Huawei Mate 80 Pro Max Brings the World’s Brightest Screen and Dual Periscope Cameras

Huawei has just launched its latest top model, the Huawei Mate 80 Pro Max, and it’s making quite a splash in the smartphone market. This phone isn’t just trying to compete with the new Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max; it’s set to shake things up thoroughly. So, what makes this phone so special, and why those impressive claims should be approached with caution?

The Screen is So Bright, You’ll Need Sunglasses

The key highlight is the display. The Mate 80 Pro Max features a huge 6.9-inch dual-layer OLED screen, and Huawei boasts that it can reach an astonishing peak brightness of 8,000 nits.

Think about that, 8,000 nits! Huawei claims this surpasses everything else available. To put it in perspective, the Realme GT8 Pro offers a respectable 7,000 nits, while the top devices from the West fall short, the Google Pixel 10 Pro peaks at 3,300 nits, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max reaches around 3,000 nits in bright sunlight.

However, it’s essential to be cautious. “Peak brightness” is a tricky term. It doesn’t mean the entire screen shines at 8,000 nits all the time. If it did, it could be a safety hazard. This figure illustrates the brightness of a small section of the screen for a brief period under specific conditions. Nevertheless, a display designed to achieve this level suggests you’ll get a much brighter and more usable screen in direct sunlight compared to what you currently have.

So, how does Huawei reach this impressive brightness? It utilizes a dual-layer OLED setup, also known as Tandem OLED. This means they’ve stacked two light-emitting layers on top of one another. This clever design distributes the electrical and heat load, enabling greater brightness while maintaining display longevity and conserving power. According to Huawei, this advanced technology also improves contrast, sharpness, and color accuracy, which, to me, is more important in everyday use than just the brightness numbers.

A Camera System That Sees Double: Two Periscopes

If the screen grabs attention, then the camera system is the fundamental standout feature. Huawei has equipped the Mate 80 Pro Max with an impressive camera setup, featuring a quad-camera array that includes two periscope telephoto lenses. Here’s a quick overview of what each camera offers:

• Main Camera: This camera features a 50-megapixel sensor with a unique variable aperture that adjusts between f/1.4 and f/4.0. This flexibility helps you adapt to different lighting conditions, allowing for excellent low-light shots with the wider aperture and a better depth of field for landscapes when using the narrower setting.
• Ultra-Wide Camera: It boasts a 40-megapixel lens equivalent to 13mm and has a f/2.2 aperture.
• First Periscope Telephoto: This 50-megapixel sensor features a 15.91mm equivalent lens with a 4x optical zoom and an f/2.1 aperture, making it ideal for medium-range zooming.
• Second Periscope Telephoto: This model features a 50-megapixel sensor, offering a 19.140mm equivalent lens with a 6.2x optical zoom, albeit with a slightly slower f/3.2 aperture.

Huawei seems to be covering all the angles here, ensuring you have high-quality optical zoom options that many other brands lack. You get both a mid-range zoom and a super-zoom, all backed by the strength of a 50MP sensor, quite impressive! This complete camera system, supported by Huawei’s XMAGE image processing, is also found in the even more premium Mate 80 RS Ultimate Design model.

Inner Strength: Kirin Power and Massive Memory

Inside the Mate 80 Pro Max, you’ll find it uses Huawei’s own Kirin 9030 Pro chipset. Huawei claims that this new chip offers a significant performance boost, with a 42% increase compared to the Kirin 9020 in the Mate 70 Pro+. The device also comes with a generous 16GB of RAM and options for either 512GB or 1TB of storage.

Interestingly, the battery size is not as large as you might expect given the other powerful features. It has a solid 6,000 mAh battery, which is good but not extraordinary. However, you can charge it quickly with 100W wired charging and 80W wireless charging.

More Than Just the Max: A Whole Family of Flagships

The Mate 80 Pro Max isn’t alone. Huawei has introduced a range of Mate 80 models, including the regular Mate 80, the Mate 80 Pro, the Mate 80 Pro Max, and the high-end Mate 80 RS Ultimate Design. They also launched a new foldable device called the Mate X7, which features a large 5,600 mAh battery and a robust IP58/IP59 rating for dust and water resistance. The Mate X7 features a triple camera setup comprising a 50MP main camera, a 50MP periscope telephoto lens, and a 40MP ultrawide lens.

Currently, these phones are only available in China, but more models are likely to reach international markets soon.

Personally, I think Huawei’s bold claims about 8,000 nits brightness and the dual periscope system show their commitment to innovation in high-end smartphones. While such a bright screen might not be necessary, it indicates that Huawei is prepared to compete with the competition in the flagship market.

[via petapixel; Image credits: Huawei]

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