Huawei is set to re-establish its dominance in the premium smartphone market with the South African launch of the Mate 80 Pro in April 2026. This release marks the end of a three-year hiatus for the Mate series in the region, following its international unveiling in Madrid on 26 February 2026. As the first non-foldable Mate flagship available locally since 2022, the device is specifically engineered for power users and photography professionals.
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The centrepiece of the Mate 80 Pro is its True-to-Colour triple camera system. The primary camera features a massive 1/1.28-inch sensor that significantly improves light intake by 96% compared to previous generations, largely due to an increase in pixel size to 2.45 μm. Complementing this hardware is Dual Conversion Gain HDR technology, which boosts dynamic range by 300% to preserve intricate details in high-contrast environments like sunsets or backlit portraits.
For versatile shooting, the system includes:
- 48MP Telephoto-Macro Lens: Offers 4x optical zoom and an impressive 5cm minimum focus distance for extreme close-ups.
- 40MP Ultra-Wide Lens: Features a 120-degree field of view for expansive landscapes.
- 4×4 Spectral Pattern: Improves colour sensing accuracy by 25%, allowing the device to distinguish between subtle hues with professional precision.
Under the hood, the Mate 80 Pro debuts the Kirin 9030 Pro chip. This nine-core processor delivers a 21% performance increase over the Mate 70 Pro, supported by advanced AI optimization. To maintain this speed during intensive workloads, Huawei has implemented a new cooling system that improves thermal conductivity by 16% and reduces the rate of temperature rise by 33% compared to traditional solutions.
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Despite global RAM shortages, Huawei is offering generous configurations: the entry-level model includes 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, while the premium version scales up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
The device features a 6.75-inch LTPO OLED screen protected by second-generation Kunlun Glass. With a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, the display remains perfectly legible even under the harsh South African sun. Powering the experience is a 5,750mAh battery that supports 100W wired and 80W wireless charging, ensuring minimal downtime for users on the go.
While South Africa will receive the Black and Gold colour variants, local pricing is expected to be finalised closer to the April launch date.
