Let’s talk about Huawei Mate 40 Pro: brilliant Brain without Google
As tradition marks, before the end of the year Huawei announces a second high-end line, we are talking about the Mate series. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro has already arrived on the market without Google services and the Huawei Mate 40 Pro history repeats itself, as well as the curved screen design, the quad-camera, or the most powerful Kirin chip of the moment.
The Huawei Mate 40 Pro redesigns the circular camera module and opts for a shape that is quite reminiscent of the touch wheel of the old iPod and takes all the prominence of its design. Let’s see how Huawei’s new high-end performs on first impressions.
A very original camera module and a clearer front thanks to the hole in the screen
As we anticipated, the camera module is the detail that takes center stage in the Huawei Mate 40 Pro. The firm continues to maintain the circular shape, but instead of placing the cameras on a solid black circle, in the center there is an empty space (well, it’s not empty because we have the Leica logo) and the cameras are placed in a circular arrangement around it. When you show your cell phone, almost everyone agrees: it looks like an iPod.
The camera module attracts a lot of attention, but far from being rough, it gives it personality and is elegant.
The module attracts a lot of attention, but far from being rough, it gives it personality and is elegant. It also highlights the silver-tone that projects different tones depending on how the light falls on it. In addition, the Mate 40 Pro says goodbye to the glossy finish of the previous generation and bets on matte, so the footprints are not so marked, although it is still slippery. This, along with the camera sticking out (but not much) makes using the silicone sleeve included in the box a good option.
On the front, there are also changes and that is that Huawei says goodbye to that notch so wide and changes it through the hole in the screen. This helps to have a clearer front, although it is not exactly the most discreet hole in the world. We have a double camera, which makes it quite wide, but the screen is also quite curved on the sides and that pushes it towards the center. All in all, it is less intrusive than the notch of the Mate 30 Pro.
Huawei is still determined to keep the curved screen, although the junction between the panel and the back is much smoother and we no longer have any edges that stick to us as in the Mate 30 Pro.
Since we are talking about the side curves, comment that Huawei is still determined to maintain a fairly pronounced curve, although the grip has been greatly improved because the union between the panel and the back is much smoother and we no longer have an edge that is key to us. Speaking of grip, it’s a big phone, but it’s not heavy and those softer sides make it more comfortable. However, the curve is still uncomfortable depending on which gestures such as going back or sometimes typing. Another detail that has been improved in this generation is that the physical volume buttons are back.
On the visual experience, in these first impressions, the sensations have been very good. The screen is wide and sharp, with a 90Hz refresh rate for fluidity, and the color calibration is fairly neutral. We have also had no problems with brightness when viewing the content outdoors. The only but that we can put on the screen again has to do with the curve, and that is that it creates two very marked shadows on the sides.
Level performance for an incomplete software
How could it be otherwise, the Huawei Mate 40 Pro mounts the Kirin 9000, the brand’s latest chip, which is also ready to connect to 5G networks. In this first contact, we do not have any complaints about performance, but in the analysis, we will test it further to see if we find any weak points. We will also thoroughly test the battery to see how that 4,400 mAh respond to the 90Hz of the screen and the fast charge, which Huawei promises is 60% faster than in the previous model.
Regarding biometrics, the on-screen fingerprint reader is quick to recognize us (although not so much when configuring the fingerprint for the first time) and the facial unlocking means that many times it is not necessary to place the finger, even in the dark. The only time when facial unlocking does not work for us is when we wear a mask.
Hardware leaves you wanting more, but the same can’t be said for software. It is not the first time that I have seen them with a post-veto Huawei mobile, so I already know the difficulties that I am going to encounter, but even so, the process is quite tedious. Phone Clone is capable of copying many of the apps that we can have installed on an Android mobile, but there are some that remain by the wayside, and others, although installed, do not work due to the absence of Google services.
Making the Huawei Mate 40 Pro a functional device is possible by pulling APKs or alternative stores, but it is still a more complex process than configuring any other Android where we can find all the apps we want in the Play Store. The App Gallery is adding content, but it is still very far from the official Android store.
The zoom is still its strong point
Huawei maintains the commitment to zoom as the main attraction of its cameras. In the Huawei Mate 40 Pro, we have four lenses: the main sensor, a telephoto lens with a periscope system, an ultra-angle lens, and a laser focus sensor.
The camera offers us a zoom of up to 50x, although the app gives us direct access to four zoom levels: from wide-angle to ten times, through the main lens and the telephoto lens with its five times magnification. The angle is usually the lens that comes out the worst, but in the case of Huawei, it usually gives very satisfactory results and, above all, consistent with those of the main lens. The 5x zoom maintains a great quality and if we go to 10x, although the effect of the digital zoom begins to be noticed, it is also surprising how it preserves the textures.
Huawei has been fine-tuning the processing in its latest releases. Already in the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, we saw much less aggressive processing and from what we have been able to see, in this generation the same line is maintained. It continues to tend towards saturation and is somewhat gimmicky, but it has been softened a lot compared to what we have seen in previous generations (did someone say P30 Pro?). In close-ups the sharpness is maximum, with a very good rendering of textures and a very rich color palette.
In night shooting it is not far behind and manages to solve very complex scenes. We have a night mode, but in the analysis, we will see that most of the time the automatic shot itself already gives us a very good result when there is little light.
Versatility is also transferred to the front cameras and, for the first time, Huawei offers us three zoom steps from the camera app: normal or 1x, an intermediate step for 0.8x, and finally the wide-angle.
A continuous bet
There is much to prove from this Huawei Mate 40 Pro, but in this first contact, the feeling is that it is a rather continuous improvement over what we already saw in its predecessor. The design has been slightly modified, especially in that striking rear module, but it maintains the panel curves that are already classic in the Mate range (a detail that could be rethought as they have done with the elimination of the volume buttons). It also maintains the large screen, but also adds the 90Hz refresh rate, and renews the commitment to photographic versatility with that capable zoom.
Huawei brings us a smartphone with hardware prepared to compete with the heavyweights of the showcase. The problem is the same as always: the software.
Huawei brings us a smartphone with hardware prepared to compete with the heavyweights of the showcase. The problem is the same as always: the software. The absence of Google services is the stain on the Mate 40 Pro’s curriculum, that big “but” that makes it not a smartphone not suitable for all audiences. See you in an in-depth review.