This time around, we’re comparing two Chinese flagships, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra. Both of these phones were announced this year, and both are considered to be amongst the best camera smartphones on the market. These two phones do differ in a number of ways, though. In this article, we’ll compare them, and hopefully give you a good idea of their differences, so that you can make a better purchasing decision.
As per usual, their specs are first in line. We’ll list them, and following that, we’ll talk about their designs, displays, performance, battery life, camera performance, and audio output. Before we get into it, however, do note that both phones come in global variants, but the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra doesn’t come with Google services. It has Huawei’s services. With that being said, let’s get down to it.
Specs
Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, respectively
– Screen size:
6.73-inch LTPO AMOLED display (curved, adaptive 120Hz, 3,000 nits max brightness)
6.8-inch LTPO OLED display (flat, adaptive 120Hz, HDR, 2,500 nits max brightness)
– Display resolution:
3200 x 1440
2844 x 1260
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Huawei Kirin 9010
– RAM:
16GB (LPDDR5X)
16GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
512GB (UFS 4.0)
512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
50MP (wide, f/1.6-f/4.0 variable aperture, OIS, multi-directional PDAF, 1.6um pixel size), 50MP (ultrawide, f/1.8 aperture, 122-degree FoV, 0.7um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF), 50MP (telephoto, f/1.8 aperture, 0.7um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3.2x optical zoom), 50MP (periscope telephoto, f/2.5 aperture, 0.7um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom)
50MP (f/1.6-f/4.0 variable aperture, 23mm lens, 1-inch type sensor, sensor-shift OIS, PDAF, retractable lens), 40MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 13mm lens), 50MP (telemacro, f/2.1 aperture, 90mm lens, 3.5x optical zoom, OIS, PDAF, 5cm macro)
– Front cameras:
32MP (wide, f/2.0 aperture, 0.7um pixel size)
13MP (wide, f/2.4 aperture, autofocus)
– Battery:
5,000mAh
5,200mAh
– Charging:
90W wired, 80W wireless,, 10W reverse wireless (charger included)
100W wired, 80W wireless, 20W reverse wireless, 18W reverse wired (charger included)
– Dimensions:
161.4 x 75.3 x 9.2mm
162.6 x 75.1 x 8.4mm
– Weight:
219.8 grams
226 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.4
5G (only China), LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.2
– Security:
In-display fingerprint scanner & facial scanning
– OS:
Android 14 with HyperOS
Android 12 with EMUI 14
– Price:
€1,499
€1,499+
– Buy:
Xiaomi 14 Ultra (Amazon)
Huawei Pura 70 Ultra (Amazon)
Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Design
As you can see, these two phones look entirely different. There are some similarities on the front when you look at them straight on, but that’s an illusion. Let’s go one step at a time. Both phones do have flat displays with a centered display camera hole, however, the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has quad-curved glass on top of it. It feels different to use. The bezels are very thin on both smartphones and uniform too. Both phones come with a frame made out of aluminum, even though the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a titanium version in China.
Both of these phones also come with vegan leather aka eco-leather backplates. The back of the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is quad-curved, the same as the phone’s front, they’re proportional. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s curves towards the sides. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a large camera oreo on the back, which is centered in the upper portion of its back. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has a camera island in the top-left corner, and it looks… different.
Both smartphones have their physical keys on the right-hand side. They are also similar in terms of height and weight, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a bit thicker. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is slightly heavier, but you will notice that. In fact, that phone felt lighter in the hand due to its design. That quad-curved backplate with eco-leather definitely helped. The phone was a joy to hold and use. The ergonomics of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra have also been improved compared to the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, but the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is the more comfortable phone to hold and use. Both devices do offer an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Display
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a 6.73-inch QHD+ (3200 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED display. That panel is flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Dolby Vision is supported here, and the same goes for HDR10+ content. The peak brightness of this panel is 3,000 nits. The display aspect ratio is 20:9, and the screen-to-body ratio is around 89%. The Xiaomi Shield Glass protects the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s display.
The Huawei Pura features a 6.8-inch 2844 x 1260 LTPO OLED display. That panel is flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. IT can project up to 1 billion colors and supports HDR content. The peak brightness of this panel is 2,500 nits. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra’s screen-to-body ratio is around 89%, while the Kunlun Glass (Basalt–tempered) protects this display.
