Huawei Pura 70 hands-on review

02 May 2024

Huawei's Pura 70 series, launched in China this April, is now making its debut in international markets, bringing its sleek design and impressive features to users worldwide. Although some vibrant color options remain exclusive to China, the global launch ensures that more users can experience the latest from Huawei.

We recently visited Huawei's headquarters in Shenzhen and had the opportunity to explore all four devices in the Pura 70 series. While we've already covered the Pura 70 Ultra, as well as the Pura 70 Pro and Pro+, we're excited to share our hands-on review of the vanilla Huawei Pura 70.

The Huawei Pura 70 boasts a 6.6” LTPO OLED screen, offering a compact feel in the hand. With a 120 Hz refresh rate and 2,500 nits peak brightness, this phone promises an exceptional viewing experience.

The chipset under the hood is Kirin 9000S1 which is a bit of a downgrade compared to the other phones in the Pura 70 lineup, which all use Kirin 9010.

Featuring a single 13 MP f/2.4 selfie camera housed in a punch hole, Huawei has opted for simplicity, believing one camera serves users best.

We were impressed by the compact and stylish design of the Huawei Pura 70. With its flat frame, it stands out from the rest of the lineup. While the handling is comfortable, slightly more curved edges would have been preferable. The front is protected by second-gen Kunlun Glass.

The rear panel features the iconic triangular camera island, symbolizing Huawei's ongoing progress. Although the camera setup remains similar to the Huawei P60, there's a new 50 MP sensor onboard this time.

We had the chance to experience the striking Rose Red color option firsthand. However, this vibrant choice remains exclusive to the Chinese market, disappointing fans of bold colors worldwide.

As mentioned in our hands-on review of the Pro and Pro+ models, the software on the Pura 70 devices remains consistent, running EMUI 14.2. Due to inclement weather during our visit to Huawei's headquarters, we were unable to capture photos outside the conference room.

Internationally, the Huawei Pura 70 comes with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. While the price in China starts at CNY5,499 (approximately €710), taxes and tariffs push the European price to €999, limited to the White or Black color options. Pre-orders are already available, with sales scheduled to begin on May 22.