After 3 years, the HUAWEI Mate 80 Pro is back globally and they’re not coming back quietly. They’re coming back to solve one HUGE problem.
Tell me if this has happened to you – you take a photo at night and you look at it and think “that’s not what I saw” because the lights look wrong, the colors look fake, and your skin tone looks confused.
Because that’s the problem with most smartphone cameras today. They don’t capture reality. They interpret it “with AI”. And HUAWEI is making a bold claim over here which is True-to-Colour, meaning it’s supposed to capture the world the way your eyes actually saw it.
So in this video, I’m going to be testing that claim and also test whether or not this phone survives drops, water, heat, and real life. So watch first and buy smart.
DESIGN
Firstly, a very quick one on the design. The color options are Gold and the variant that I have here is in Green and is also available in Black.
There’s the Dual Space Rings Design at the back, which has always been the signature camera layout on the back of the Mate 80 Pro. Because instead of a random camera bump, HUAWEI is using two symmetrical circular rings arranged in a horizontal “8” shape inspired by the infinity symbol.
And HUAWEI says that this actually represents the continuity and the evolution of the Mate series. So, this isn’t just a decoration, it’s actually the Mate 80 Pro or the Mate series identity.
Then in front you’ll also notice a slightly deeper front module and that is just not about the design is actually a 3D ToF Face Unlock recognition where unlike the basic face unlock that only uses the front camera.
This system projects invisible light to your face and measures depth in 3D which means faster unlocking and more secure than a 2D camera face unlock and it works also better in low light as well.
TRUE-TO-COLOUR CAMERA
All right, next let’s talk about the cameras because if HUAWEI is bold enough to say “True-to-Colour,” we need to test it, right?
Well, I started with the main 50MP Ultra Lighting Camera which has a large 1/1.28” sensor and an adjustable aperture between F1.4 to F4.0 and this also has HUAWEI’s 2nd Gen True-to-Colour Camera system.
Now, specs are nice but when it comes to color accuracy, that is something that you will immediately see. So, I took photos in mixed lighting situations like neon signs, even in highly saturated environments. The kind of lighting where most phones either blow out the highlights, shift the skin tones, or turn everything overly contrasty.
But here’s what I noticed. Because the HUAWEI Mate 80 Pro doesn’t overcorrect, it doesn’t try to make night look like daytime. It preserves the mood. And here’s where the 300% higher dynamic range and the improved spectral sensing actually matters because it separates the color properly. It also understands the warm and cool light at the same time.
And that is very important because most phones brighten the shadows aggressively, but the Mate 80 Pro keeps the shadow detail without killing the atmosphere. So the darkness fades naturally, but the true colours remain.
AI COMPOSITION
Then there’s the AI Composition and here’s where things get a little more interesting because this is the first HUAWEI global variant device to introduce that because it works offline. So no internet needed.
Now this is trained on over 500,000 photographic works. So what it does is when you’re shooting architecture, landscape or portraits, it will subtly suggest better framing in real time.
So all you need to do is to position the phone to the circle shown on the screen and it will automatically zoom to get the best angle. So no manual zooms needed. So whether or not it’s diagonal composition for buildings, curved composition for scenery, or center framing when needed.
And when you compare a normal shot compared to this AI-composed one, it actually looks more intentional, more balanced, and less “I randomly pointed the phone at a building and took a shot”.
Now, this of course doesn’t replace creativity. It actually upgrades your instinct. So when it comes to architecture, landscape, and portraits, it works very well.
TELEPHOTO MACRO – 48MP
But what really impressed me was the 48MP Ultra Lighting Macro Telephoto camera, which has a minimum focus distance of 5cm.
Now, in case you didn’t know, most phones switch to ultrawide to get the macro shots, but HUAWEI uses the telephoto compression, which means there is better background separation, more natural depth, and sharper detail.
Now, I shot flower petals, rings, textured surfaces, and even tiny lettering. And the detail really holds very well. You can see the fine textures very clearly. No muddy processing and no aggressive sharpening. Everything was nicely revealed.
AI EDITING TOOLS
Then we move into editing. First, there is the AI Remove where it instantly removes unwanted objects. Passersby are gone and clutter gone.
Then there’s also the AI Best Expression in group photos which is also really great where it scans multiple frames and lets you pick the best smile for that one friend that always blinks. And this isn’t third-party editing. It is built directly into the Mate 80 Pro.
