Huawei P40 Pro review: Refinement done right - Android ...

The P40 Pro is a stunner of a device. It ticks so many boxes: a great screen, superb build quality, incredible battery life, and of course that ... BestdailydealsLinksonAndroidAuthoritymayearnusacommission. Learnmore. ReviewsHuaweiP40Proreview:RefinementdonerightDidHuaweidoenoughwiththeP40ProtomakeupforthelackofGoogleservices?ByRyan-ThomasShaw•March1,2022HuaweiP40ProTheHuaweiP40ProrefinestheP30Pro'sblueprinttonearperfection.IttakesthePseries’mainfocus,thecamera,andinnovatesinabigway—literally.Withamassivecamerasensor,90Hzscreen,andupdatedinternals,there’salottoloveabouttheP40Pro.It’sashamethatthelackofGoogleservicesimpactsitinsuchanegativeway.WhatwelikeCraftedtonearperfection90HzdisplayisastepforwardSuperbcamerasystemExcellentergonomicsWhatwedon'tlikeNoGMSsupportisakillerAppGalleryislimitedFancybezelsdon’tquiteworkHuaweiP40ProTheHuaweiP40ProrefinestheP30Pro'sblueprinttonearperfection.IttakesthePseries’mainfocus,thecamera,andinnovatesinabigway—literally.Withamassivecamerasensor,90Hzscreen,andupdatedinternals,there’salottoloveabouttheP40Pro.It’sashamethatthelackofGoogleservicesimpactsitinsuchanegativeway.Tableofcontents01Design02Performance03Camera04Software05Specs06Value07VerdictThisdeviceisnolongerwidelyavailable.TheHuaweiP40ProPlusisnowunavailabletobuyfrommostretailers.ItwassupersededbytheHuaweiP50Pro.Ifyouarelookingforanalternativedevice,checkoutourlistofthebestcameraphonesandthebestAndroidphones. In2019,theHuaweiP30Prowasoneofthebestcameraphonestheindustryhadeverseen.Itsinnovativeperiscopezoomcameraandimpressiveimagequalitywerenothingshortofexcellent,andwelovedit.ThankstothecontroversywiththeUSgovernmentandthelossofGoogleapps,2020sawtheP40Proburstontothescenewithanarduoushandicap.ItslackofGoogleserviceswilllikelyhavesomeconsumersdismissingitasanupgradeoption.Areitshardwarestrengthsenoughtomakeupforitssoftwareweaknesses?StickaroundtofindoutinAndroidAuthority’sHuaweiP40Proreview. Aboutthisreview:IusedtheHuaweiP40ProontheO2networkintheUKasmymainphoneforsixdays.ThedevicewasrunningEMUI10.1basedonAndroid10withthebuildnumber:10.1.0.112.TheHuaweiP40ProreviewunitwasprovidedtoAndroidAuthoritybyHuawei. Designanddisplay:Intentionallyergonomicatthepriceofcohesiveness 158.2x72.6x9mm 209g IP68wateranddustresistance 6.58-inFullHD+(2,640x1,200),19.8:9aspectratio PunchholeAMOLED 90Hzrefreshrate OneofthemostrefinedaspectsoftheP40Proisitsdesign,thoughnotinthewayyoumightthink.See,theP40Prohasraisedcornerswithglassthat’scurvedonallfoursidestomimicwateronthebrinkofbreakingsurfacetension.Thisresultsinauniqueaestheticthatwon’tbetoeveryone’stasteandcertainlynotmine.Ican’tquiteputmyfingeronit,buttheultra-thinbezelsjustlookodd,especiallyhead-on.However,thedesign’sbyproductisfantasticergonomicimprovements. Continuereading:Waterfalldisplays:Thelatestdesigntrendnobody’saskedforForexample,swipegestures