Huawei Unveils Mate 90 Pro With Kirin 9035 Chip and 12,000-Nit Display

Huawei has introduced the HUAWEI Mate 90 Pro, the middle model of its new Mate 90 flagship lineup, sitting between the base Mate 90 and the Mate 90 Pro Max. The phone brings a Kirin 9035 processor, a brighter display, stronger camera protection and a 6,600 mAh battery. Compared with the Mate 80 Pro, Huawei has focused mainly on the display and durability, while the processor upgrade is more modest.

A Display Built for Bright Sunlight

The Mate 90 Pro uses a second-generation 6.75-inch display with a dual-layer OLED panel and a resolution of 2832 × 1280 pixels. Huawei rates its peak brightness at 12,000 nits. That figure is measured at 1% APL, meaning a small area of the screen, so it matters mostly for readability in direct sunlight and for HDR playback.

The refresh rate adapts between 1 and 120 Hz thanks to LTPO, and PWM dimming runs at 1440 Hz, which should reduce flicker at low brightness. The touch sampling rate is 300 Hz, and according to Huawei the screen responds reliably to wet fingers.

A Tougher Body and Better-Protected Cameras

Another focus is the Kunlun Xuanwu architecture: the display is covered with third-generation Kunlun Glass, the frame uses Huawei's Xuanwu construction, and the camera lens covers debut optical Kunlun Glass. Based on Huawei's lab tests against the Mate 80 Pro, camera drop resistance has improved 20-fold and overall drop resistance by 50%.

The phone is rated IP68 for submersion to 6 m for 30 minutes, as well as IP69, which covers resistance to high-pressure, high-temperature water jets. It measures 161.9 × 75.7 × 7.95 mm and weighs about 222 g.

Kirin 9035 and Performance

The Mate 90 Pro is the first phone powered by the Kirin 9035. Huawei compares it with the Kirin 9030 used in the 12 GB version of the Mate 80 Pro, claiming an 11% CPU gain, a 10% GPU gain and a 51% boost for the NPU. The company puts the overall performance improvement at 20%, a figure that also reflects HarmonyOS 7 optimizations.

The GPU supports hardware ray tracing. According to Huawei, it processes up to 31 million rays per second in Wuthering Waves, although the feature is only available in certain scenes. The phone comes with 12 or 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB of storage, with no memory card support.

Cameras

The 50 MP main camera features a variable aperture from F1.4 to F4.0, optical image stabilization and an RYYB sensor, which captures more light than a conventional RGGB design. It is joined by a 40 MP ultra-wide camera and a 50 MP telephoto with 4x optical zoom (90 mm equivalent) and OIS. The telephoto can focus from as close as 5 cm, so it doubles as a macro camera.

Color accuracy is handled by a third-generation Red Maple camera, which Huawei uses primarily for natural skin tones in portraits. XMAGE features use AI to suggest poses for group shots and frame composition, and can even recommend how to arrange dishes before taking a photo. For creators, a dedicated livestreaming mode keeps focus locked on products in the frame and isolates voices in noisy environments.

The 13 MP front camera has autofocus and is paired with a 3D depth sensor for face recognition. Both the rear and front cameras record 4K video.

Battery and Endurance

The battery has a typical capacity of 6,600 mAh, with a rated capacity of 6,415 mAh. The phone supports 100 W wired charging and up to 50 W wireless charging (with a Huawei charger sold separately), and it can charge other devices at up to 18 W over cable as well as wirelessly. Huawei's lab tests claim up to 41 hours of video playback.

For outdoor trips, a dedicated mode offers cycling and hiking routes along with track recording. In its maximum power-saving setting, Huawei says the battery can last up to 15 days, while screen-off navigation can run for up to 36 hours.

Connectivity

The Mate 90 Pro uses an antenna architecture that combines Wi-Fi and cellular antennas and switches between them automatically for a more stable connection. Another feature lets up to four HarmonyOS 7 devices share network capacity: in Huawei's tests, file transfer speeds in congested networks, such as at concerts or train stations, rise by up to 40%.

The phone supports BeiDou satellite messaging with the ability to send images, although the feature only works in mainland China. Other wireless options include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NearLink and NFC.

HarmonyOS 7 and AI Features

The phone runs HarmonyOS 7, and most of the new features revolve around the Xiaoyi assistant. A long press on the navigation bar analyzes what is on screen and suggests a next action, while photos can be edited and gallery videos created using voice commands. Data security is handled by a dedicated MSP security processor with support for post-quantum encryption algorithms. Some features will arrive later through software updates.

Xiaoyi calls let the assistant phone a restaurant to book a table, answer incoming calls when the user is busy, translate conversations in real time and produce a short summary afterwards.

Xiaoyi notes let users save on-screen content with a downward swipe, including posts from third-party apps and tasks dictated by voice. Entries are sorted into categories automatically.

Fake voice detection works at the system level and warns users when someone on an audio or video call is using a synthesized voice to impersonate a person they know. For now, it supports regular calls, MeeTime and WeChat.

Specifications

• Display: 6.75", dual-layer OLED, 2832 × 1280, LTPO 1–120 Hz, 1440 Hz PWM, up to 12,000 nits peak brightness (1% APL), third-generation Kunlun Glass
• Processor: Kirin 9035
• Memory: 12 / 16 GB RAM, 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
• Rear cameras: 50 MP (F1.4–F4.0, OIS, RYYB), 40 MP ultra-wide (F2.2, RYYB), 50 MP telephoto macro (F2.1, OIS, RYYB, 4x optical zoom), third-generation Red Maple camera
• Front camera: 13 MP (F2.0, autofocus), 3D depth sensor
• Video: up to 4K
• Battery: 6,600 mAh (typical)
• Charging: 100 W wired, 50 W wireless, 18 W reverse wired, reverse wireless
• OS: HarmonyOS 7
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NearLink, NFC, BeiDou satellite messaging, dual nano-SIM, eSIM, USB-C 3.1 Gen 1
• Biometrics: 3D face recognition, side-mounted fingerprint sensor
• Water and dust resistance: IP68, IP69
• Dimensions and weight: 161.9 × 75.7 × 7.95 mm, 222 g

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