Huawei introduces the new Huawei P40 phone series called the P40, P40 Pro, and the P40 Pro Plus. These latest smartphones come with the latest technology.

They each come with great performance, design, a quad-camera set with video recording, and other premium features.

With the lack of Google services and apps, it faces limitations in the supply of good apps to us consumers.

With this in mind, will this stop one of the best mobile device giants from creating good quality smartphones? Let’s find out from this review the latest Huawei P40 phone series.  

Huawei P40 Series: Huawei P40, Huawei P40 Pro & Huawei P40 Pro Plus

Huawei P40 5G

Compact Model of the Huawei P40 Phone Series

6.1-inch OLED FHD (1080 x 2340)  |  Kirin 990 processor 5G  |  Mali-G76 GPU  |  6GB/8GB RAM  |  128GB/256GB storage (NanoM SD, up to 256 GB)  |  Triple-lens main cam: 50MP (f/1.9) main, 16MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide, 8MP (f/2.4) telephoto  |  Selfie cam: 32MP (f/2.0) wide, depth sensor  |  3800mAh battery, 22.5Whr fast charge  |  EMUI 10.1 base on Android 10 OS  |  175g 

Overview

Let’s start with the Huawei P40 phone. At first glance, it’s the smallest of the three with a 6.1-inch full HD display with a 1080p resolution. Inside is a Kirin 990 5G processor, 6 or 8 GB memory, 128 or 256 GB internal storage, and a 3800mAh battery. 

Design & Display

The phone’s made from durable glass aluminium. There are five colors available with a glossy design finish (silver frost, blush gold, deep-sea blue, ice white, black).

On the left corner of the display is the 32MP double-lens selfie camera. On the right are the power and volume buttons. And at the back is the triple-lens camera set.

The P40 display looks great with the brightness and contrast well managed and producing great images.

Audio

Not much to say about the audio. The phone comes with a normal stereo speaker which produces average sound quality. No headphone jack here.

Storage

The P40 is available from a choice of storage preferences: 128 GB or 256 GB. To expand storage, the P40 supports but uses nano SD cards instead of normal micro SD cards.

Battery Life

Battery life is great. The P40 comes with a 3800mAh battery that will last several hours to a whole day’s use and supports fast wired charging, (0-60% in half an hour). However, there’s no wireless charging. 

Software

Sadly, no Google services and no access to Google apps here. Huawei has its own app store called AppGallery. For now, it’s has a limited set of apps but will grow in time. For even more apps, check out other third-party app stores like Amazon and APK Pure.

The EMUI 10.1 OS runs smoothly with a pretty responsive GUI. Performance is great, gaming graphics look good and decent gameplay.

Camera & Video

The camera performance is great too. The triple main camera takes good quality pictures. It has good zoom functionality, and up to 4K video recording. 

Verdict

To summarise, this is a good phone. It comes with great looks with a gorgeous display. Next is the all-day battery life with fast charging. And then there’s the great camera set, and it’s better than the earlier model Huawei P30.

But the phone has no access to Google apps and services. It comes with average sound output and no wireless charging. Those are the big drawbacks here. Yet, it’s the cheapest one in the Huawei P40 phone series and an alternative of the three.             

Huawei P40 Pro 5G

Best Overall Huawei P40 Phone

6.58-inch OLED (1200 x 2640)  |  Kirin 990 5G processor  |  Mali-G76 GPU  |  8GB RAM  |  128GB/256GB/512GB storage (NanoM SD, up to 256 GB)  |  Quad-lens main cam: 50MP (f/1.9) main, 40MP (f/1.8) ultra-wide, 12MP (f/3.4) 5x zoom, TOF 3D (depth)  |  Dual selfie cam: 32MP (f/2.2) wide, TOF  |  4200mAh battery, supports 40Whr fast charge, 27W wireless charge  |  EMUI 10.1 base on Android 10 OS  |  209g 

Overview

Next, we look at the Huawei P40 Pro smartphone. In front, it comes with a 6.6-inch curved OLED with a 1200p screen resolution. The quad-camera lies on the back with a dual selfie camera in front. 

Inside is a Kirin 990 5G processor, with 8 GB of memory, a choice between 128 GB to 512 GB of internal storage depending on your choice of model. It comes with a large 4200mAh battery. 

Design &Display

The P40 Pro is made of glass aluminum with water and dust protection. It’s available in many colors: silver frost, blush gold, deep-sea blue, ice white, and black.

The OLED display has a 90Hz refresh rate with good accurate colors, well-controlled brightness, and contrast. It also supports HDR+. There’s also a fast and responsive fingerprint sensor on the bottom of the screen, and a face-unlock feature for security. 

Audio

The audio is average but better than the entry model.  The sound is crisper, louder with good emphasis on bass and treble. No headphone jack to plug in headphones.   

Software

No Google services and no access to Google apps here. Huawei has its own app store called AppGallery. It’s got apps but limited apps. For even more apps, you would need to install other third-party app stores like Amazon and APK Pure.

The EMUI 10.1 OS runs smoothly with a pretty responsive GUI. Performance is great here with good-looking gaming graphics and great gameplay.

Storage

The P40 Pro is available from a choice of storage, that ranges from the entry-level 128 GB up to 512 GB.  To expand storage, the smartphone supports it but uses nano SD memory cards instead of normal micro SD cards.

Battery Life

Battery life is great. The P40 Pro comes with a 4200mAh battery that will last several hours to a whole day’s use and supports fast charging, (0-80% in half an hour). Wireless charging is supported here and also reverse charging to charge up another mobile device. 

