Huawei P40 Series is Huawei’s first major worldwide release since the Trump tech embargo began last year and our eyes will mostly be on P40 Pro.
Last year’s P30 Pro was a smash-hit in the UK and Ireland. Offering photography innovation like periscope zoom, RYYB Quad-Bayer sensors and ultra-sensitive night-mode created quite a stir among casual photographers and social media lovers. While the efficient Kirin 980 and two-day battery life drew a more business-oriented crowd.
Now Triplets
Along with the traditional ‘Reg’ and ‘Pro’ models, Huawei will offer a Pro+ variant of the P40 Series. Competing with the likes of Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, Huawei P40 Pro+ is a 6.7″ phablet that uses the same Kirin 990 5G SoC but carries 12GB RAM instead of 8GB. The Plus also carries a whopping 5,500mAh battery as opposed to 3,800 and 4,200mAh of the ‘Reg’ and ‘Pro’ models.
Another difference is the 10x optical zoom – P40 Pro+ not only tops the other P40 Series models but also direct rival, S20 Ultra. P40 Pro+’s 1440p screen has a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz as opposed to P40 Pro’s 1200p90 and P40’s 1080p60.
The three have different lens setups. P40 sports a triple-lens affair, lacking the ToF 3D sensor of the Pro and Pro+. P40’s optical zoom is 3x.
While the three have significant differences on the inside. The look across all three is consistent. Borrowing the frosted and textured look of special-edition P30 Pro’s rear, Huawei P40 Series sports an aluminosilicate glass rear that almost seems hollow under certain lighting conditions. The Quad-Curve Overflow design work well and combines with the textured glass beautifully. P40 and P40 Pro will come in four colours – Matte Grey, Gold, White and Black.
Tough at the Top
Huawei Mate 30 Pro iteratively built on P30 Pro’s stills legacy rather than offering the innovation of yore. The much-delayed handset did drag Huawei video capture to the same table as Samsung and Apple but video is a more niche sell.
P40 Pro innovates in some areas while addressing remaining issues with P30 Pro’s award-winning capture. One new addition is Live Photo which uses AI to offer you three images – the one you took and one each before and after that. Huawei claim to have tuned Live Photo against common action scenes including sports like soccer and basketball.
For those after the ultimate action shots, Live Photo is an enticing prospect but without a focus that can keep up it would be wasted. To that end, Huawei have brought a dual phase detection layer to their sensors.
The 5x optical periscope zoom returns from P30 Pro. AI will also aid you in tracking what you are looking at when using the higher zoom levels. Huawei can also claim the biggest effective pixel size in smartphone photography. The ‘Ultra-Vision’ sensor captures more 40% more light for greater detail and brighter images.
P40 series will also feature a quick way to remove passersby and other accidental photobombers. Along with this, the AI can remove reflections while snapping through glass. The examples Huawei listed were framed photographs, exhibits at museums and pesky airplane windows.
P40 Series tries to build on Mate 30 Pro’s strong video feature-set. Huawei were keen to talk about their 4K60 video that shoots with an ISO of 51,200. That should bring exceptional low-light performance. Another new video trick is zoom audio that follows your focus.
Specifications
| Huawei P40 | Huawei P40 Pro | Huawei P40+ | |
| Chipset: | HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G | HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G | HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G |
| CPU: | Octa-core (2×2.86 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2×2.36 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×1.95 GHz Cortex-A55) | Octa-core (2×2.86 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2×2.36 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×1.95 GHz Cortex-A55) | Octa-core (2×2.86 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2×2.36 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×1.95 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| Memory: | 8GB RAM; 128GB ROM | 8GB RAM; 128GB ROM8GB RAM; 256GB ROM | 12GB RAM; 512GB ROM |
| Display: | 6.1”; 1080×2340 OLED; 60Hz; 19.5:9 | 6.58”; 1200×2640 OLED; 90Hz; 19.5:9 | 6.7”; 1440×3160 OLED; 120Hz; 19.5:9 |
| Rear Camera: | Triple Leica Lens -50 MP, f/1.9, (wide), PDAF (23mm) -8 MP, f/2.4, 80mm (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom (80mm) -16 MP, (ultrawide) (17mm) | Quad Leica Lens -50 MP, f/1.9, (wide), PDAF, OIS (23mm) -12 MP, f/3.4, (125mm) (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom -40 MP, f/1.8, (18mm) (ultrawide), 1/1.54″, PDAF -TOF 3D, (depth) | Penta Leica Lens -52 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/1.28″, PDAF, OISPeriscope, f/4.0 (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom -8 MP, f/2.0 (telephoto), 1/4.0″, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom -40 MP, f/1.8, 18mm (ultrawide), 1/1.54″, PDAF -TOF 3D, (depth) |
| Video: | 2160p@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS, OISISO 51,200 | 2160p@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS, OISISO 51,200 | 2160p@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS, OISISO 51,200 |
| Front Camera: | 32 MP, f/2.2 (wide), 1/2.8″ | 32 MP, f/2.2 (wide), 1/2.8″ | 32 MP, f/2.0 (wide), 1/2.8″ |
| OS Version: | Android 10.0, EMUI 10.1 | Android 10.0, EMUI 10.1 | Android 10.0, EMUI 10.1 |
| Connectivity: | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band,Bluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-bandBluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-bandBluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE |
| Battery: | 3,800mAh Li-Po | 4,200mAh Li-Po | 5,500mAh Li-Po |
| Dimensions: | 148.9×71.1×8.5mm | 158.2×72.6x9mm | |
| Colours: | Silver Frost, Blush Gold, Black, Ice White, Deep Blue Sea | Matte Grey, Gold, Black, White | Black |
Wide Price Range
As you can see, the models have quite a few differences in specs and there is subsequently a large difference in pricing. P40 starts at €799, P40 Pro starts at €999 and Pro+ is expected to be available from €1,399.
Huawei P40 and P40 Pro are available in Ireland from 7th April
