As is customary, Huawei announces a second high-end line, the Mate series, before the end of the year. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro has previously hit the market without Google services, and with the Huawei Mate 40 Pro, history repeats itself, as do the curved screen design, quad camera, and the most powerful Kirin chip available.
The Huawei Mate 40 Pro redesigns the circular camera module and opts for a shape that is evocative of the touch wheel on vintage iPods, taking full advantage of its design. Let’s see how Huawei’s new high-end performs based on initial thoughts.
A unique camera module with a clearer front due to the screen hole
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The camera module, as expected, is the feature that takes centre stage on the Huawei Mate 40 Pro. The firm keeps the circular design, but instead of placing the cameras on a solid black circle, there is an empty area in the centre and the cameras are arranged in a circular configuration around it. When you show your phone to practically everyone, they all agree that it looks like an iPod.
The module draws a lot of attention, yet it is not rough; rather, it has personality and is lovely. It also emphasises the silver-tone, which emits multiple tones depending on how the light hits it. Furthermore, the Mate 40 Pro ditches the previous generation’s glossy texture in favour of a matte finish, which means that footprints are less visible, albeit it is still slippery. This, along with the fact that the camera protrudes (although not significantly), makes employing the provided silicone sleeve a viable alternative.
There are also modifications on the front, with Huawei saying goodbye to the big notch and replacing it with a hole in the screen.
Although it is not the most discrete hole in the world, it does help to have a cleaner front. Huawei is still adamant on keeping the curved screen, albeit the transition between the panel and the back is much smoother and there is no longer any edge that sticks to us as it did with the Mate 30 Pro.
Since we’re talking about lateral curves, note that Huawei is still determined to keep a pretty pronounced curve, even though the grip has greatly improved because the union between the panel and the back is much smoother and there is no longer any crucial edge. In terms of grip, it’s a large phone, but it’s not heavy, and the softer sides make it more comfortable to hold. However, the curve is still uncomfortable depending on which motions are used, such as moving back or typing. Another feature that has been improved in this iteration is the return of physical volume controls.
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Regarding the visual experience, the senses have been extremely good in these early impressions. The screen is broad and sharp, with a refresh rate of 90Hz for smoothness, and the colour calibration is pretty neutral. There have also been no issues with brightness when watching the content outside. The only criticism that can be leveled at the screen is that the curvature casts two very distinct shadows on the sides.
Level performance for unfinished software
How could it be otherwise, the Huawei Mate 40 Pro is equipped with the Kirin 9000, the brand’s most recent chip, which is also capable of connecting to 5G networks? You have no complaints about the performance in this first contact, but in the analysis, you will test it further to determine if there are any weak places. We’ll also put the 4,400 mAh battery to the test to see how it reacts to the 90Hz screen and the rapid charge, which Huawei claims is 60% faster than the previous model.
In terms of biometrics, the on-screen fingerprint scanner recognises us quickly (albeit not so quickly when configuring the fingerprint for the first time), and facial unlocking means that it is not always essential to place the finger, even in the dark. The only time face unlocking will not help you is if you wear a mask.
Its main selling point remains its zoom.
Huawei retains its dedication to zoom as the primary selling point of their cameras. There are four lenses in the Huawei Mate 40 Pro: the main sensor, a telephoto lens with a periscope system, an ultra-wide lens, and a laser focus sensor.
The camera has a zoom range of up to 50x, but the app provides us immediate access to four zoom levels: from wide-angle to tenx, via the main lens and the telephoto lens, which has a magnification of five times. The angle is typically the lens that produces the poorest results, but in the case of Huawei, it produces extremely excellent results that are, above all, consistent with those of the main lens. The 5x zoom maintains excellent quality, and as you go to 10x, although the effect of digital zoom becomes noticeable, it is also remarkable how well the textures are preserved.
