Huawei P40 series smartphones are available in Europe and the UK. The range includes the base P40, P40 Pro and P40 Pro Plus, and Huawei hopes that they will lead the fight to iPhone 11 Pro, Galaxy s20 and OnePlus 8. I use the P40 Pro – the middle child of the three – and put it to the test. The phone is available for £ 900 (around $ 1120 or AU $ 1770) here in the UK, but due to the US ban on Huawei products, it is not officially on sale in the United States.
This ban also means that it doesn’t use Google apps – including access to the Google Play Store – but the phone has 5G and a good camera. That said, its big brother, the P40 Pro Plus, is even more focused on photography, with the first 10x optical zoom seen on a phone.
If you’re in one of Huawei’s mainstream markets and curious about the phone, here are five things you need to know about this phone before you consider spending your money.
Read more: 10 Best Phones Under $ 500
Huawei P40 Pro does not have Google apps
Due to the company’s ongoing difficulties with the U.S. government, Huawei phones do not use Google services. This means there is no Google Play Store for apps and no support for services like Gmail, YouTube, Maps, or the Chrome browser. For many of you, this will be a deciding factor, especially if you rely on Google’s suite of apps for your work.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any apps at all. Huawei has its own on-board email client, browser and calendar, and it also has its own app store. Many famous apps are already available, such as Amazon, TikTok, Adidas Running, SnapChat, PicsArt and the ever popular Fortnite. There are plenty more, however, including Instagram or editing apps like Adobe Lightroom that just aren’t available in Huawei’s store.
Although Facebook and WhatsApp are not available directly, the store will take you to the web pages of those apps, where you can download and install the app (in an .apk file) through the browser. The apps will then appear on the phone and work normally.
So it’s important to check and see if the apps you are relying on are available right now. Huawei says it is working closely with developers around the world to try to bring a lot more apps to its store, so it’s likely that bigger names will emerge over time.
P40 Pro to 5G
No flagship phone worth its salt in 2020 would launch without 5G connectivity and the P40 Pro is no exception. You will need to be in an area with 5G and have a 5G compatible phone plan to take advantage of the next generation network. If you’re hoping to get those super-fast speeds right away, be sure to check the availability you have in your area before upgrading to a 5G phone.
The P40 Pro’s camera is good, but needs improvement
Huawei has proven itself by equipping its phones with impressive cameras. The P40 Pro contains four lenses: a standard zoom, a super wide angle lens, a 5x optical zoom and a depth sensing lens. While the phone’s camera skills are certainly some of the best, the software needs to be tweaked before it can take the crown as the best of the best.
My main issue is with the white balance, or overall color temperature, of photos captured by cameras. Often times it seems to tint the pictures with a more magenta tint than what was present in real life, which made various test photos of the phone look less natural than the same photos taken on the iPhone 11 Pro or Galaxy S20 Ultra. This is only a slight change, and if you don’t make direct comparisons to other phones, you might not notice it.
On top of that, the phone takes some great pictures, with regular exposures and nice contrast. Its 5x zoom produces crisp photos of distant subjects, and images taken in low light conditions and at night are easily among the best.
If you want a great camera, you should get the P40 Pro Plus instead.
If you’re tempted to get the P40 Pro instead of the standard P40, it may be due to camera upgrades to the base model, like the 5x optical zoom.
But the P40 Pro Plus includes a huge 10x optical zoom, which promises incredible magnification without losing quality. It is the highest optical zoom ever seen on a phone and I really loved trying it.
Don’t buy the black version
Huawei’s latest launches, including the P30 and P20 series, came with vibrant color options that looked amazing. While the P40 Pro was showcased in delightful hues, the review model that landed on my desk was black, and like all black phones, it looks drab and forgettable.
No one wants boring and forgettable – not when you could be happy, vibrant and exciting. So if you’re planning on spending more money on the P40 Pro, at least take it in its dark blue, shimmering pink, or soft gold varieties.