havebecomethedefaultwaytonavigateourphones.Somedevicesstruggletomakethegesturesfeelseamlessduetotheharshtransitionfrommetaltoglass,particularlythetopandbottomedges.WiththeP40Pro’scurvedglass,swipinginfromanydirectionfeelssmootherthananythingI’veeverused.Theslightlyangledaluminumsideshelpthephonerestinyourhandeffortlessly.Bycontrast,lastyear’sP30Profeltsharptoholdduetothethinsiderails,andtheMate30Profelttooslipperyduetotheexcessivelyroundedwaterfalldisplayglass.This,combinedwithalmostperfect weight-distribution,leadstoaphenomenalfeelinthehand.I’mconvincedthatthisisthebestfeelingphoneonthemarket.Thevolumerockerandhomebuttonontherightedgefeelpreciseandcrisp.Thetop-mountedIRblasterandmicrophonearesatisfyinglyaligned,andthesamegoesforthebottom-mountedSIMtray,microphone,USB-Cport,andspeaker.Everythingfeelscalculatedandclean.Thehandsetis IP68-ratedtogiveyoupeaceofmindthatyour$1,000devicewillsurvivesomespillageorabriefswim.Huawei’sdesignchoicesmaycausesomepotentialbuyerstoshyawayfromtheP40Pro.Theexcessivelyroundedscreencorners,themassivecamerabump,thedistractinglybigpunch-hole,andthestrangeraisedcornerstakeitdownapegortwoforme.YoucantellHuaweiwastryingto2020-ifythe P30Pro andtheresultissimplynotquitetheprettiestphoneoutthere. Huaweiwastryingto2020-ifythedeviceandit'sdoneexactlythat. Huaweihasfinallyaddedahigh-refresh-ratedisplaytooneofitsflagships.TheP40Pro’s 90HzAMOLED panellooksgreat.Despiteitsmiddlingresolutioncomparedtothecompetition,thislookslikethebestscreeneverfittedtoaHuaweidevice.Viewinganglesaresuperb,withlittletonocolorshiftwhentiltingthedeviceoff-axis.Atover440nitssustainedbrightness,it’snottoppinganycharts,butIfounditbrightenoughforviewingindirectsunlight.Igottotestthatoutinmygardenduringtheannoyinglysunnyquarantineperiodwe’vehadintheUK.It’snotallsunshineandrainbows,though.First,theshadowingcausedbythecurvedglassedgesisnoticeablewhenlookingatflatcolors.Thisisparticularlyobviousontheleftandrightedges.Second,whilst90Hzisanimprovement,thelackof120HzandQuadHDresolutionmeansthattheP40Prodoesn’tquitematchthecompetition.Thiswasn’tanissueduringeverydayuseforme,butit’slikelytoputsomebuyersoff. Continuereading:Refreshrateexplained:Whatdoes60Hz,90Hz,or120Hzmean? Performance&hardware:Goodenough Octa-coreHiSiliconKirin9905Gchipset 8GBRAM 256GBstorage NMcardslot 4,200mAhbattery 40WSuperChargewired 27WSuperChargewireless 27Wreversewireless 2019’sMate30Pro gaveusapreviewoftheP40Pro’sperformancethankstoitsidenticalprocessor/memorysetup.Insummary,theKirin990isadecentsystem-on-a-chip(SoC)withsimilarCPUpowertotheSnapdragon855,butwithlesserGPUperformance.TheP40ProwasmostlybutterysmooththankstotheKirin9905Gand8GBRAM. Therewereacoupleofframedropsinhigh-intensity3Dgamingtitles,particularlyFortniteandPUBGMobile.Theyweren’tgame-breakingbyanymeans,buttheywerenoticeable. ThisislikelyduetotheolderGPU.Tohelpthephonesustainhighframerates,HuaweireallywillneedtoupgradetheGPUinthenextiterationoftheKirinchipset.  