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Huawei is redefining the landscape of foldable smartphones with its latest innovation, the Pura X. Following the excitement generated by the triple-folding Mate XT Ultimate, this model promises to introduce a novel category of foldable devices.
The Huawei Pura X ingeniously blends features from flip and book-style foldables, utilizing a unique 90° twist mechanism. When closed, the device is comparable in size to standard flip foldables, measuring slightly larger than other models like the Pocket 2 or Galaxy Z Flip6.
While its dimensions put it slightly above the Galaxy Z Flip6, the Pura X avoids the bulkiness often associated with thicker devices. At 15.1mm, its thickness is acceptable for a flip-style phone, offering a comfortable grip.
The inner display of the Pura X showcases a standard 16:10 aspect ratio, delivering a diagonal of 6.3 inches. Interestingly, it provides 13% more surface area than the Galaxy Z Flip6’s 6.7-inch display, making it a more practical choice for various tasks due to its dimensions.
The 16:10 ratio enhances video playback; many YouTube clips and TV shows can be enjoyed with minimal letterboxing, providing a broader visual experience compared to conventional flip foldables. This format also improves the usability of documents and web pages, as wider displays can often be cumbersome for text reading.
Huawei’s innovative twist design supports this unique aspect ratio. When the Pura X is closed, with the camera positioned above the cover screen, it opens like a book. However, users need to rotate it 90° to access the interface optimally, which is primarily designed for portrait use, with the home screen lacking landscape mode support. While landscape mode is available for video playback, photography, or gaming, the phone is predominantly intended for portrait use, justifying its name “Pura” instead of “Mate X.”
When held with the camera array facing sideways, the Pura X can be operated more conveniently for selfies and vlogging, showcasing its versatility.
The camera system on the Pura X is impressive, featuring a 50MP main sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), coupled with a 40MP ultra-wide camera and an 8MP telephoto lens offering 3.5x zoom capabilities. For selfies, a 10.7MP front-facing camera is discreetly integrated into the inner display.
Initial camera samples from the Pura X reveal Huawei’s consistent quality, but a deeper analysis of image performance will be reserved for future articles.
Huawei Pura X camera samples (main and telephoto)
Huawei Pura X camera samples (UW, main and telephoto)
Selfies with the Huawei Pura X
The camera bump on the Pura X is notably smaller than what is typically seen in contemporary smartphones. Notably, the phone measures 7.2mm in thickness when opened, indicating that the camera modules are tightly packed and designed with minimal protrusion.
Turning to the displays, the cover screen features a square 3.5-inch design with a resolution of 980 x 980 pixels. This 120Hz LTPO panel supports 10-bit color depth, delivering high-quality visuals for various functions, including messaging, navigation, and media control, with an additional speaker positioned near the camera for calls.
Using the 3.5” cover display on the Huawei Pura X
Though the 3.5-inch area is somewhat limited for more complex tasks, the main display is designed for substantial use. Featuring a 6.3-inch LTPO panel with a resolution of 1,320 x 2,120 pixels, it also supports a 120Hz refresh rate and can reach brightness levels of 2,500 nits, ensuring excellent outdoor visibility.
The 6.3” display is quite spacious and also usable when half folded
While the crease remains visible, it is notably smaller than what many current foldables feature. The device boasts an IPX8 rating for water resistance, allowing it to withstand splashes (though it lacks protection against dust particles).
The battery, rated at 4,720mAh, supports fast charging, with wired charging capabilities of 66W and wireless charging at 40W. While it may not be the largest battery available for flip devices, it stands out as one of the more substantial options in its category.
Powered by a Kirin 9020 chipset, the Pura X performs adequately for everyday tasks, although it doesn’t quite match the performance of top-tier chips from competitors like Qualcomm and MediaTek. Additionally, the HarmonyOS operating system presents challenges for global users, as it differs from Android and Google Play services; this version has significant restrictions regarding APK installations, limiting user flexibility compared to global counterparts. Performance benchmarks for this model are not available at the moment; however, insights can be found in our review of the Mate X6.
As of now, Huawei has not announced any plans for a global release of the Pura X, though HarmonyOS operates seamlessly with various Chinese applications and services. Given its innovative design, it would be a welcome addition to Huawei’s portfolio of devices available worldwide.
Interestingly, unlike the Mate XT Ultimate, Huawei did not rely on groundbreaking technology or fine-tuning existing components for the Pura X. Instead, it utilizes relatively standard foldable hardware but combines it with a creative design approach that rival flip foldables in portability while providing a superior inner display experience.
While it remains uncertain whether the Huawei Pura X will find success in the competitive foldable market, it is commendable that the company is consistently pushing the boundaries of smartphone design and technology.
Source
www.gsmarena.com