Huawei officially unveiled the Pura X smartphone but initially withheld details about the chipset powering the device. As hands-on access was granted post-launch, it’s now confirmed that the Pura X is equipped with Huawei’s in-house Kirin 9020 processor, developed by HiSilicon, the company’s semiconductor division.
🧠 Kirin 9020: Huawei’s Self-Developed 8-Core SoC
The Kirin 9020 made its debut in November 2024 with the Huawei Mate 70 series and has now found its way into the Pura X. Despite being listed by hardware monitoring tools as a 12-core CPU, it actually has an 8-core architecture — with the discrepancy due to hyperthreading support.
Here’s the confirmed CPU configuration:
- 1x Taishan Big core @ 2.5 GHz
- 3x Taishan Mid cores @ 2.15 GHz
- 4x Cortex-A510 efficiency cores @ 1.53 GHz
The Taishan cores are Huawei’s own design, while the Cortex-A510 cores were legally licensed from Arm before Huawei was added to the U.S. Entity List. This hybrid setup aims to deliver high performance and efficiency in everyday tasks.
🎮 Maleoon 920 GPU: Custom Graphics from Huawei
On the graphics front, the Kirin 9020 features the Maleoon 920 GPU, another custom component from Huawei. Though full architectural details and core counts are still under wraps, early info confirms:
- Max frequency: 840 MHz
- Performance tier: Mid-range GPU class
While the CPU performance is comparable to Qualcomm’s flagship SoCs, the GPU currently lags behind, making the Pura X a better fit for productivity, multimedia, and light gaming rather than graphics-heavy applications.
🔒 Why Huawei Doesn’t Publicly Discuss Chipsets
Huawei has intentionally downplayed its chipset branding due to ongoing global restrictions and the sensitive nature of chip development in light of U.S. sanctions. The Pura X launch followed this trend, with no official mention of Kirin 9020 during the event.
However, the company continues to move toward full-stack self-reliance, and the presence of in-house cores, GPU, and HarmonyOS strengthens Huawei’s ecosystem independence.
Final Thoughts
The Huawei Pura X Kirin 9020 pairing showcases the company’s growing chip development capabilities. With custom CPU cores, a new GPU, and HarmonyOS, Huawei is carving out its own space in a competitive global market — even if it means sacrificing top-tier gaming performance for now.
The Pura X is shaping up to be a well-rounded flagship for those who prioritize ecosystem integration, long-term software updates, and homegrown innovation over pure GPU power.