Continuereading:ThebestphonesforgamingSpecheadsmightbedisappointedwith8GBofRAMwhentherearephoneswith12and16GBofRAMoutthere.However,Icansafelysaythat8GBisenoughmemoryin2021.IthelpsthatHuawei’staskmanagementisbrutalandconstantlyfreeingupmemorybykillingoldapps.Ontheflipside,thiscandetractfromtheexperience.SomeusershavereportedpodcastandmusicappsdisappearingfromtheirrecentsduetoHuawei’saggressiveRAMmanagement.ThePseriesgains5GthankstotheKirin9905Gchipset,whichsupportssub-6GHz5Gbands.TheKirin9905Gintegratesits5Gmodemrightintothechipset,whichleadstogreaterpowerefficiencycomparedtoQualcomm’s5Gdiscretemodem.ItslackofmmWavesupportputsitatadisadvantagecomparedtotheSnapdragon865incountriesliketheUSthathaveaheavyfocusonmmWave.Thatsaid,there’scurrentlyfarmoresub-6coverageinternationally,andtheP40Prowon’tbesoldintheStatessoit’snotsuchaworry.Unlockingthephoneisasquickasshouldbeexpectedfromadevicecostingfourfigures.Theopticalin-displayfingerprintscanner,whichHuaweiclaimsis30%largerand30%fasterthanthepreviousmodel,isanoticeableimprovement.ItregisteredmythumbwithawaybetterhitratethantheP30Pro.Thefaceunlockissuperquick,too,thoughnotquiteassnappyasthePixel4’sinmyexperience.TheP40Proreliesoninfraredtechnologytohelpdetecttheuser’sface,eveninthedark.Itworksasadvertised.Huaweihasdevelopedareputationforcreatingsmartphonesthatlastforeveronacharge.TwodaysiswhatI’vecometoexpectfromaHuaweiflagship.TheP40Proisabsolutelynodifferent,andIconsistentlygottwodaysoutofthephone.OnedayIdecidedtotrytokillthedevicebyrunningitatfullresolution,fullrefreshrate,andmaximumbrightnesswhilstsinkingasmuchtimeinto3DgamesasIcould. WhatIobservedwassomethingratherremarkable.(Remember,thisisnottypicalphoneuse.)TheP40Prostillmanagedoversevenhoursofscreen-ontimedespitetheseunrealisticallyintenseconditions.Thatmeansyoushouldeasilybeabletogeteight,ifnotten,hourswhenbeingmorecautiouswiththesettings.A40WSuperChargeadapterisincludedintheboxtotakethe4,200mAhbatteryfromzeroto100%in74minutes.Thismightnotsoundallthatimpressiveifyou’recomingfromaMate30Pro,whichhasthesame40Wcharging,butitgetsallthewayto97%injust60minutes.40Wisaboutwherewe’dexpectthechargingtobefora2020flagshipasitsitsrightinthemiddlebetweentheGalaxyS20’s25WandtheFindX2Pro‘s65W.TheP40Protricklechargesthelastfewpercentagepointstopreservelong-termbatterylife—somethingI’mdefinitelyonboardwith.27Wwirelesschargingisalsosupported,thoughIwasnotabletotestthewirelesschargingduetothelackofhardwareavailability.Iwasabletotestthereversewirelesscharging.ThisworkedreallywellforQi-chargingwatches,earphones,andevenphones(thoughnotadvertised).ItoppedupmyiPhone11inapinchandwhileitwasn’tquick,sometimesyoujustneedenoughjuicetomakeittothenextpoweroutletandthisisperfectforthat. Camera:Genuinelymagnificent Main:50MPRYYB,f/1.9, 23mm Ultra-wide:40MP,f/1.8,18mm Tele:12MPRYYB,f/3.4,125mm Timeofflight(ToF) Selfie:32MP,f/2.2,26mm UltraHD/4Kat60fps(frontandrear) 720pHDat7680fps 1080pFullHDat960fps Huaweirefinedthecamera—thestaplefeatureofthePseries— toapointwhereitisthebestcameraonanyphonetodate.Yougetwide,ultra-wide,telephoto,andtimeofflight(ToF)camerasontheback.Upfrontisa32MPselfieshooterbackedupbylaser-guidedautofocus.Thesetupisprettystacked,asitneededtobetocompetewithother2020flagships.Whatisn’tsocommonisthisparticularcomboofcameras.Themain50MPRYYBcamerahasamammoth1/1.28-inchsensor,makingitoneofthelargestofanysmartphoneonthemarket.Theimagesthatcomefromthisthingaresuperb.Thecolorsarebrightandvibrantwithoutbecominganeye-sore;dynamicrangeisfantasticthankstoHuawei’sHDRtuning;detailisincredibleeveninthepixel-binnedmode,andnaturalsubjectisolationissimplyamazing.Thebelowshotsweren’ttakeninportraitoraperturemodes,thisiswhatthehardwareiscapableofinthedefacto“Photo”mode. SomeofusatAndroidAuthorityfearedtheP40PromightstrugglewithautofocussimilartotheS20Ultraduetothelargesensor.Unfortunately,ourfearsweresomewhatfounded,thoughtheP40Prodoesn’tstruggleasmuch.Mostofthetimethephonelockedfocuswithoutahitch,butparticularlycloseorsmallsubjectswouldthrowthesystemoffbriefly.Fromazoomperspective,it’sthesame5xperiscopeopticaland30xdigitalhybridsetupfromtheP30Pro.Thistime,though,thesensorhasbeenupgradedtoa12MPRYYBaffair,whichdrasticallyimprovestheamountofdetailcapturedinzoomphotos.Givenahealthyamountoflight,theopticalzoomresultsaresuperb.Whenyougobelowacertainlightlevel,however,thesoftwareswitchestotheprimarycameraandcropsdigitally.Thisresultsinnoticeablysofterimages,thoughtheyareotherwiserelativelygood. 1xzoom5xzoom10xzoom Portraitandaperturemodesdidn’tneedmuchtweaking.Huaweirefinedthesefeaturesfurtherandthey’renowthatmuchbetter.TheresultsfromtheP40Pro’sportraitmodedon’tdisappoint.Subjectisolationisonpoint,asisthefocusroll-offwherethereisn’tasharpdividebetweeninfocusandoutoffocuspoints.Huaweiallowsyoutochangethetypeofsimulatedbokeh,andIverymuchenjoyedplayingaroundwiththisfeature. Low-lightphotographyhasbeenastrongpointforHuaweiandtheP40Prodoesn’tdeviate.TheRYYBsensorseemstohelpalotwithdetailcapture,andtheP40Procantrulyseeinthedarkwithitsnightmode.Iliveinafairlylight-pollutedtown,yetthephonecouldhandilycapturethestarsrightabovemyhouse.Therewereafewless-than-perfectresultsdueperhapstomyshakyhands,butonthewhole,IwasveryimpressedwithwhattheP40Procoulddo. The40MPultra-widecinecamerafromtheMate30PromadeitswaytotheP40Proandit’sabrilliantupgrade.It’sasignificantlylargersensorthantheP30Pro’swithfourtimestheresolution.Thisresultsinmuchbetterlow-lightperformanceinultra-widemode,andsomereallyclean-lookingimagesattheexpenseofaslightlytightershot.Thepreviousultra-widelenswasa16mmequivalent,whereastheP40Pro’sisan18mmaffairwithanarrowerfieldofview.ThisalsomeansthattheP40ProomitsHuawei’sstapleSuperMacromode,whichutilizedthe20MPultra-widecamera. The32MPselfieshooterisabletocapturelotsofdetailandcolorinalmostalllightingconditions.Iwasparticularlyimpressedwiththeabilitytoaccuratelycaptureskintonesinvaryingenvironments.Therenolongerseemstobetheunwantedandintrusiveskin-smoothingwhichhashistoricallybeenanissueevenwhenselecting“off”inthemenu.Itseemstocaptureindividualhairsverywellwithoutblendingthemtogether,anditshighlightroll-offissmoothandnatural. Dynamicrangecanbeinconsistent,though,asyoucanseeinmysampleimages(linkbelow).WhilsttheP40Pro’sfront-facingphotosaren’tbad,IwouldstillcallthePixel4thekingofselfiesduetothebettercolorreproductionanddetailcapture.Huaweihasdefinitelyrefinedlastyear’sselfieshooter,butthecompanystillhasabitofworktodotocatchGoogleonthisfront.TheP40Pro’srearcameralayoutiscapableofshootingUltraHD/4Kvideoatupto60framespersecond,aswellassuperslowmotionatuptoaneye-watering7680fps.Bothmodesareavailableontheultra-wideandwidecameras.Theresultingvideoclipsareokay,butHuawei’svideoalwaysseemstolacksomething.There’splentyofdetailwithgenerallyquickautofocusandexposureadjustment,butitlackscontrastandcharacter.Thecameraalsoseemstoleantowardswarmtonesinvideocapture. I’vesaiditmanytimesbeforeandI’llcontinuetosayit:Huawei’scameraappisbyfarthebestonthemarket.There’saperfectbalancebetweeneaseofuseandabuttloadoffeaturesandsettings.Myonlycomplaintsarethattherearetoomanymodesalongthebottomandsomecangetlostoffthescreen,andthatthefull-resolutionmodeisnowinamenutothefarrightofthemodecarousel.Otherthanthat,thisispeakcameraapp. Asanoverallcamerapackage,theP40Proisnothingshortofbrilliant.It’soneofthebestsmartphoneshootersthatmoneycanbuy,andisthereasontopurchasethephone.Full-resolutionHuaweiP40Prophotosamplesareavailablehere. Software:Un-appedpotential EMUI10.1 Android10 TheP40ProrunsEMUI10.1uponAndroid10outofthebox,butcanbeupgradedtoEMUI11viaanOTAupdate.ItmaybeAndroid,butrememberthatGooglePlayServices,theGooglePlayStore,andmostGoogleappsarenotavailable.HuaweihasalsopromisedtoupdatethephonetorunHarmonyOS—itsnewoperatingsystem—inthefuture.EMUIisabitlikeMarmite—someloveit,andsomehateit.Thisisbecause,likemanyChinesesmartphonecompanies,it’sclearthatcertainpartsoftheOSaretryingtobelikeiOS.Clearexamplesareintheweatherappandthesharesheetasshownbelow. iOSWeatherAppEMUIWeatherAppiOSShareSheetEMUIShareSheet Oldannoyancesremain,suchashavingtoturnontheappdrawerorwadingthroughabunchofhomescreenfoldersandpre-installedapps.Thankfullythesethingscanbefixedifyoudon’tmindsinkinginthetime.EMUIdoeshaveitsperks.Adoubleknocktoscreenshotishandy,asarethebatteryoptimizationtools.Huawei’sAppGalleryreplacesGoogle’sPlayStore.ThisisratherannoyingforthoseofusintheWestwhouseappssuchasTwitter,Instagram,andYouTubebecausethey’renotavailableinAppGallery. Continuereading:WhatisHMS?AllyouneedtoknowThereareafewwaystogetaroundthis.YoucanusePhoneClonetotransferappsfromyourexistingAndroidoriOSdevice.Unfortunately,PhoneCloneishitandmissbecauseitwon’ttransferoverallofyourapps.Forexample,itmanagedtotransferjustfiveapps,butnoneofthemwerereallythatimportant—justafewgames.Youcanusealsotrythird-partyappstoressuchas APKPure or Amazon’sappstore.Finally,youcaninstallindividualAPKsfromAPKsitesorserviceslikeWhatsappandFacebook.DownloadingAPKsisthemoresuccessfulmethod,butthere’snoguaranteethatappAPKswillworkonceinstalled. AlotofapplicationsrequireGoogleservicesinordertorun— includingsomeyoumightnotexpect.Minecraft,forexample,willinstallusingPhoneClonebutwon’trunwithoutGoogleservices.Whilesomeareobvious,discoveringwhichappsrequireGoogle—andthuswillworkontheP40Pro—willbethebiggesthurdleforthosewhochoosetobuythisphone.Huaweineeds(moretime)toconvincemoredeveloperstosupportitsappplatform.Anothersolutionistorunappsthroughthebrowserandcreatelinksforthemonthehomescreen.However,thishighlightssomeoftheissueswithbrowser-basedapps.Forexample,YouTubeviathebrowserdoesn’tallowyouto casttoaGoogledevice,norcanyoupinch-to-zoomtofillthedisplay.Moreover,mobilebankingappsandothersthatrequiredtwo-factorauthentication,don’tworkwellinthebrowser. Alotofappswon'trunwithoutGoogleservices. ThisiswheretheP40Profallsflatonitsfaceforme,andit’snotaneasyfix.Unfortunately,untilthecompanycangetmoreappsinAppGallery,it’sano-goformanypeople. HuaweiP40Prospecs