Huawei Mate 90 Pro Max Review Points to a New Peak for the Mate Series

Ifanr reported that Huawei released five Mate 90 models with 53 SKUs priced from 5,999 yuan to 18,999 yuan. The review unit was the Mate 90 Pro Max Collector's Edition in rose gold.

The review said the Mate 90 Pro Max moved from the Mate 80 Pro Max's dual-telephoto setup to a single telephoto, but with a 200-megapixel RYYB sensor, 1/1.28-inch size, 96mm equivalent focal length and f/2.6 aperture. Ifanr argued that among flagship phones in the second half of 2026, it is the only one combining a large sensor, long native focal length, large aperture and high pixel count in its telephoto camera.

Ifanr also said the main camera reaches 18EV dynamic range, up 0.5 stops from the Mate 80 Pro Max, allowing more highlight and shadow detail in backlit portraits, sunsets and cityscapes with less HDR processing. It added that the camera maintains consistent performance in fast-shot mode even when shooting almost directly into the sun.

The Collector's Edition uses a yttrium crystal gem material for the lens outer ring and a floating star ring design to connect to the Ruijing Z10 modular camera. Ifanr described the external camera as an attempt to push past the physical limits of bar phones, noting that earlier modular efforts from Project Ara, Moto Mods, Sony QX1 and LG G5 failed because communications and computing were not ready. It said Huawei's HyperLink, Kirin SoC and HarmonyOS ecosystem now provide that support.

The Mate 90 Pro Max runs HarmonyOS 7. Huawei introduced quad-SIM tri-standby on the Mate 90 Pro Max and Mate 90 RS. Ifanr said the phone cannot keep the three major Chinese carriers online at the same time and remains dual-network from a network perspective, possibly a compromise for signal quality. Over about a week of use, two China Unicom cards and one China Telecom card had stable signal and speed, and eSIM setup required only an ID card and one QR-code scan. The review also noted a new Wi-Fi and cellular fusion antenna and an extra antenna slot on the back.

The Mate 90 Pro Max Collector's Edition uses Kirin 9050 Pro, described by Ifanr as the first mass-produced Kirin chip based on a "logic folding" design approach. The review said its gains are most noticeable in graphics performance and power consumption, with better thermals and battery use in games such as Genshin Impact and improved ray tracing in titles such as Arena Breakout. Because of cost and yield, the standard Mate 90, Mate 90 Pro and 12GB Mate 90 Pro Max use Kirin 9030 and 9035 and do not get logic folding.

Ifanr said the Mate 90 series offers a broad price band and many SKUs, but the Pro Max remains expensive. It noted rising costs across memory chips, SoC manufacturing and the broader technology industry, and said phone makers must consider what happens after China's subsidy retreat. The review concluded that for buyers who want the most complete and least compromised Huawei bar phone, the Kirin 9050 Pro-powered Mate 90 Pro Max remains the best choice.