Huawei launches Mate 80 series with world's brightest 8,000-nit display
Huawei Mate 80 Series: A New Benchmark in Smartphone Display Technology
Huawei officially launched its Mate 80 series on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, introducing four new flagship smartphones: the Mate 80, Mate 80 Pro, Mate 80 Pro Max, and Mate 80 RS Ultimate Design. The series makes a bold claim of featuring the world's brightest smartphone display, reaching an unprecedented 8,000 nits of peak brightness, a significant leap over current market leaders theverge.com+3. This launch positions Huawei at the forefront of display innovation and intensified competition in the premium smartphone segment, primarily in China with future international availability expected petapixel.com+2.
Display Innovation and Specifications
The standout feature of the Mate 80 series is its display technology. The Mate 80 Pro Max, in particular, boasts a 6.9-inch dual-layer (tandem) OLED screen, which is key to achieving its claimed 8,000 nits peak brightness theverge.com+2. This dual-layer design is intended to enhance efficiency and thermal management macrumors.com.
All models in the series—the Mate 80, Mate 80 Pro, Mate 80 Pro Max, and Mate 80 RS—reportedly achieve this extraordinary brightness macrumors.com+1. For comparison, this surpasses competitors like the Realme GT 8 Pro (7,000 nits), Google Pixel 10 Pro (3,300 nits), and Apple's iPhone 17 models (3,000 nits outdoors) theverge.com+3. While impressive, Huawei's peak brightness claim typically applies to small portions of the display under specific conditions and awaits independent verification macrumors.com+2.
Display Details
- Size: 6.75-inch for Mate 80/80 Pro; 6.9-inch for Pro Max/RS Ultimate Design huaweicentral.com+5.
- Resolution: Full-HD+ (1280x2832px to 1320x2848 pixels) gsmarena.com+1.
- Refresh Rate: 1-120Hz LTPO adaptive refresh rate huaweicentral.com+4.
- Dimming: 1440Hz high-frequency PWM dimming huaweicentral.com+4.
- Color: 1.07 billion colors, full P3 color gamut gsmarena.com.
- Protection: Second-generation Kunlun Glass, offering significantly improved drop and scratch resistance gsmarena.com+3.
Performance and Software
The Mate 80 series is powered by Huawei’s latest Kirin chipsets. The Mate 80 Pro Max features the Kirin 9030 Pro SoC, while the standard Mate 80 uses the Kirin 9020 gsmarena.com+4. Huawei claims these new chipsets provide a substantial performance boost, with up to 35-42% improvement over previous models and 45% smoother performance, alongside 34% faster app loading than the Mate 70 series huaweicentral.com+2. The devices also boast advanced graphics capabilities, including 3DGS rendering acceleration and hardware-accelerated ray tracing, capable of processing 20 million rays per second gizmochina.com+1.
RAM options are notably generous, reaching up to 20GB in the Mate 80 RS Ultimate Design theverge.com+4, while other models start at 12GB and go up to 16GB gsmarena.com+1. The entire series launches with HarmonyOS 6, featuring a new design and enhanced AI capabilities gsmarena.com+1.
Camera Capabilities
The Mate 80 series emphasizes advanced photography with its versatile camera systems. The Pro Max model features a prominent circular camera module on the rear and includes a quad-camera setup theverge.com+1.
Mate 80 Pro Max Camera Configuration
- Main Camera: 50MP sensor with a variable aperture (f/1.4-4.0) petapixel.com+3.
- Ultra-wide Camera: 40MP sensor (f/2.2 aperture) petapixel.com+3.
- Telephoto Cameras: Dual 50MP periscope telephoto lenses with varying zoom capabilities (e.g., 4x and 6.2x) and supports an add-on telephoto extender kit theverge.com+4.
- Front Camera: 13MP sensor with a full 3D Time-of-Flight (ToF) setup for biometrics, improved face recognition, and body tracking gsmarena.com+3.
The standard Mate 80 also features a 50MP main camera, while all Pro models enhance telephoto capabilities, leveraging Huawei's XMAGE algorithm for optimized photography huaweicentral.com+1.
Design and Build Quality
The Mate 80 series marks a design shift, adopting flat screens and squared-off sides, moving away from curved display aesthetics theverge.com+1. The phones feature an all-metal body and are equipped with Huawei’s second or third-generation Kunlun Glass for enhanced durability, offering up to 20 times improved drop resistance and 100 times improved scratch resistance gsmarena.com+3. The Mate 80 RS Ultimate Design further elevates premium construction with a titanium mid-frame gsmarena.com. All models boast IP68 and IP69 ratings for superior dust and water resistance, including protection against high temperatures huaweicentral.com+4.
Battery and Charging
Battery capacities vary across the series. The Mate 80 Pro Max and RS Ultimate Design models come with a robust 6,000mAh battery theverge.com+3. The standard Mate 80 and Mate 80 Pro feature a slightly smaller but still substantial 5,750mAh battery huaweicentral.com+1. Charging speeds are impressive, with the Pro Max supporting 100W wired charging and 80W wireless charging huaweicentral.com+3. There's also a claim of a battery-saving "Outdoor Mode" that could extend usage up to 14 days on a full charge gadgets360.com.
Pricing and Availability
The Huawei Mate 80 series was launched on November 25, 2025, primarily for the Chinese market, with international releases anticipated in the coming months theverge.com+3.
Pricing Overview
| Model | RAM/Storage | Price (CNY) | Approximate Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mate 80 Pro Max | 16GB/512GB | 7,999 | $1,127 |
| Mate 80 Pro Max | 16GB/1TB | 8,999 | $1,265 |
| Mate 80 RS Ultimate | 20GB/512GB | 11,999 | $1,690 |
| Mate 80 RS Ultimate | 20GB/1TB | 12,999 | $1,830 |
| Mate 80 | 12GB/256GB - 16GB/512GB | 4,699 - 5,499 | $660 - $770 |
| Mate 80 Pro | 12GB/256GB - 16GB/512GB | 5,999 - 7,999 | $840 - $1,120 |
| macrumors.com+4 |
Additional Announcements and Market Context
Alongside the Mate 80 series, Huawei also introduced the Mate X7 foldable phone, which boasts improved dust and water resistance (IP58/IP59) and a larger 5,600mAh battery theverge.com. The broader launch includes various products across categories such as smartwatches and tablets theverge.com.
The Mate 80 series, particularly with its display brightness claims, represents a significant technological advancement for Huawei. If independently verified, the 8,000-nit display could establish a new industry benchmark, influencing consumer preferences and intensifying competition in the high-end smartphone market macrumors.com+1. The integration of Kirin chips and HarmonyOS 6 continues Huawei's strategy of building its own ecosystem amidst ongoing market challenges gsmarena.com.
