Huawei’s next big-screen flagship is starting to come into focus. According to the Weibo tipster Smart Pikachu, as reported by GSMArena on September 17, 2026, the Huawei Mate 90 Pro Max will run on the Kirin 9050 Pro chipset and carry a 200MP periscope telephoto camera. The Mate 90 series is expected to launch in October. None of this is official yet, so treat every line below as a leak until Huawei takes the stage.
A chip that has already shipped
The Kirin 9050 Pro is not a mystery part. Huawei introduced it in China in September 2026 inside the Mate XT 2 Ultimate Design, its second-generation tri-folding phone. GSMArena described the chip as “over 42% faster than the SoC on the Mate XTs”, with an improved NPU and GPU. The tri-fold starts at CNY 19,999 for the 16GB/256GB model, which shows where Huawei positions the new silicon. Putting the same chip in the Mate 90 Pro Max would mean the flagship slab borrows its brain from the company’s most expensive phone.
For comparison, the current Mate 80 Pro Max, which debuted in November 2025, uses the Kirin 9030 Pro.
Display with a privacy option
The tipster says the Mate 90 Pro Max will get a next-generation dual-layer OLED display. Huawei already uses a dual-layer OLED LTPO panel on the Mate 80 Pro Max: 6.9 inches, 120Hz and up to 8,000-nit peak brightness. The more unusual part of the leak is an optional privacy screen, which would limit viewing angles so people nearby can’t read the display. The leak does not say how that option would be sold or switched on.
Cameras: the telephoto takes center stage
Photography is where the rumor has the most detail. The leaked camera setup includes:
- a 200MP periscope telephoto camera
- an upgraded ultrawide camera
- a new generation of Huawei’s Red Maple imaging system
- a primary sensor of close to 1 inch, according to earlier rumors
In an earlier post, the same tipster said the Mate 90 Pro Max would keep a dual telephoto setup like the Mate 80 Pro Max, but with support for up to 10x optical zoom. That would be a clear step up from the current model. The Mate 80 Pro Max pairs a 50MP macro telephoto (f/2.1, OIS) with a 50MP periscope telephoto that offers 6.2x optical zoom. It also has a 50MP variable-aperture main camera, a 40MP ultrawide and Huawei’s 2nd gen Red Maple imaging chipset.
What to watch for
If the leaks hold up, the Mate 90 Pro Max’s biggest upgrades would be a higher-resolution periscope, more zoom range and a larger main sensor. The shared Kirin 9050 Pro would link the phone to Huawei’s newest foldable. The leak gives no price, battery capacity or charging speeds, and Huawei has not confirmed a launch date for the Mate 90 series.
