Huawei Pura X View hands-on reveals unusually wide smartphone

Huawei is extending its experiment with unconventional handset shapes via the Pura X View, arriving after last year's Pura X and this year's Pura X Max. GizmoChina has just released a hands-on video of the Pura X View, which, unlike its foldable siblings, has opted for a single, wide 16:9.5 display, reminiscent of BlackBerry-like designs. At roughly 201 grams, Wong comments how the device feels light and sits comfortably in hand and pocket, all the while housing a 7,000 mAh battery.

The extra width appears to pay off in daily use. Wider keys reduce typing mistakes, while a one-handed mode shifts the keyboard toward the active thumb. Reading, Wong says, feels like an e-reader, with colorful comics standing out, though a standard foldable remains superior for spreadsheets. Videos fill more of the screen in both portrait and landscape, and gamers gain extra vertical view and a larger cooling plate for long gaming sessions.

Inside is a Kirin 9030S chip, 12GB of RAM and HarmonyOS 7. The camera setup consists of a 200MP main sensor, 50MP telephoto, 8MP ultrawide and 50MP selfie lens, while an OLED panel, IP68 rating, dual-SIM and eSIM support round out the package. Overall, Wong showers the Pura X View with praise, perhaps uncritically so, though he does point out that questions linger over global software optimization and popular app support. Hence, buyers outside of China may want to wait for a global model and more thorough reviews.

Buyers wanting to try their luck with a direct import, however, have certain options. These include Trinity Electronic and Wonda Mobile, who are both based in Hong Kong and offer the Pura X View from $1,145 and $1,189, respectively (not including shipping). Both have a returns policy and good reviews overall, judging from Trustpilot and user reports on Reddit (1, 2, 3). 

However, prospective buyers should be aware of the risks of importing a Chinese smartphone, such as missing network bands and incompatibility between Chinese software and Google services. In the former case, China-market phones can omit certain LTE and 5G bands commonly used in other countries. Prospective buyers are thus advised to should compare the exact model number against their carrier's bands rather than relying on the seller saying it is "unlocked." In the latter case, Huawei devices do not support Google apps, so not only are users unable to install these, but Google-dependent applications or banking/security apps could also have compatibility problems.