Despite all odds, which now includes the COVID-19 pandemic, Huawei has announced its early 2020 champions in the smartphone wars. On paper, they are definitely three of the best phones you’ll find in the market, though claims still have to be verified with real-world testing and reviews. But whether it is due to the global situation or because of the company’s longstanding problem with the US government, the Huawei P40 siblings may not see as much love and fanfare around the world as its distant predecessors did.
The Huawei P40 is exactly as rumors and leaks have painted, which is to say there aren’t many surprises to impress us. Other than Huawei’s attempt at marketing, of course. At the very bottom rung of this three-tier ladder is the Huawei P40 5G itself. Make no mistake, it’s no underdog with its 50MP pixel-binned RYYB camera with “Octo PDAF” and a front 32MP camera sitting beside an infrared sensor. It’s the small things, like a small 3,800 mAh battery with 22.5W charging, both wired and wireless, and IP53 dust and water resistance rating only that might have most turning to its bigger and better sibling.
The 6.58-inch Huawei P40 Pro 5G is probably what most will consider the series titleholder. It has most of the desired specs and features without going overboard, like a 90Hz curved edge display, IP68 rating, and 40W fast wired charging for its large 4,200 mAh battery. The cameras are, of course, its biggest pull, with the same 50MP RYYB sensor as before but now joined by a 40MP RYYB “Cine” ultra-wide camera, and a 12MP 5x optical zoom telephoto camera, along with a 3D depth sensor.
If you really want Huawei’s best, though, then the P40 Pro+ 5G is going to be your only choice really. In addition to the 120Hz display and 40W wireless charging, this phone overloads on camera features, adding a 10x Optical Zoom 8MP and 3x Optical Zoom 8MP telephoto cameras that can work together to deliver 100x “SuperZoom”. The front camera also gets a 3D depth sensor of its own to boot.
All three share the same DNA that includes Huawei’s Kirin 990 5G chipset and, of course, the lack of Google Play services. That will definitely be the biggest factor consumers will have to consider in deciding whether this phone will be worth its expensive price tag. The phones will go on sale starting April 7 with prices starting at 799 EUR for the P40 with 8GB RAM/128GB storage all the way up to 999 EUR for the P40 Pro with 256GB of storage. The Huawei P40 Pro+ with 512GB ROM won’t be available until June and it will cost a whopping 1,399 EUR.
