The HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max is so good that it makes me a little sad

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I used to love HUAWEI smartphones. It has been a long seven years since the HUAWEI ban in the US and the resulting loss of Google services. Since then, the brand has gone from 9%-10% down to a less than 2% global market share .

Yet while HUAWEI’s status has diminished in the West, it hasn’t stopped creating elite-tier smart devices, and every time I use one, I am reminded of what we’re missing out on.

Though the company’s smartwatches, true wireless earbuds, and laptops are still easy to recommend to anyone (and we do regularly), its Android-based products are a little trickier, which brings me to the HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max ( €1149 at Huawei ), which I have been using for a few weeks. Is it worth getting, despite the lack of official Google Apps support and pretty much non-existent availability in the US? Let’s find out.

Let’s start by noting that this is a bona fide flagship, just like previous P/Pura-series phones. It has a retail price that stands with the best of the best, starting at €1,149 (about $1,330 USD). It’s also built as such, and I felt it from the very first time I pulled it out of the box.

The aluminum frame extends to the sides of the device, offering a premium feel, and is sandwiched by high-quality Kunlun Glass. It has clicky buttons that don’t jiggle one bit. Overall, the build quality is up there with the best, and it feels like everything was engineered to perfection, with the precision of a master watchmaker.

One thing that stands out (both literally and figuratively) is the camera bump. Boy, that thing is huge. It may be justified, though, as camera quality is one of the main highlights of the HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max (we will talk about this later).

Not only does this phone feel expertly crafted, but it also looks gorgeously fun. I got the Orange Ocean model, which features an orange-to-blue gradient that got me positive comments wherever I pulled it out. The Blaze Purple model also looks very fun, and if you’re more traditional, HUAWEI also offers the Brush Gold and Graphite Black models.