Camera &Video

The camera performance is great on the P40 Pro. The quad main camera takes good quality pictures, ultra-wide photos look decent, and decent night mode photos as well. 4K video recording is supported as well. 

Verdict

To sum it up, the Huawei P40 Pro comes with a lot of premium features. It has great looks and a curved design. It comes with a gorgeous high refresh display, with a good day battery life.

Next is the great quad-camera set making it a must-get for photo experts.

But with no access to Google apps is the main drawback of this phone. If you can manage to enjoy the premium features, then the P40 Pro is for you. 

Huawei P40 Pro Plus 5G

Best Camera Huawei P40 Phone

6.58-inch OLED (1200 x 2640)  |  Kirin 990 5G processor  |  Mali-G76 GPU  |  8GB RAM  |  128GB/256GB/512GB storage (NanoM SD, up to 256 GB)  |  five-lens main cam: 50MP (f/1.9) wide, 40MP (f/1.8) ultra-wide, 8MP (f/4.4) periscope telephoto 10x zoom, 8MP (f/2.4) telephoto 3x zoom, TOF 3D (depth)  |  Dual selfie cam: 32MP (f/2.2) wide, TOF  |  4200mAh battery, supports 40Whr fast charge, 27W wireless charge  |  EMUI 10.1 base on Android 10 OS  |  209g 

Overview

Then we move on to the Huawei P40 Pro Plus. If you notice, the phone comes with the exact same hardware specs and premium features as the P40 Pro, with a number of additional features.

Features

First, the P40 Pro Plus is made of a combination of glass and a ceramic frame. Secondly, the camera set includes a five-lens camera with added 3x and 10x zoom functions, and last, it’s boosted to optimize better quality photos and video.

With its boosted camera features you can do a number of things. First, you can zoom up to 10 times to get the perfect shot in great detail, and lastly, you can use the selfie cam to take 4K photos and videos.  

Verdict

So really the only thing to say here is the Huawei P40 Pro Plus is the P40 Pro with a better camera. If you are looking for a smartphone with great camera features then the P40 Pro Plus is for you. If you want a standard top-range smartphone, then get the P40 Pro.    

Huawei P40 Lite/Nova 6 SE/Nova 7i

Best Affordable Alternative Huawei P40 phone

6.4-inch LPS IPS FHD (1080 x 2310)  |  Kirin 810 processor  |  Mali-G52 MP6 GPU  |  6GB RAM  |  128GB storage (NanoM SD, up to 256 GB)  |  Quad-lens cam: 48MP (f/1.8) main, 8MP (f/2.4) ultra-wide, 2MP (f/2.4) macro, 2MP depth  |  16MP selfie cam  |  4200mAh battery, 40Whr fast charge  |  EMUI 10 base on Android 10 OS  |  183g

Overview

If the smartphones are too much for you, then the more affordable Huawei P40 Lite may be best for you. It’s also known as Huawei Nova 6 SE, and Huawei Nova 7i in other markets and countries.

The phone comes with a 6.4-inch full HD display. It comes with a single lens selfie, with a quad-camera lens set at the back. Inside includes a Kirin processor, with 6 GB memory, 128 GB of internal storage, and a 4200mAh battery.

Display & Design

The phone comes with a 6.4-inch full HD LCD that supports 1080p screen resolution and the standard 60Hz refresh rate.

It’s made of plastic aluminum. It’s lightweight, comfortable to hold, and comes with a curved edge design. But It’s not water-resistant. 

Audio

With audio, the phone comes with a single audio speaker at the bottom. It produces average sound quality with a headphone jack included and free earphones in the box. 

Storage

The P40 lite comes with 128 GB internal storage. To expand storage, it uses nano SD memory cards, not normal micro SD cards.

The P40 Lite comes with a fingerprint sensor side-mounted on the right. It’s fast and responds well to touch. 

Software

No Google services. No access to Google apps here. Huawei introduces its own app store called AppGallery. It has limited apps but will grow in time. For even more apps, you would need to install other third-party app stores like Amazon and APK Pure.

The EMUI 10 OS runs smoothly with a pretty responsive GUI. Performance is great here with good gaming graphics and gameplay.

Battery Life

Battery life is great. The P40 Lite comes with a 4200mAh battery that lasts several hours to a whole day’s use. Charging is fast, with 0-70% in half an hour. No support for wireless charging.

Camera & Video

The overall camera is decent. The camera takes good quality pictures. Ultra-wide photos look decent and the selfie cam takes good photos at night. Videos got up to 1080p which is acceptable at its price range.

Verdict

Overall, the P40 Lite is a great alternative mid-ranger. It comes with a good quality display, with great performance on both normal and gaming. Next, it includes good battery life with fast charging and a decent camera set.

On the downside, video recording lacks detail. The lack of Google services. Yet it’s a great smartphone and a great affordable alternative. 

Last Impressions

What can I say these are great and wonderful smartphones. Because of Huawei’s ban from Google, they have made ways to provide apps.

I recommend the Huawei P40 phone series, I’m impressed with the P40 Pro. Nothing special, it just comes with great features.

The P40 Pro Plus is a great smartphone as well but it’s expensive. It’s got one of the best camera sets phones to get. I recommend it but to those who can afford it and want to take good quality pictures and videos. 

The P40 and the P40 Lite are the mid-rangers here. P40 is more expensive. Between them, they are good compact phones but it’s a challenge to recommend which one. I’ll let you decide which is best for you.

Thank you for reading this far. Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts with you on the Huawei P40 phone series. Any questions, comments, you are more than welcome to leave them below.

If you like this article, then check out more on the on Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

If budget smartphones are more your liking, then check out the best budget and mid-range Android smartphones.   

That’s all from me. Take it easy. Stay safe. See you in the next one.