Not just for purists: what can attract a new flagship from one of the market leaders?

Over the past few years, smartphone manufacturers have almost stopped surprising users with the number of megapixels or processor speeds. Instead, companies are looking for narrower scenarios in which the device actually proves to be more useful than competitors. Huawei relies on mobile photography in the new Pura 90s series, and the main feature of the Pura 90s Pro Max model is the ability to shoot high-quality objects at a great distance. The key feature here is the super-zoom in the camera, provided by a 200 MP telephoto lens with an ultra-large sensor. This approach seems quite logical. Today, most photos are not taken in the studio, but at concerts, during travel, sports competitions or walks around the city, when it is physically impossible to get close to the object. It was for such situations that the new flagship was created with one of the most sought-after features of modern mobile photography. Izvestia tested the flagship model of the series and found out its advantages and disadvantages.

Design for easy shooting

Externally, Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max continues the design line of the previous generations of the series. The smartphone has received several new color solutions, while retaining the recognizable style of the Pura line.

One of the most pleasant impressions was the screen. Thanks to the new Kunlun Glass with anti-glare coating, reflections really become less, so using your smartphone in direct sunlight is noticeably more comfortable. Another advantage is that the screen does not feel like a "fragile expensive thing": the device easily tolerates everyday use without the constant desire to immediately put it in a case. For those who often take pictures outdoors or while traveling, this turns out to be no less important advantage than the high brightness of the display.

Curiously, the smartphone's appearance seems to be subordinated to its main idea — photography. There is no feeling that the designers were trying to surprise with the unusual shape of the case or experimental materials. On the contrary, the device looks quite restrained, and all attention inevitably switches to a large camera unit. In fact, it becomes the main visual accent and at the same time reminds what this smartphone was created for.

When the camera is more important than the processor

After just a few days of use, it becomes clear what the whole Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max is built around. The main thing here is the camera, which combines a 200—megapixel telephoto lens and Huawei's second-generation XMAGE image processing system.

The 200-megapixel RYYB 1/1.28-inch sensor allows the lens to collect more light even at high magnification, where most smartphones usually start to lose noticeably in detail.

This is especially evident in the evening. Even at high magnification, photos retain details and look noticeably cleaner than you would normally expect from a mobile TV speaker. Where the cameras of many smartphones start to lose sharpness and go into digital noise, the Pura 90s Pro Max continues to produce usable results.

Most naturally, a smartphone shoots at four and eight times magnification, where the detail is almost as good as regular photography. When zoomed in twenty times, the device uses real-time RAW data processing, helping to preserve more details even at a considerable distance.

It is in such scenarios that it becomes clear why this smartphone is needed at all. If you're standing far from the stage at a concert, sitting in the back rows of a stadium, or looking at the facade of an old building, the camera allows you to capture images that you previously had to take with you a camera with long-focus optics.

Huawei's second-generation XMAGE technology plays an equally important role. Her work is noticeable not so much in its sharpness as in its color rendering. Even in difficult lighting, photos look natural: bright areas do not "fade", shadows retain details, and portraits do without excessive saturation, which is sometimes abused by modern smartphones.

AI without too much noise

Huawei has decided not to turn artificial intelligence into an end in itself. Most of the AI capabilities here solve quite practical tasks - this is not a tribute to the vagaries of fashion, but a fully conscious use of new technologies for user convenience.

Of all the tools, glare removal is the most memorable. If you have to take pictures through a car window, a shop window, or the glass of a museum exhibit, the extra reflections really disappear with just one click.

The function of composition recommendations also looks useful. She does not try to take a photo for the user, but only unobtrusively suggests how best to arrange the frame. For beginners, such help can be really useful. The built-in editor, in turn, allows you to move objects between photos, resize them, and automatically restore the background.

At the same time, artificial intelligence is used not only in the camera. Celia is perceived more as an assistant for everyday tasks than as a demonstration of AI capabilities. She can search for information, compose messages, and execute voice commands, eliminating the need to manually search for the desired section or program each time.

Autonomy also corresponds to the status of a flagship. A 6000 mAh battery is surely enough for a full day of active work, and wired charging of Huawei SuperCharge with a capacity of up to 100 watts allows you to quickly replenish your energy reserve. There is also support for fast wireless charging.

After getting acquainted with the device, it seems that Huawei has deliberately abandoned the attempt to make a smartphone "about everything at once." Instead of chasing after the number of AI functions, the company focused on what it really feels like in everyday use - mobile photography, primarily shooting remote objects. At the same time, other functions (including purely "telephone" ones) They were not "sacrificed" to the art of mobilographers, but they were pushed into the background.

That is why the Pura 90s Pro Max cannot be called a universal choice for any user. If the shooting quality and camera capabilities are not among the main criteria when buying a smartphone, this model probably won't be as interesting, but it's still useful due to the flagship equipment and striking design. And AI functions themselves are no longer a rarity today and do not particularly surprise the sophisticated user. But if mobile photography is really important to you, especially if it's important not to miss your moment, even when the object is dozens of kilometers away, then it's the camera that becomes the argument that distinguishes the Pura 90s Pro Max from most competitors.