By means of BusinessWorld Digital Team
The high weight of expectations from consumers and experts alike obviously stems from the fact that it is labeled as the flagship series of any mobile phone brand. For Huawei, that would be their Pura 70 series.
Released in April, the Pura 70 is the first flagship under the newly branded Huawei P series that “perfectly reflects the unique style of the brand.”
“With its groundbreaking aesthetic design, a leap forward in imaging technology and powerful performance, it offers consumers an unprecedented experience,” Huawei reports this on its website.
The BusinessWorld Digital Team is fortunate enough to get their hands on it Huawei Pura 70 Pro for two weeks. During that time, the team decided to test the phone in realistic, hands-on situations with different types of users.
Does the Huawei Pura 70 Pro measure up to being a flagship phone?
The delegate
“Feels solid while being held and has some weight to it. The camera layout on the back makes the design unique. The ‘Forward Symbol Design’ shows a progressive view.”
Huawei certainly put a lot of thought into the design of the Pura 70 Pro.
Granted, the rounded corners and grip are reminiscent of an older model of a very popular smartphone, but the camera layout on the back is unique and refreshing to look at. It’s got style, there’s no doubt about that.
The ‘Forward Symbol Design’ is interesting. Semiotically, it shows a progressive mindset, which is quite interesting and applicable for this flagship series.
The camera layout can also be interpreted as a ‘Play Symbol Design’. Honestly, who wouldn’t want to play with the Huawei Pura 70 Pro’s camera features?
The Pura 70 Pro feels quite solid and has some weight to it. This is a far cry from many cheaper phones, some of which are feather light. Weighing in at around 220 grams, the weight and feel of this phone gives it a feeling of premium considering all the hardware inside, which is also quite evident in the performance.
The phone is 162.6mm (about 6.4 inches) high, 75.1mm (about 2.96 inches) wide and 8.4mm (about 0.33 inches) deep. It is neither too big nor too small, making it suitable for the average Filipino build. For the plus-size, however, the Pura 70 Pro will likely feel more comfortable in the hand if one of those shockproof cases is used.
The screen size (6.8 inches) and quality (OLED) are excellent. Images are crisp and UI animations are smooth. Watching videos is also very pleasant because the screen displays deep blacks and vibrant colors.
However, the rounded corners might have taken up too much of what could have been a larger screen and more space for apps and media. It’s not a big problem though.
The sound quality and volume are excellent. Listening to music after a hard day of work would certainly be quite a treat.
Overall, the Huawei Pura 70 Pro is well built and offers a premium feel and look. Perhaps less rounded corners on subsequent models.
The reporter
“Being on the road every day requires quick action in highly improvised situations. Taking photos in the heat of battle is usually difficult and results in blurry photos. That is not the case with this phone.”
The nature of the work requires you to always be ready and on the go. This also means that reporters must have the right equipment when doing field work.
For reporters who don’t have their own camera crew in tow, lugging around a camera and tripod would be too burdensome.
The go-to tool? The smartphone.
Thanks to optical image stabilization (OIS), the 50 MP main sensor of the Huawei Pura 70 Pro ensures high-quality photos, even in low light.
Whether it is a landscape photo or a close-up, the smartphone handles photography like a true professional with its 16 MP ultra-wide sensor and a remarkable zoom function.
The phone has a PRO mode where you can change the aperture, exposure, ISO, etc. just like a DSLR.
Equally important, the camera has a fast shutter that vividly captures fast movements and real emotions, whether it’s a press conference, a meeting or an event such as concerts.
An example: reporting with multiple media channels, each doing their best to be in a position to make the money. The Huawei Pura 7 Pro was up to the challenge.
For multimedia reports that require videos, the phone’s stabilization features also ensure smooth video footage, with solid 4K video recording capabilities at 30fps in its arsenal.
Stylish, not too heavy and reliable. Every reporter would love to use this phone for reporting.
Camera Video Tests:
Panning test: https://youtube.com/shorts/SdjsPK4Htug
Zoom test: https://youtube.com/shorts/LyMGQpSAj_w
The workhorse
“The user interface is smooth and responsive, and don’t multitask a problem. The battery life is great, even for a heavy user.”
Today it would be extremely difficult for the working class not to learn to perform multiple tasks at the same time.
From physical activities to digital and social media, companies must cover multiple fronts across multiple platforms. Everything moves faster and an employee must be able to keep up with that pace.
More than laptops and desktop computers, smartphones have become a multitasking tool. Gone are the days when telephones were used only for communication; now it’s a device that enables productivity.
The Huawei Pura 70 Pro did not disappoint.
The user interface runs on EMUI 14.2, based on Android 14, and is clean and intuitive.
Customization for themes and UI layout is good. A user can always change things as he or she wants, the Pura 70 Pro presents and switches between apps.
Having multiple apps open is also no problem. Switching from one to the other is quick and smooth thanks to the 12 GB of RAM.
The usual hurdle when deciding to purchase a Huawei phone is the absence of the Google Playstore.
Due to restrictions imposed by the US governmentUS companies such as Google are not allowed to do business with Huawei.
The common misconception is that Huawei phones don’t have apps. That is completely untrue.
After using the Huawei Pura 70 Pro, there was no shortage of productivity apps available to users of the phone.
The Huawei AppGallery is the phone manufacturer’s own version of the Playstore. It has productivity apps available on the Google Playstore, and some viable alternatives to real Google applications.
Using alternatives to well-known applications that are only available in the Google Playstore requires some adjustment, but at the end of the day, a PDF is a PDF.
The gamer
“GPU lag or stuttering usually occurs when playing at settings that are too high for the phone. The Pura 70 Pro showed no signs of struggling with ML and PUBG in ultra or high settings.”
Every gamer would want to use high or ultra settings when playing games on their phone. It’s not uncommon to try to push your hardware and experience its limits.
For gamers, technostress is one of the biggest things that can take away from the fun.
Playing Mobile Legends (ML) with settings that are too high for your phone will result in stuttering due to dropped frames or delays in the control interface (i.e. delayed movements or commands).
The Huawei Pura 70 Pro does not have that problem.
Animations and character models are smooth and well defined. Even during team clashes, where animation effects are activated simultaneously or on top of each other, the Pura 70 Pro has no trouble displaying this even in ultra settings.
The same can be said when playing PUBG Mobile on the Huawei Pura 70 Pro. There were no lags or frame drops, even during intense battles at high or maximum settings.
The 90Hz refresh rate improves the gaming experience and ensures smooth images.
The Huawei Pura 70 Pro is equipped with the Kirin 9010 chipset manufactured by Huawei. It is comparable to Snapdragon 888 in terms of CPU and GPU performance. Considering its performance on some of the games tested, the chipset lives up to the hype.
The powerful chipset makes it suitable for demanding applications and games.
When it comes to heat, the Huawei Pura 70 Pro does get hot after six consecutive ranked matches on ML, but not to the point where it feels like it’s getting overworked.
As a phone used for gaming, the Huawei Pura 70 Pro runs quickly, efficiently and smoothly.
CONCLUSION
The Huawei Pura 70 Pro is an all-round smartphone that can meet the different demands of different types of users.
It can support high productivity and heavy gamers due to its fast and efficient chipset and highly reliable battery.
The main hero, however, is the cameras. Highly detailed and sharp photos and stabilized videos.
Huawei’s Pura 70 Pro is a worthy flagship model. – Jino Nicolas, Mira Martinez, Jae Queral and Jayson Marinas