Huawei Pura X Max Takes on Galaxy Z Fold8 With a Bold Passport-Like Design

Huawei’s latest foldable pairs a wide, compact form factor with a 7.7-inch OLED display, XMAGE cameras, Kirin 9030 Pro power, and HarmonyOS 7.

SHENZHEN, China — Huawei Pura X Max is taking a different approach to the premium foldable smartphone market. Instead of following the tall, book-style design used by most foldable phones, Huawei has created a device that looks shorter and wider when closed, giving it a distinctive passport-like appearance.

The Huawei Pura X Max is currently available exclusively in China and has not been officially launched in international markets, including the United States and Indonesia.

When closed, the device measures 120 × 85 millimeters and is 11.2 millimeters thick. Once unfolded, it expands to 166.5 millimeters wide while becoming just 5.2 millimeters thick. The phone weighs approximately 229 grams.

The unusual proportions make the Pura X Max noticeably wider than a conventional smartphone. At the same time, its shorter height gives it a different feel in the hand compared with traditional book-style foldables.

Huawei offers the device in seven colors for the Chinese market: Bordeaux Red, Nice Blue, Interstellar Blue, Vibrant Orange, Zero White, Olive Gold, and Phantom Night Black.

One of the most eye-catching versions is Vibrant Orange, which combines a glossy finish with a subtle line pattern on the lower portion of the rear panel. Other variants use more understated colors and metallic accents around the camera housing and frame.

The rear camera system is housed inside a large horizontal pill-shaped module carrying Huawei’s XMAGE branding.

The camera setup includes a 50-megapixel main camera with a variable aperture ranging from f/1.4 to f/4.0 and optical image stabilization (OIS). It is joined by a 12.5-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with OIS.

The telephoto camera supports 3.5x optical zoom, 7x optical-quality zoom, and digital magnification of up to 100x.

Huawei also equips both displays with 8-megapixel cameras, giving users selfie and video-calling capabilities whether the phone is open or closed.

When unfolded, the Pura X Max reveals a 7.7-inch flexible OLED display with a resolution of 2,584 × 1,828 pixels and an aspect ratio close to 3:2.

The main screen supports an adaptive refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz, 1,440Hz high-frequency PWM dimming, and touch sampling rates of up to 240Hz. Huawei also uses Ultra Thin Glass, or UTG, to protect the flexible panel.

The crease in the center of the display remains visible under certain lighting conditions, particularly when reflections hit the panel at an angle. However, its visibility can vary depending on the viewing angle and surrounding light.

The outer display measures 5.4 inches and has a resolution of 1,848 × 1,264 pixels. It is also an OLED panel with a 1Hz-to-120Hz adaptive refresh rate and is protected by second-generation Kunlun Glass.

Under the hood, the Huawei Pura X Max is powered by the Kirin 9030 Pro chipset and runs HarmonyOS 7. RAM options include 12GB and 16GB, while storage configurations range from 256GB to 1TB.

Huawei claims that the combination of the Kirin 9030 Pro and HarmonyOS 7 delivers a 38% improvement in overall device performance based on the company’s internal testing.

“整机性能提升38%” or “overall device performance is improved by 38%”, Huawei said in its product materials. The figure is based on Huawei’s internal laboratory testing under specific device and software conditions and should therefore be viewed as a company claim rather than an independent benchmark.

The Pura X Max is powered by a 5,300mAh battery. Charging support includes up to 66W wired fast charging, 50W wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.

The foldable also carries IP58 and IP59 ratings for protection against dust and water under specified testing conditions.

In China, the Huawei Pura X Max starts at CNY 10,999, or roughly $1,530, for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage model based on approximate currency conversion.

The 12GB/512GB version is priced at CNY 11,999, while the 16GB/512GB Collector’s Edition costs CNY 12,999. The top-end configuration with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage is priced at CNY 13,999.

Huawei has not announced an official global launch for the Pura X Max at this time.

With its unusually wide form factor, 7.7-inch OLED display, XMAGE camera system, Kirin 9030 Pro chipset, and HarmonyOS 7, the Pura X Max represents Huawei’s attempt to differentiate itself in an increasingly competitive foldable smartphone market.

Rather than simply replicating the book-style foldable formula, Huawei is betting on a design that is wider and more compact when closed—giving the Pura X Max a distinct identity among premium foldable devices.

Ric