The HUAWEI Mate 80 Pro has officially launched in Malaysia, and like before, the company pitches its imaging as the primary selling point (alongside a collaboration with with Tourism Malaysia, along with announcing its own photography awards). Also launched in the event is the new FreeBuds Pro 5, along with new colors for the Watch Ultimate 2 and FreeClip 2.
HUAWEI Mate 80 Pro
The HUAWEI Mate 80 Pro features a triple-camera setup, including a 50MP variable-aperture main camera packing a 1/1.28-inch RYYB sensor, a 48MP telephoto macro camera with 4x optical zoom, and a 40MP ultrawide camera. HUAWEI also boasts its “True-to-Colour Camera System” capable of maintaining consistent color reproduction across different lighting conditions – a metric that many phones often struggle (i.e. white becomes blue, incorrect white balance, etc). Of course, there are several AI-assisted features built into the camera software, including composition assist, editing, and best photo selection.
For durability, the Mate 80 Pro comes with HUAWEI’s self-developed second-generation Kunlun Glass with improved drop resistance (the company only claimed it is 20x stronger than regular glass). It’s also IP68/IP69-rated for ingress protection, but it’s much more than the numbers would suggest. HUAWEI claims it can be submerged for up to six meters deep, or about the same depth as four swimming pools stacked top-to-bottom. Design-wise, the ring-shaped camera bump is complemented with a second ring to form the “Dual Space Ring” look, and it is available in Gold, Green and Black finishes.
For processing, it’s not something that the company is very keen to advertise these days as a result of US sanctions, so it had to stick to its self-developed, SMIC-built Kirin 9030 Pro chipset with capabilities largely unknown. Regardless, it still requires cooling to extract maximum performance, and to that end, the company touts its “SuperCool Dual Phase Change” heat dissipation system to keep the thermals in check. Its display is a 6.75-inch LTPO OLED 120Hz display with 2832 x 1280 resolution.
So, about the Tourism Malaysia bit: consider HUAWEI the latest in the line of Chinese smartphone makers to establish a partnership with our country’s “Visit Malaysia 2026” campaign, or more specifically, the new “See, Truly Malaysia” campaign to promote the the beauty of this land. A pretty standard marketing playbook by this point, if you ask me. Not to be outdone by its domestic peers, the company also announced the XMAGE Awards 2026 photography competition in Malaysia, where participants can submit photos captured using HUAWEI devices to win prizes.
The HUAWEI Mate 80 Pro in its sole 16GB RAM + 512GB storage option is available for pre-order in Malaysia at RM3,999 through HUAWEI Experience Stores, the official HUAWEI website and selected online platforms. Those who pre-order will get complimentary gifts including HUAWEI MatePad 11.5, along with various damage protection plans and various brand benefits via AppGallery.
Alongside the smartphone, HUAWEI also introduced the FreeBuds Pro 5 wireless earbuds, which packs its “Dual-Driver Acoustic System”, “Dual-Engine AI Noise Cancellation”, supports hi-res loseless audio, and is available in White and Gold colors for RM699. The company also updated the Watch Ultimate 2 with the new Green color option that comes with “enhanced golf-focused features” at the same RM3,999 price, while the FreeClip 2 is now available in Rose Gold for RM749.
Pokdepinion: 6-meter submersion is very impressive.