Huawei P40 Pro+ Review - Android

When Huawei launched the P40 series, only the P40 and P40 Pro were initially offered in the Philippines, which left some people asking when...

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When Huawei launched the P40 series, only the P40 and P40 Pro were initially offered in the Philippines, which left some people asking when the P40 Pro+ will arrive. A few months later, we finally have an answer as the company is launching its most powerful flagship in the country. What can we expect from Huawei’s current cream of the crop? Find out in our review.

Design and Construction

Right off the bat, we’ll tell you that the P40 Pro and P40 Pro+ are twins, meaning they have the same design and dimensions. However, they’re not identical, and one of the ways to distinguish the two is from the colors. While the P40 Pro is available in Silver Frost, Blush Gold, Deep Sea Blue, Ice White, and Black, the P40 Pro+ is only available in two colors: White Ceramic and Black Ceramic.

The P40 Pro+ is also a bit heftier than the P40 Pro. The former is 226g while the latter is 209g. And it’s something you’d feel upon holding the device. Most of the weight is also noticed around the top end, which can be attributed to the large camera module.

Still, it looks and feels premium, thanks to the nano-tech ceramic at the back. It’s polished and smooth. Add to that the metal frame that blends well with the 3D curves of the front and back panel. It’s still a fingerprint and smudge magnet, though, so better use a case.

Ports and button placements are still in the same spot as the P40 Pro. We have the volume and the power/lock buttons on the right, which are firm yet clicky. They’re also reachable, but the top volume button could be quite a reach if you have small hands. You might have to readjust your grip now and then for that.

The IR blaster and the secondary microphone are found on top, along with the antenna bands which are present on all sides.

Then down at the bottom are the SIM tray that can accommodate two nano-SIM cards, or a single SIM card and a Huawei Nano Memory card. Also found here are the primary microphone, USB Type-C port, and the loudspeaker.

Flip it on its back, and you will see this large, rectangular camera module that houses the five cameras and dual-LED flash. It’s protruding, so it wobbles if you lay it on a flat surface without a case. The P40 Pro+ also has an IP68-rating, meaning it is dust and water-resistant, so you can worry less about accidental splashes or dropping it in a pool.

Display and Multimedia

The P40 Pro+, like the P40 Pro, also sports a 6.58-inch Flex OLED Quad-Curve Overflow display with Full HD+ (2640 x 1200) resolution. Under it is the in-display fingerprint scanner. It’s an immersive screen that curves towards the corners and edges. It also has support for DCI P3 Color Space, HDR10+, and a 90Hz refresh rate that translates to smooth animations and transitions. You can toggle the refresh rate to 60Hz if you want to save power. This kind of configuration can provide a great viewing experience with excellent details, vibrant colors, and deep blacks.

However, not everyone will be fond of the large hole-punch, (or cutout, as Huawei calls it) on the upper left corner, which houses the 32MP front-facing camera, ToF sensor, and IR flood illuminator. You can hide the hole-punch by going to the settings and toggling ‘Hide cutout.’ It works well, but you’ll end up with a screen that looks like it has a huge forehead.

As for audio, the P40 Pro+ only has a single down-firing speaker, which is a bit of a downer considering that some flagship devices offer dual speakers. Still, the audio quality is excellent and loud enough for casual use. There’s no 3.5mm audio jack, so you’ll have to use USB-C wired interface or go wireless instead.

Camera

The P40 Pro+ has five rear cameras consisting of a 50MP F1.9 primary, 40MP F1.8 ultra-wide, 8MP F4.4 long-range 10x optical zoom, 8MP F2.4 mid-range 3x optical zoom, and a ToF camera. Compared to the P40 Pro, this device has a more powerful zoom range.

Features include Aperture, Night, Portrait, Pro, Slo-mo, Panorama, Monochrome, AR LEns, Light Painting, Dual-View, and Time-Lapse, to name a few. There’s also AI Les to identify objects and landmarks, and Master AI to automatically detect the scene and apply appropriate tweaks.

As expected, camera performance is great and can be considered as one of the best camera smartphones right now. As always, this is seen in just how crisp and clear images come out, no matter which of the cameras you use. The colors are far from natural, as Huawei’s camera software tends to boost the saturation quite a bit. With a few exceptions like with green plants and a blue sky, it’s not overwhelmingly unnatural. Dynamic range is also pretty solid, which is evident when taking shots of bright subjects — you can still see the detail in white objects.