DURABILITY – BUILT TO LAST
Now, cameras are great, but real life is chaotic. So, let’s talk about durability because this phone has the 2nd Gen Kunlun Glass, which has up to 20 times greater drop resistance than ordinary glass.
It also has a reinforced metal mid-frame with a shock-absorbing structure and a very strong back plate.
So, I did a drop test, pocket height, hand slip, and it of course survived. And I also did a bend test where I simulated a sitting pressure and no flex at all.
So is the claimed 39% stronger bend resistance true? Well, for my test, it does seem like it.
Then water? It has IP68 and IP69 rating, which means that it can survive up to 6 meters of submersion and high-pressure, high-temperature water jets up to 80°C.
So I did splash, rinse, and soak and even a hot shower simulation and it still functions very well.
Then I also did a freeze test where I powered it off and then I placed it in -20°C storage condition. Then I returned it to room temperature and powered it on and it still works very well.
So this isn’t just marketing durability. It actually survives real life situations and even though you’re not that kind of person who puts your phone in a freezer, I heard some people who does.
But here’s something important for Malaysia because durability is one thing but a peace of mind is another.
Because when you order the HUAWEI Mate 80 Pro, it comes with the HUAWEI Care+ premium protection, which includes:
- 1 year accidental damage warranty,
- 2 years of free screen protector replacements up to 4 claims,
- and there’s also 3 years of free battery replacement, valid for 1 claim.
So, if you add all of those years together, this phone might outlast your last relationship.
And beyond that, there’s also full Asia-Pacific Region Warranty. So, even if you travel across borders, you’re still covered. So, it’s not about just surviving drops. It’s about knowing that even if something happens, you are protected.
PERFORMANCE
When it comes to performance though, it uses a Kirin 9030 Pro chipset with 16GB RAM.
The app launches very instantly. Multitasking is also very smooth. Then, there’s even no lag when switching between social apps, payments, cameras, and even messaging.
Then, the display is a 6.75-inch flat-edged OLED display with a 120Hz LTPO adaptive refresh rate. So, scrolling also feels very fluid, gaming feels very responsive where it also has a peak brightness of 3000 nits which means that outdoor visibility is very strong.
But what really stood out was the fact that it has the SuperCool Dual Phase Change heat dissipation and HUAWEI also says that the temperature rises are also reduced by 33%.
And of course I tested extended gaming, live streaming, and outdoor use, and it stays very controlled, less hot spots around the camera module, and of course less aggressive throttling, which is very important.
As for the battery, it comes with 5750mAh, which means that video playback can go up to 30 hours according to HUAWEI. And it also supports 100W of wired SuperCharge where it can go from 0 to 50% in roughly 15 minutes and a full charge in around 41 minutes.
INNOVATIVE AI EXPERIENCE
Next, let’s talk about the smart features because first there’s the AI Smart Control where you can instantly access AI assistants like Gemini, Deepseek, and even Dola AI, which means that you can translate, ask questions, or even generate social media captions directly from your lock screen.
Now, my personal favorite is the AI Gesture Control where you can just swipe or scroll without even touching the screen and also use the grab gesture to take a screenshot. So if your hands are dipped in curry after your banana leaf sessions, you can still doom scroll.
Then there’s also the AI Messaging which protects private notifications from that busy body friend that you have.
Now of course the most common question is the fact that whether or not you can download Google apps on the phone, and yes, you can easily do it through the AppGallery, from finance apps to social media apps and more, everything you need is in here.
And of course it is secured with the AppGallery Guard protection as well. So it is very safe.
CONCLUSION
So after testing everything, here’s my take. The HUAWEI Mate 80 Pro doesn’t try to oversaturate reality, it respects it. It doesn’t just claim durability, it proves it. It doesn’t just push performance numbers, it sustains them.
And after 3 years away from Malaysia and of course globally as well, this doesn’t feel like a comeback built on hype. It feels like a flagship built with intent.
Now, the HUAWEI Mate 80 Pro is officially available for pre-order in Malaysia for RM3,999 with free gifts up to RM2,115, including the HUAWEI MatePad 11.5 and the HUAWEI Premium Service.
🛒 Get the HUAWEI Mate 80 Pro here:-
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LZD: https://s.lazada.com.my/a.2twiv
TT: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS9JQTGdBEHps-QYE8m/
[Watch the full video on YouTube here]
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