Huawei Mate 90 and Mate 90 Pro gain eSIM and XMAGE cameras

The Huawei Mate 90 and Mate 90 Pro retain the circular camera module but feature updated back panels, a reinforced design, new Kirin processors, and XMAGE cameras with the third-generation Red Maple color science system. Both smartphones also support eSIM, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and BeiDou satellite messaging.

Huawei Mate 90 Pro

The Mate 90 Pro features a symmetrical rear panel design with a circular camera module. The body combines a Xuanwu structure, fiber material, third-generation Kunlun Glass, and new Kunlun optical glass for the cameras. According to Huawei, the camera’s drop resistance has increased by 20 times compared to the Mate 80 Pro, and the smartphone’s overall drop resistance has improved by 50%.

The chassis meets IP68 and IP69 standards. Under laboratory conditions, the smartphone withstands immersion in fresh water at a depth of up to 6 meters for 30 minutes and exposure to high-pressure hot water jets.

The Mate 90 Pro features a 6.75-inch dual-layer LTPO OLED display with a resolution of 2832 × 1280 pixels, an adaptive refresh rate of 1-120 Hz, a 300 Hz touch sampling rate, and 1440 Hz PWM dimming. It supports 1.07 billion colors and the P3 color gamut. Huawei claims a peak brightness of up to 12,000 nits at 1% screen coverage APL. The screen is protected by third-generation Kunlun Glass.

The smartphone is powered by a Kirin 9035 with a clock speed of up to 2.85 GHz. It is available with 12 GB or 16 GB of RAM and storage options of 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB. Memory cards are not supported. The chip supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Huawei claims performance of up to 31 million rays per second in specific scenes of Wuthering Waves 3.7.

Cameras

The main camera of the Huawei Mate 90 Pro includes:

• 50 MP main camera, f/1.4-4.0, 24 mm equivalent focal length, RYYB, OIS;
• 40 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, f/2.2, 13 mm equivalent focal length, RYYB;
• 50 MP periscope telephoto lens, f/2.1, 90 mm equivalent focal length, RYYB, OIS and macro photography with focusing from approximately 5 cm;
• third-generation Red Maple multispectral camera for color analysis.

It supports approximately 4x optical zoom, 8x optical-quality zoom, digital zoom up to 100x, and 4K video recording.

On the front, there is a 13 MP ultra-wide-angle camera with autofocus and an f/2.0 aperture, as well as a separate 3D depth camera for facial recognition. The front camera records video in resolutions up to 4K.

XMAGE offers pose suggestions for group photos and AI composition. Night mode, RAW, HDR Vivid, Log video, macro, portrait, and other modes are also available.

Connectivity and battery life

The Mate 90 Pro supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NearLink E2.0, NFC, an IR blaster, and USB Type-C with USB 3.1 Gen 1. It features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and stereo speakers.

The smartphone supports two nano-SIM cards and an eSIM. You can store up to two eSIM profiles in memory, and the device supports a total of up to four numbers, including physical SIM cards. Two numbers can be active simultaneously.

BeiDou allows for the transmission of satellite text messages and compressed images. This feature is available only in mainland China and requires prior activation while a terrestrial network is accessible.

The collaborative communication feature allows you to connect up to four devices running HarmonyOS 7. According to Huawei’s tests, in a congested network, file transfer speeds can increase by up to 40% when using another device.

The battery has a typical capacity of 6,600 mAh and a rated capacity of 6,415 mAh. It supports wired charging up to 100 W, 50 W wireless charging, 18 W wired reverse charging, and wireless reverse charging.

The dimensions of the Huawei Mate 90 Pro are 161,9 × 75,7 × 7,95 mm, and it weighs approximately 222 grams.

Huawei Mate 90

The base Mate 90 has the same body dimensions but weighs about 217 grams. It is equipped with a Kirin 9030 clocked at up to 2.7 GHz, 12 GB of RAM, and 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB of storage.

The display differs from the Pro version. It uses a standard, rather than dual-layer, 6.75-inch LTPO OLED panel with a resolution of 2832 × 1280 pixels, a refresh rate of 1-120 Hz, 1440 Hz PWM dimming, and a 300 Hz touch sampling rate. The screen is also protected by third-generation Kunlun Glass. Huawei does not claim a peak brightness of 12,000 nits for the base model.

The camera set is also different. The main camera has a 50 MP resolution, a variable aperture of f/1.4-4.0, a 24 mm equivalent focal length, and OIS. It is complemented by a 40 MP ultra-wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture and 13 mm equivalent focal length, a 50 MP telephoto lens with an f/2.2 aperture, 88 mm equivalent focal length, and OIS, as well as a third-generation Red Maple. It supports approximately 4x optical zoom, 8x optical-quality zoom, and up to 100x digital zoom.

The front-facing system is the same: a 13 MP f/2.0 camera with autofocus and a separate 3D depth camera for facial recognition.

The battery also has a typical capacity of 6,600 mAh, but the maximum wired charging power has been reduced from 100 W to 66 W, and wired reverse charging from 18 W to 5 W. Wireless charging of up to 50 W and wireless reverse charging have been retained.

The Mate 90 supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NearLink E2.0, NFC, USB 3.1 Gen 1, eSIM, BeiDou satellite messaging, 3D face recognition, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The device’s ingress protection is rated IP68 and IP69.

HarmonyOS 7

Both models run on HarmonyOS 7. The Xiaoyi assistant can save and organize content and tasks, answer calls, perform real-time translation, summarize conversations, and suggest actions based on screen content.

New features also include creating 3D effects from photos, image editing, and generating videos via voice commands. Some of these new functions will become available following HOTA updates.

In outdoor mode, Huawei claims up to 15 days of battery life under a specific power-saving scenario and up to 36 hours of route navigation with the main screen turned off.

Pricing and release date

Sales of the Huawei Mate 90 and Mate 90 Pro in China began on October 1, 2026, the day of the presentation.

The Huawei Mate 90 Pro is available in green, orange, white, and black colors:

• 12/256 GB – 6,999 yuan (≈ $1044);
• 12/512 GB – 7,999 yuan (≈ $1193);
• 16/512 GB – 8,499 yuan (≈ $1268);
• 16 GB/1 TB – 9,999 yuan (≈ $1491).

The Huawei Mate 90 is available in green, pink, white, and black. The textured lattice back panel is used only on the green and pink versions.

• 12/256 GB – 5,999 yuan (≈ $895);
• 12/512 GB – 6,999 yuan (≈ $1044);
• 12 GB/1 TB – 8,499 yuan (≈ $1268).

At the time of the announcement, the series is presented for the Chinese market. Huawei has not announced European pricing or international release dates.