Every year manufacturers promise a "camera revolution". Almost never delivered — until this week. The Huawei Pura 80 Ultra carries a world first: a switchable-focal-length telephoto that physically changes between two ranges (roughly 10x and 18x equivalent), like a real camera lens. This is not software. This is mechanics.
How it works (no unnecessary jargon)
Until now, a smartphone "zoom" was a compromise: either a fixed long periscope focal length, or software cropping. The Pura 80 Ultra introduces a lens group that physically slides inside the module:
| Conventional periscope | Pura 80 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Focal length | Fixed | Switchable (2 ranges) |
| Quality at high zoom | Degrades (cropping) | Near pure optics |
| Moving part | None | Yes — the industrial feat |
| Equivalent | ~10x fixed | ~10x / ~18x |
The main sensor also steps up to 1 inch — the largest in a commercial smartphone — with a bright aperture. In practice: concert, moon and distant-architecture shots that no longer look like impressionist paintings.
Price: the real subject for Algeria
The Pura 80 Ultra launches in China around 9,999 yuan (~125,000 DZD). In Algeria, with import costs and scarcity, expect 135,000–160,000 DZD at launch — S25 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro territory, sometimes above.
Two classic warnings for a Huawei purchase in Algeria:
- No Google services: without GMS, YouTube and mapping run through alternatives. Some people give up immediately; others adapt within a week. It is a lifestyle choice, not a technical verdict.
- Huawei Algeria's warranty exists and works well — absolutely prefer it at this price, on a device with a complex mechanical camera module.
We admire: the most sincere optical innovation in years, a 1-inch sensor with extraordinary night quality, and finish levels matching the best compacts.
We temper: an orbit-level price (especially imported), a Google-free ecosystem that is either a footnote or a dealbreaker depending on your profile, and a generous weight and camera bump.
Verdict
The Pura 80 Ultra does not claim to please everyone — it claims to do what no smartphone has done. For Algerian photographers who want the best zoom on the market and accept the Huawei ecosystem, it is the device of the year. For everyone else, enjoy the in-store demo — and browse mainstream flagships on the Mobilidz comparator.
