Huawei has taken the wraps off its new Mate 90 series in China, with the Mate 90 Pro Max emerging as the flagship of the lineup with a major focus on photography, battery life and the company's homegrown technology ecosystem.

The new smartphone runs on Huawei's Android-free HarmonyOS 7 operating system and is powered by the Kirin 9050 Pro chipset in its 16GB RAM configurations. The company is positioning the device as a high-end flagship capable of competing in an increasingly competitive premium smartphone market despite continuing restrictions on its access to advanced semiconductors.

Huawei consumer business chief Richard Yu said ahead of the launch that the company continues to face constraints in the supply of advanced chips.

The Mate 90 Pro Max with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage is priced at 9,999 yuan ($1,491), making it 2,000 yuan more expensive than the equivalent version of its predecessor at launch. The standard Mate 90 starts at 5,999 yuan, while the Mate 90 Pro starts at 6,999 yuan.

Huawei Mate 90 Pro Max camera: 200MP periscope takes centre stage

The biggest attraction of the Mate 90 Pro Max is its camera setup. The flagship features a 50-megapixel primary camera with a 1/1.28-inch RYYB sensor, optical image stabilisation and a continuously variable aperture ranging from f/1.4 to f/4.0.

It is paired with a 40-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera. The telephoto sensor also uses a 1/1.28-inch RYYB sensor and comes with OIS.

The camera system supports 4x optical zoom, 8x optical-quality lossless zoom and up to 100x digital zoom. Huawei has also included its third-generation Red Maple primary-colour sensor to improve colour accuracy.

On the front, the phone gets a 13-megapixel ultrawide selfie camera along with a 3D depth sensor.

A phone with a detachable 1-inch camera

Huawei is taking the camera concept further with the Mate 90 Pro Max Collector's Edition, which supports the company's Ruiying Z10 modular camera attachment.

The detachable accessory houses a large 1-inch RYYB sensor and offers a 24-240mm focal range with 10x continuous optical zoom. It also features a variable f/2.0-f/4.5 aperture and supports 4K video recording.

The modular system effectively turns the smartphone into a more specialised photography device, giving users additional optical capabilities beyond the built-in camera array.

6.9-inch display with 12,000-nit peak brightness

The Mate 90 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch dual-layer OLED display with a 2848×1320 resolution.

The LTPO panel can dynamically switch between 1Hz and 120Hz, while 1440Hz high-frequency PWM dimming is designed to reduce flicker. Huawei claims a local peak brightness of up to 12,000 nits.

The display supports the BT.2020 colour gamut and is protected by Kunlun Glass. The Collector's Edition gets Basalt Kunlun Glass.

6,800mAh battery and 100W charging

Battery life is another major highlight. The Mate 90 Pro Max packs a 6,800mAh battery and supports 100W wired fast charging and 50W wireless charging.

The flagship also comes with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, StarLight E2.0, NFC and eSIM support. It carries IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance.

HarmonyOS 7 and Huawei's push for independence

The Mate 90 series arrives at a time when Huawei continues to develop its own hardware and software ecosystem amid US restrictions on advanced semiconductor shipments.

Huawei says HarmonyOS 7 now supports more than 450,000 apps and services. The Android-free operating system is central to the company's effort to reduce its reliance on Google's Android ecosystem.

The Mate 90 Pro Max therefore represents more than a specification upgrade. Its combination of Huawei's own operating system, Kirin processor architecture and increasingly sophisticated camera technology reflects the company's continuing push to build a self-reliant smartphone ecosystem.