Review Huawei Mate 40 Pro: analysis and opinion

TheMate 30 Pro model broke with all of the above, both in design (because of its spectacular screen) and its powerful camera, and also because it was the first Huawei flagship phone without Google services. This new generation maintains the essential features of its predecessor with small aesthetic changes and better software, although it remains wounded with the absence of the search giant’s apps. However, it matters less and less that it doesn’t have them because -due to the circumstances- it advances unstoppable with the App Gallery and its own tools, such as the Petal Search engine and the Petal Maps and Huawei Docs applications.

Bigger and heavier in a very curved design

Huawei Mate 40 Pro is not as stylish as the Mate 30 Pro. The new model is wider, longer and thicker (162.9 x 75.5 x 9.1 mm). Although the differences are in millimeters, it is quite noticeable at sight and when you hold it. It is also heavier (212 grams compared to 198 grams for the other model). However, it keeps the screen with very curved sides. This inclination is so pronounced that, when the keyboard appears to write a message, the letters on the sides (q, a, p and ñ) are a little out and therefore have less surface to press. However, when typing it should not be a problem (at least for small fingers).

After removing the side button for volume adjustment on the Mate 30 Pro, it is now available again (and appreciated) along with the red on/off button. However, it still retains the ability to control it virtually by simply tapping twice with your finger on the right side and the slider bar appears to adjust it. The left side of the phone has no buttons. The device has two speakers, one at the top and one at the bottom, along with the SIM card tray and the USB-C connector. And the audio is very good even at maximum.

On the back, in our case black but also available in silver, the mirror effect finish is elegant but this aspect is tarnished by the ease with which dirt from fingerprints and dust particles adhere. In the box it comes with a transparent gel cover that comes very well to avoid these stains (and get a better grip).

The screen (6.7 inches) so curved and immersive (in cascade) reminds us of the Motorola Edge and makes sense this way, as it facilitates the sliding of the fingers to interact with the phone, for example, to display the hidden menu on the sides and, above all, dispense with the three virtual buttons at the bottom. For the latter, it is much faster with those movements, which are explained when the phone is first configured and are very simple. The phone has an OLED panel with FHD+ resolution (2,772 x 1,344) and a 90 Hz refresh rate, which is not the most advanced (the Galaxy S20 and Ultra come with 120 Hz) but the Huawei Mate 40 Pro responds very fluently, it goes like a bullet. The 3D facial unlocking is also very fast, but it’s not the most practical in these mask times, you probably prefer the under-screen fingerprint reader that works great too.

A gifted photographer

Huawei has opted for a triple camera - with the same circular design as the predecessor but without the beautiful ring decoration - and includes a 50-megapixel main sensor (wide-angle, f/1.9 aperture), a 20-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor (f/1.8 aperture), and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens (f/3.4 aperture, OIS). To take selfies, it joins the trend of incorporating a dual camera with 13 megapixels and a 3D depth sensor. In video, the phone records in 4K, supports a maximum of 60 fps and has a powerful image stabilizer (Steady Shot).

The camera bar of the Mate 30 Pro was very high and this is no less. With this equipment and the software, the result of the photos and videos is beastly, both indoors and outdoors, with much or little light, at night, in the selfies… and everything with very natural and realistic colors. The weakest is the 50x zoom, which is powerful but the image loses sharpness.

For macro photography it doesn’t have a lens, it is replaced by software, and it is no longer necessary to activate it by going to the More section of the camera (there it doesn’t even appear), but it is activated automatically when it captures that you are taking a very close photo (now it is not called super macro, but close-up). With the night mode activated, it is not important to take the picture with hardly any light. It captures the photo without any problem and the result, again, is brilliant.

As a novelty, this model comes with the application called Story Creator. It can give you a lot of fun and is very easy to use: you record five videos of between two and four seconds each (the time is predetermined) and then you hit the button and join them all to create one.

More quick charging, less battery?

Mate 40 Pro is the medium of the three brothers of the series and Huawei has reserved the best specifications for the Mate 40 Pro Plus model (and the version with Porsche Design). However, the processor is the same, Kirin 9000, and together with the 8 GB of RAM of the Pro gives you everything you might need. Neither multitasking nor videogames can resist it. It has plenty of power for everyday tasks (and it’s not for less for its price).

With several companies competing to launch the phone with the fastest charge, Huawei Mate 40 Pro doesn’t reach the record speeds of other manufacturers but it improves in this area considerably (and it’s not that the previous one was bad). The included 66W adapter half-fills the battery in just 15 minutes. The entire thing takes about 48 minutes. Its 4,400 mAh battery isn’t among the best either, and according to our tests, it lasts about 48 hours with a use of taking photos, reading news and playing YouTube video (just over four hours a day) and without shutting it down at night. It’s a very normal time, it doesn’t stand out at all, but do you need a lot of autonomy with such a fast charge?

Gestures that make you feel like a magician

In this section, the telephone brings together a good number of new features. Huawei Mate 40 releases the EMUI 11 customization layer that allows you to put gifs or your own text in the Always on Display function, among other customization options. And it incorporates new hand gestures in the air to operate the device. This way, it is possible to take screenshots, browse news (slide up and down) and activate or stop audio and video playback. It uses the front 3D depth detection camera and gesture sensor. The movements are simple and you can immediately play them back as they should be so that you can execute the command (following the tutorial you will learn quickly), although sometimes you will resist. The screen capture is the easiest of all, it is done instantly.

The Petal Search has new improvements, including image searches so that you can find not only products but also the name of the actor that you have forgotten. o The Huawei Docs application includes not only tools for text editing, but also for making presentations, spreadsheets and a document scanner (very complete).

Regarding third party applications, the App Gallery store offers more and more alternatives to Google’s, and with the renewal it has just launched it promises to adapt to local preferences. Among those already pre-installed on the Mate 40 Pro is Snapchat. Huawei’s own navigation service, Petal Maps, is not yet available on the Mate 40 series, but you can try it out if you have a P40 Pro with the latest update, the company has told us.

Conclusion

The Mate 40 Pro phone costs 1,199 euros. For this price you get a device with a camera that will make you look almost like a professional - even if you are the world’s most clumsy photographer. There’s a reason why Dxomark has crowned it as king in their ranking.

Its design, premium materials, screen and audio deserve the place in the high range. Not so much its battery, which doesn’t stand out for its great autonomy, is not bad either although you can find it in many mid-range phones (some even surpass it). The company compensates that acceptable battery with a very good fast charge.

Once again, the only drawback of this phone is the absence of Google services. Although it is an advance, because Huawei has been busy developing alternatives to fill this gap. Circumstances also help in some cases: if a few months ago you couldn’t live without WhatsApp, maybe now you can. The hoaxes about this messaging service have led to the rise of Telegram and now it would not be so much a problem if a phone did not have WhatsApp for users who have downloaded the Russian app that is in the App Gallery. But it’s not the same, for example, with Spotify, we miss this app, even though it is possible to subscribe to Huawei Música. A burden that has no other direct rivals in photography, as Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra, Galaxy S20 Ultra, Oppo Find X2 Pro or the iPhone 12 Pro Max.