Huawei's Clever Camera Trick: Two Lenses, One Sensor

Huawei has rolled out its latest Pura 80 series phones in China. The standout feature is the Pura 80 Ultra's camera. It has a unique dual-lens telephoto camera. This camera uses a switchable system. Two lenses share the same sensor. This is different from other phones that use a single lens with moving parts. The Pura 80 Ultra's lenses offer 3. 7x and 9. 4x optical zoom. This range is wider than what other phones provide. The shorter lens has a 50-megapixel camera. The longer lens has a smaller 12. 5-megapixel resolution. This suggests some sensor cropping or pixel-binning. This dual-lens setup is not just for show. It saves costs and space. Image sensors are expensive. Using one sensor for two lenses cuts down on costs. It also makes the phone slimmer. This design allows for a larger sensor. The Pura 80 Ultra has a 6. 8-inch LTPO OLED display. It also has a 5, 700mAh battery and IP68 and 69 ratings. The phone comes with 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. However, the chipset details are not yet revealed. The Pura 80 series includes three other models. The Pura 80, 80 Pro, and 80 Pro Plus all have similar designs. The base model has a smaller screen and battery. The Pro and Pro Plus have a single telephoto lens each. The Pro Plus has extra RAM and satellite communication support. The Pura 80 series runs on HarmonyOS 5. 1. This is Huawei's latest operating system. It is not based on Android. The Pura 80 Ultra starts at around $1, 390. The Pro models start at around $900. The base model's price is not yet announced. Last year's Pura 70 series launched internationally after its China debut. It remains to be seen if the same will happen this year. The Pura 80 Ultra's camera innovation is impressive. It shows Huawei's effort to stand out in the competitive phone market. However, the high price point may be a barrier for some buyers. The lack of chipset details also raises questions. Overall, the Pura 80 series offers a mix of cutting-edge features and familiar specs.