Photo taken at Huawei Beijing Wangfujing flagship store by Interface News reporters.

Interface News Reporters: Lu Keyan, Chen Zhenfang, She Xiaochen

Interface News Editors: Song Jianan

On April 18th, after much anticipation, the Huawei Pura70 series smartphones were officially launched. At 10:08 a.m. that day, the Pura70 Ultra and Pura70 Pro went on sale online through the “Pioneer Plan” and were sold out in about a minute. The standard version and Pro+ will be available for sale on the 22nd.

The Huawei Pura70 series includes four versions: the standard version, Pro version, Pro+, and Ultra version. The standard version starts at 5499 yuan (12GB+256GB), while the Ultra version has a maximum retail price of 10999 yuan (16GB+1TB).

The new devices have attracted many consumers to purchase in-store. Interface News reporters found that at noon today, long lines formed outside Huawei flagship stores in places like Shenzhen Bantian Headquarters, Shenzhen MixC World, and Beijing Wangfujing, with some people queuing as early as 8 a.m.

A staff member at the Wangfujing flagship store said that among the two models currently on sale, the 512GB version is only available in white with limited stock, while the green color is the best seller.

Consumers experiencing the Pura70 series in-store. Photo by Chen Zhenfang.

Several distributors told Interface News that although the distribution of Pura70 is much better compared to the Mate60 series, overall supply is still tight, and it will take time for stock to reach from the distributor to the stores. Reporters visited several Huawei stores in Beijing and Shanghai and found that most smart life pavilions and authorized experience stores still do not have stock and can only take pre-orders.

A staff member at a Huawei authorized experience store in Changning District, Shanghai, said that they currently do not have the Pura70 series in stock, not even demo units, so they cannot sell them yet; they can only take pre-orders and ship according to the order sequence. Another smart life pavilion stated that the arrival time of Pura70 is uncertain, and even the demo units will arrive in the afternoon.

Some stores that have already received stock are eagerly anticipating replenishments. A store manager said, “We only received a few units, and they sold out within minutes.”

Some distributors indicate that based on the stock situation, the standard version is relatively abundant, while the Pro version is tighter and may become the model with the highest premium.

In previous years, Huawei’s P series and Mate series had significantly differentiated starting prices, but with the Pura70, the 8+256GB configuration has been removed, aligning the starting price with that of the Mate60 at 5499 yuan. This marks the first time after the brand upgrade of the Huawei P series that its pricing is completely aligned with the Mate series.

The camera module of the Pura70 series adopts the iconic triangular structure, giving it a stronger brand recognition in terms of design. In terms of imaging, the Ultra version is equipped with a 1-inch sensor and a rotating telescopic lens, marking Huawei’s first attempt at a telescopic lens on a smartphone. Additionally, both the Ultra and Pro versions support high-speed snapshot function and further upgraded macro telephoto.

In addition to Huawei’s iconic Kunpeng glass, the Pro version is also equipped with satellite messaging functionality, while the Pro+ and above versions support satellite messaging and satellite calls, and for the first time, support sending picture messages. In terms of software, the Pura70 series comes with HarmonyOS 4.2 system across all models.

During Huawei’s two-year retreat from the market, Apple has secured the highest share of high-end smartphones in China. Now, with the comprehensive brand and pricing upgrade of the Pura70, it not only serves as an important incremental source for Huawei’s return to the top spot in the domestic market but also poses a formidable challenge to Apple and other domestic manufacturers in the high-end market. The key to determining the high-end market landscape this year lies in whether the production capacity of the Pura70 series can continue to be released.