Huawei P40 Pro Review - Android

The company might be burdened by the US-ban imposed to them, but that didn’t stop them to launch its latest flagship smartphone.

It goes without saying that the P40 Pro packs a killer set of cameras — but being a flagship device, there’s more to this smartphone than being a photo and video machine. We’ll uncover more of it here in our Huawei P40 Pro review.

Huawei P40 Pro Specs

• Android 10, EMUI 10.1
• Dual SIM, Dual Standby, Hybrid
• 6.58-inch OLED display, 2640 x 1200 pixel resolution, ~429ppi
• 90Hz refresh rate
• 2.86GHz Kirin 990 5G octa-core processor
• Mali-G76 MP16 GPU
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB internal storage, expandable via NM card 2
• 32-megapixel + 3D depth sensor front cameras
• 50-megapixel (UltraVision, RYYB, f/1.9, OIS) + 40-megapixel (Cine ultra-wide camera, f/1.8) + 12-megapixel (5x optical, 50x hybrid zoom, OIS) + ToF rear cameras, Octa-PDAF, LED flash
• 4K@60fps video recording, up to ISO 51,200
• Telephoto video, Slow-mo, Ultra low-light video
• In-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
• IP68 water and dust resistant
• 4G LTE, 5G
• WiFi 6, dual-band
• Bluetooth 5.1
• dual-band GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC
• IR blaster
• NFC
• USB Type-C
• Colors: Black, Deep Sea Blue, Ice White, Silver Frost, Blush Gold
• Dimensions: 158.2 x 72.6 x 8.95mm
• Weight: 209g
• 4,200mAh non-removable battery, 40W SuperCharge, 27W Wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging

Design and Build Quality

Much like most flagships, the Huawei P40 Pro is sandwiched in glass. The back panel has a smoked glass that provides a matte appearance. Fingerprint smudges are not obvious unless you look closer.

The review unit we have here is the new Silver Front color option. There’s something about this plain design that looks clean and refreshing. But if it’s not your cup of tea, you can also get it in Deep Sea Blue, Ice White, Blush Gold, and Black.

Both the front and back glass are curved, which makes it really ergonomic and comfortable in the hands. It made the device feel thin, despite its 9mm thickness.

Although at 209g, the Huawei P40 Pro definitely has some weight to it. But its more like solidly-built heavy and not poorly-designed heavy. That’s probably due to the combination of glass and metal materials.

Its key design distinction is the camera bump on the back. All four cameras and the LED flash are placed on a single rectangular glass that’s reminiscent of digicams from before.

The camera bump is pretty sizable that you can feel it every time you touch the device.

Despite its sleek and premium looks, the Huawei P40 Pro is IP68 rated for water and dust resistance. We don’t recommend you go swimming with it, but it should withstand accidental drops in the pool and being caught in the rain.

On the front, we have a large 6.58-inch FHD+ OLED screen. It has ultra-thin bezels and the aforementioned curved glass, which leads to an impressive 91.6% screen-to-body ratio.

However, the punch-hole on the top left of the screen is really big. Larger than what we saw on the Realme 6 Pro that also has two selfie cameras.

The punch-hole on the Huawei P40 Pro really sticks out. It barely lefts room for the notification icons. It’s actually forgivable since it houses a pixel-packed 32-megapixel selfie camera, and advanced face unlock sensors such as a ToF camera and an IR flood illuminator — much like what we saw on the iPhone 11 series.

Huawei had to remove the earpiece on the top to make the screen bigger. So when making calls, the screen itself makes subtle vibrations to create sound.

For a quick rundown, we have the IR blaster, noise-cancelling microphone, and two antenna bands on the top.

On the right, we have the lock/power button with a distinct red line on it. On top of it is the volume controls. The physical buttons feels a bit stiff, but do provide a satisfying feel when pressed. The left side is clean.

On the bottom, we have the USB Type-C port, the only loudspeaker, and the primary microphone. We also have the small hybrid SIM tray. You can put two nano SIMs back to back, or use the other slot for an NM card for storage expansion.

Display and Sound Quality

One of the main attractions of the Huawei P40 Pro is the large display. Its a 6.58-inch FHD+ OLED panel, with a 2640 x 1200 pixel resolution, ~429ppi, HDR10+ support, DCPI-P3, sRGB color, and of course, a 90Hz refresh rate that’s starting to be a buzz word in flagships today.

I gotta say, the large punch-hole can be annoying at times. It would block some buttons on games. But thankfully most movies are not wide enough to reach the distraction in the corner.

Speaking of movies, the display color was set to Vivid by default. It provides good vibrancy and deep contrast without looking too exaggerated. On the downside, the HDR doesn’t seem to work on Netflix and in most streaming apps — at least for now.

The 90Hz refresh helps the Huawei P40 Pro flex its powerful performance even more. Also, the interface, games, and videos look really smooth on this one.

Hardware and Performance

The Huawei P40 Pro is powered by a 2.86GHz Kirin 990 5G processor, with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of RAM, and Mali-G76 GPU. It also comes with a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for all AI-related tasks.

The storage is expandable via Huawei’s NM card. Unlike before, a lot of manufacturers are starting to make NM cards and is now available in more stores both online and offline, making it cheaper and more accessible.

Obviously, the Kirin 990 5G processor still lags behind the Snapdragon 865, as seen on AnTuTu’s top ten list for May 2020. Snapdragon 865 devices scored 550,000 and higher, while the P40 Pro barely reached the 500,000 mark.

Huawei P40 Pro benchmark scores

Its benchmark scores might not be as impressive, but being a flagship device, it still provides blazing-fast performance. Partnered with its 90Hz refresh rate, the Huawei P40 Pro handled all workloads with finesse. From browsing the interface, flicking through social media, taking pictures, and more.

Gaming is also top great on this one. Demanding titles like Asphalt 9 and Call of Duty Mobile ran at the highest graphics settings with smooth frame rates. No noticeable lags.

Everyone’s favorite, Mobile Legends, also ran seamlessly on the Huawei P40 Pro. It has High Frame Rate or HFR support that takes full advantage of its fast display.

Games ran well under the Normal battery mode, but enabling Performance Mode will crunch out more power out of the GPU.

Software and User Interface

Coming in on this review, you’ve probably accepted the fact that the Huawei P40 Pro lacks Google Mobile Services support.

In our recent YouTube video (see above), we showcased how we were able to download all the apps we use on a daily basis using the Huawei App Gallery and third-party app store.

If you’re willing to adopt the Huawei Mobile Services, you’re in for a treat. Huawei has made an ecosystem of product that works well together. They have a uniform interface that complements the hardware, albeit it’s d