HuaweiP40ProPlusHuaweiP40ProHuaweiP40DisplayHuaweiP40ProPlus6.58-inchOLED,2,640x1,200(19.8:9)90HzIn-displayfingerprintsensorHuaweiP40Pro6.58-inchOLED,2,640x1,200(19.8:9)90HzIn-displayfingerprintsensorHuaweiP406.1-inchOLED,2,340x1,080(19.5:9)60HzIn-displayfingerprintsensorProcessorHuaweiP40ProPlusHiSiliconKirin990Octa-coreCPU([email protected],[email protected],[email protected])DualNPUMali-G76MP16GPUHuaweiP40ProHiSiliconKirin990Octa-coreCPU([email protected],[email protected],[email protected])DualNPUMali-G76MP16GPUHuaweiP40HiSiliconKirin990Octa-coreCPU([email protected],[email protected],[email protected])DualNPUMali-G76MP16GPURAMHuaweiP40ProPlus8GBHuaweiP40Pro8GBHuaweiP408GBStorageHuaweiP40ProPlus512GBHuaweiP40Pro256GBHuaweiP40128GBCamerasHuaweiP40ProPlusRear:50MPf/1.9(RYYB)withOIS40MPf/1.8ultra-wide8MPf/4.410xperiscopewithOIS8MPf/2.43xtelephotowithOIS3DToFFront:32MPIRsensorHuaweiP40ProRear:50MPf/1.9(RYYB)withOIS40MPf/1.8ultra-wide12MPf/3.45xperiscope3DToFFront:32MPIRsensorHuaweiP40Rear:50MPf/1.9(RYYB)withOIS16MPf/2.2ultra-wide8MPf/2.43xtelephotoFront:32MPBatteryHuaweiP40ProPlus4,200mAhNon-removable40Wwiredcharging40WwirelesschargingHuaweiP40Pro4,200mAhNon-removable40Wwiredcharging40WwirelesschargingHuaweiP403,800mAhNon-removable22.5WwiredchargingIPRatingHuaweiP40ProPlusIP68HuaweiP40ProIP68HuaweiP40IP53SoftwareHuaweiP40ProPlusEMUI10.1Android10HuaweiP40ProEMUI10.1Android10HuaweiP40EMUI10.1Android10 Valueandcompetition HuaweiP40ProAstunnerofadevice,withcaveatsAgreatscreen,superbbuildquality,incrediblebatterylife,andofcoursethatworld-classcamerasystem.AshameGoogleappsaremissing.$799.50atAmazonSave$199.50 HuaweiP40Pro:8GBRAM,256GBROM— €799(~$907) TheP40Prolaunchedat€999,whichputitinlinewiththeflagshipdevicesfromSamsungandApple.However,HuaweihassincedroppedthepriceofitsP40Proto€799. Fromahardwarestandpoint,theP40Proholdsup.Whenyouconsidertheappsituation,though,youcan’texpecttosellalotofunitsoutsideofChina.There’snodenyingthat,inprettymucheverycategory,theP40Probacksupitsheftypricetag.Itscameraisstillverystrong,evenayearlater.Thebuildqualityisstellarandthebatterytechisbrilliant.It’sakillerphoneforChineseconsumers,butit’sahardselleverywhereelseduetotheongoingsoftwarewoes. HuaweiP40Proreview:Shouldyoubuyit?TheP40Proisastunnerofadevice.Ittickssomanyboxes:agreatscreen,superbbuildquality,incrediblebatterylife,andofcoursethatworld-classcamerasystem.IfyouhandedmetheP40ProandtheGalaxyS21andaskedmetopick,I’dbiteyourarmofffortheP40Pro—ifithadaccesstoGoogleservices.Forthosewhodon’trequireGoogleservicesontheirsmartphone,thisisoneofthebestdevicesonthemarketrightnowandIwholeheartedlyrecommendit.It’sthehandsettobuyifyoureallywantthebestcameraeverputintoasmartphone. Alsoread:HuaweiP40Prooneyearon—lastcallforHuawei’sWesternambitionsThat’snotthesituationformostpeople,however,andtherearestillmanyuserswhodorequireGoogleservices.Forthose,Iwouldsaytoskipthismodeland,ifyoustillwantatop-flightHuaweismartphone,gowiththeprevious’still-brilliantandGoogle-poweredP30Pro. ReviewsHuaweiHuaweiP40Comments