Both of these displays are outstanding. They are not only immensely bright when needed, but offer vivid colors and great viewing angles. The touch response is also very good on both smartphones, and the blacks are deep. You’ll realize that both displays are also more than sharp enough. You can always nitpick when it comes to displays, but the fact is, these two panels are both great and on the same level.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Performance
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. The phone also includes 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of storage in its global variant. Some additional options are available in China, exclusively. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, on the other hand, is fueled by the Kirin 9010 processor. It comes with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB or 1TB of UFS 4.0 flash storage.
Just to be clear, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a 4nm chip, and it’s considerably more powerful than the 7nm Kirin 9010. Huawei has been affected by the US ban quite a bit, and the company returned to making its own chips with SMIC’s help. The Kirin 9010 may not be the most modern chip, but it does a great job fueling the Pura 70 Ultra. Both of these phones actually perform admirably.
You will notice the difference in benchmarks, sure, and the same goes for gaming when it comes to more demanding games. However, in regular day-to-day performance, there’s not much difference. Both smartphones do a fantastic job, and the same goes for intense multitasking, and so on. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra feels like a flagship smartphone in terms of performance. If you are a gamer, however, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is definitely the better choice.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Battery
The global Xiaomi 14 Ultra variant comes with a 5,000mAh battery. Its Chinese counterpart includes a 5,300mAh unit. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra includes a 5,200mAh battery in all models. You’ll be glad to know that both of these smartphones offer great battery life, actually. We’ve been able to easily go through a full day of use on a single charge. Getting well over 7 hours of screen-on-time was possible on both phones.
Do note that gaming was not calculated into regular use days, but we did not spare either phone. They both do a great job in the battery life department and if you need to push them even further, there are battery-saving options available too. You will likely never need, those, however. Both gaming and intense camera use do affect battery life quite a bit, as they do on pretty much every phone, so keep that in mind. Chances are you’ll be happy with the battery life these two phones offer, though, regardless of your usage. Your mileage may vary, though, of course, each of us uses our phones in different ways, with different apps, and so on.
When the charging is concerned, both offer some great options. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra does edge out the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Why? Well, it offers faster reverse wireless charging, and also reverse wired charging too. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra supports 90W wired, 80W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging. Huawei’s flagship supports 100W wired, 80W wireless, 20W reverse wireless, and 18W reverse wired charging. Both smartphones do come with a charger included in the box.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Cameras
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has four cameras on the back, while the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has three. Don’t let the camera count fool you, as both of these phones offer outstanding camera performance. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra includes a 50-megapixel main camera (variable aperture), a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit (122-degree FoV), a 50-megapixel telephoto camera (3.2x optical zoom), and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (5x optical zoom).
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, on the flip side, has a 50-megapixel main camera (variable aperture, sensor-shift OIS, retractable lens), a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (3.5x optical zoom, macro). Both smartphones do their best to keep photos looking close to what you actually see while adding a layer of processing on top of it to make them look vivid and nice at the same time.
Both smartphones do a fantastic job too, actually. The images end up looking sharp and well-balanced, and they both have a great grip of control under HDR conditions too. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra does have a bit stronger warm tint to it, purposely. Their telephoto and ultrawide cameras do a great job of keeping up with the main camera in terms of colors, though the prowess of the main cameras is visible, especially in low light. In low light, both smartphones offer plenty of details, and manage to control noise really well.
One thing that it’s worth noting is that the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra was more reliable during our testing. It rarely got the balance wrong. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra did great too, but the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra did have the edge in that regard. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra does win the video performance comparison, however.
Audio
Both of these devices offer a set of stereo speakers. Both of them offer good sound output, and they’re well-balanced. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra does have the advantage of having louder speakers, though, noticeably louder. The ones on the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra are not dim, but the difference is noticeable.
Neither phone has an audio jack. You can always utilize their Type-C ports if you need to connect your wired headphones, though. If you’d like to go wireless, however, Bluetooth 5.4 is supported on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, while Huawei’s handset supports Bluetooth 5.2.
