting to turn off ads. It's strange that a device that costs almost RM5000 would display ads like the affordable Redmi and Poco devices that cost less than RM2000 each.
The final concern is that there is no official information on how long the Pura 90s Pro Max will receive updates. It is not on Huawei's official website and not in the press releases I received when the device was launched. To this day it remains a mystery. However, during the review period EMUI 16 received security updates until July. Officially Huawei does not support Android but in the global market it is a requirement.
BENCHMARK
The Kirin 9030S chip uses 5nm technology while other flagship devices have moved to 3nm and below. As usual some benchmark tests I have done with this chip compared to the benchmark chips below,
Realme 16 Pro+ 5G – Snapdragon 7 Gen 4
Oppo Find X9 Ultra – Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra – Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
Xiaomi 17T Pro – Dimensity 9500
Honor Magic8 Pro – Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Vivo X300 Pro – Dimensity 9500
Apple iPhone 17 Pro – A19 Pro
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL – Tensor G5
Antutu 3D
Score Device
Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max 1,285,595
Realme 16 Pro+ 5G 1,424,007
Oppo Find X9 Ultra 4,120,640
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 3,136,285
Xiaomi 17T Pro 3,530,586
Honor Magic8 Pro 3,424,247
Vivo X300 Pro 3,507,869
Apple iPhone 17 Pro 2,634,345
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL 1,214,735
Geekbench 6
Single Core Multi Core Device
Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max 1261 4441
Realme 16 Pro+ 5G 1337 4132
Oppo Find X9 Ultra 3505 10277
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 3651 10819
Xiaomi 17T Pro 3158 9766
Honor Magic8 Pro 3587 9853
Vivo X300 Pro 3507 10469
Apple iPhone 17 Pro 3560 8835
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL 2303 6134
3DMark Wildlife Extreme
Chip Score
Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max 1583
Realme 16 Pro+ 5G 2108
Oppo Find X9 Ultra 7391
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 7375
Xiaomi 17T Pro 6939
Honor Magic8 Pro 7659
Vivo X300 Pro 7075
Apple iPhone 17 Pro 5873
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL 2567
The Kirin 9030s is not a flagship chip with performance that is more comparable to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 used by the Realme 16 Pro+. Buyers' expectations should match reality. The Pura 90s Pro Max can run all common and advanced applications smoothly because it functions like a premium mid-range device.
It did not happen that Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Netflix applications crashed during use. For daily use, the Pura 90s Pro Max will not disappoint the owner.
When running games, COD Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Genshin and MLBB can be played smoothly at high settings. On more powerful devices equipped with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for example, MAX or ULTRA settings can be used. On the Pura 90S Pro Max it is only up to HIGH. Can you. notice the difference? The honest answer is probably not because all the games tested run at high frame rates.
On paper, the Kirin 9030s benchmark scores are low but in daily use it is a chip powerful enough for the majority of applications that you want to use.
CAMERA
The main camera tri 50MP wide angle with OIS, 40MP ultra wide angle and 200MP telephoto with OIS. Meanwhile, on the front, the 13MP camera is used for selfies. There are various standard modes such as portrait, night, super macro and panorama that can be accessed by the user.
The captured images look natural, bright and have colors similar to the real world. Performance is good in both open and closed areas. The algorithm is not too aggressive that it makes the images look over-processed. The zoom and portrait modes are also good. Zooming up to 4X still looks sharp thanks to the use of a 200MP sensor which allows for sharp images to be captured at high zoom settings. The most impressive is the super macro mode as macro images close to the subject can be captured sharply.
BATTERY
The 6000 mAh battery can last all day with usage lasting all day. If the device is unplugged at 7am, it still has around 10% battery at 10pm. Decent life but not as good as other flagship devices with larger batteries and more power efficient processors. The best SOT I have seen is around 10 hours.
The battery can be charged in 60 minutes with a 100W charger. Wireless charging is up to 80W but I don't have a wireless charger that fast. Interestingly, the Honor Magic V6's 6600 mAh battery also only takes 60 minutes to charge with an 80W charger. So Huawei's more powerful charger takes longer to charge the smaller battery.
AUDIO
The physical speaker volume is satisfactory as it is quite loud and shoots to the sides. As a result, the audio sounds more balanced. The stereo effect can be heard when playing videos and video games. But it is a little flat compared to other device speakers because there is no Dolby Atmos system.
IN THE BOX
Here's what's included in the box.
1x Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max
1x Plastic frame
1x 100W USB-A charger
1x USB-A to USB-C charging cable
1x Manual
1x SIM pin
CONCLUSION
Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max is the best phone Huawei has produced since they were imposed with technology restrictions by the United States. The device's construction is solid, comfortable in the hand, the software can now use Google services more easily, the camera can withstand, the battery also lasts a long time and most importantly we can use 5G again.
It's the best produced by Huawei but it's not the best on the market especially in the flagship category. The Kirin 9030S processor is not a flagship class processor because it is inferior to the Tensor G5 which we often make fun of. Performance is more comparable to the Realme 16 Pro+ (RM 2299) which uses the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4.
At a starting price of RM4899 (12/512GB) it's high for a mid-range device. It can only be recommended to die-hard Huawei fans who want a 5G device in Malaysia.
Pros
Neat design and feels premium in the hand.
Satisfactory camera performance.
Large 6000 mAh battery lasts a long time with 100W fast charging.
IP69 waterproof and dustproof.
Google support is getting better and easier.
5G is back.
Cons
No definitive information on how long operating system updates will be provided.
Performance is only comparable to mid-range devices.
Large camera bump makes the device heavy at the top.
Price is less competitive.
