Huawei launches new P40 Series smartphones without Google services

Chinese tech company, Huawei, launched a new series of smartphones, the Huawei P40 series. This was done in an online event due to the ongoing ban on public gathering because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The series which include Huawei P40 Pro+, Huawei P40 Pro and Huawei P40 feature cutting-edge designs with ground-breaking camera innovations that radically expand mobile photography and video capture possibilities.

However these smartphones were launched without Google services so they do not have Gmail, Google Maps or Google Play Store. This is due to the ban the U.S. government placed on U.S. firms to do business with Huawei last year. Beyond Google’s apps, it is also missing Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp. Not deterred by this, the company has its own branded apps to compensate for this. It also has TikTok, Telegram, Viber, and Microsoft Office.

All three P40 models come with Google’s Android 10 operating system, skinned with Huawei’s EMUI 10.1 user interface.

Design

Inspired by the art of motion, the display takes on a curved edge on all four sides, creating a shape that is reminiscent of water on the cusp of overflowing from the rim of a filled cup. The super narrow bezels and streamlined round corners ensure an ergonomic hold and a near borderless look, while an enhanced in-screen fingerprint reader offers 30 percent faster biometric authentication.

Display Options are summarised below:

• P40 Pro & Pro+: 90Hz refresh rate OLED ‘Overflow Display’
• P40 Pro & Pro+: 6.58-inch, 2640 x 1200 resolution
• P40: 6.1-inch, 2340 x 1080 resolution, flat panel
• All models: Punch-hole twin front camera

Huawei P40 Camera Configuration

The HUAWEI P40 Series features an advanced Ultra Vision Leica camera system, available in triple-camera (for the P40), quad-camera (for the P40 Pro) and penta-camera (for the P40 Pro+) configurations.

The HUAWEI P40 delivers outstanding photographic results with ultra wide-angle, wide-angle and telephoto lenses. 

The HUAWEI P40 Pro features an evolution of the Leica Quad Camera with a more powerful Ultra Wide Cine Camera and ToF Camera alongside 50x SuperSensing Zoom.

The HUAWEI P40 Pro+ lets consumers see the unprecedented with the SuperZoom Array, which supports 10x true optical zoom and 100x maximum digital zoom. The SuperZoom Array comes with a new periscope design that reflects light five times, extending the light path by 178 percent to support 10x true optical zoom.

Here are camera specs:

• P40: Leica triple camera system
• P40 Pro: Leica quad camera system
• P40 Pro+: Leica penta camera system
• Main camera:
  • All models: 50MP SuperSensing (RYYB) sensor, 1/1.28in size
  • f/1.9 aperture, optical stabilisation (OIS)
  • Focal length (approx): P40 at 26mm, Pro at 25mm, Pro+ at 24mm
• Ultra-wide camera:
  • P40: 16MP, f/2.2, 17mm equiv.
  • P40 Pro & Pro+: 40MP cine lens, f/1.8, 18mm equiv.
• Zoom lens #1:
  • P40 & Pro+: 3x optical (70mm equiv.), 8MP, f/2.4, OIS
  • P40 Pro: 5x optical (120mm equiv.) RYYB sensor, 12MP, f/3.4, OIS
• Zoom lens #2:
  • P40 Pro+: 10x optical (240mm equiv.) periscope zoom, 8MP, f/4.4, OIS
• P40 Pro & Pro+: Time-of-Flight (ToF) depth sensor
• All models: Dual selfie camera, 32MP

Hardware Specifications

All devices are powered with the latest Kirin 990 5G processor and 8GB RAM on board. The P40 has a 3,800mAh battery, while both P40 Pro and Pro+ come with a 4,200mAh capacity.

As per fast-charging, the P40 offers 22.5W while the P40 Pro and Pro+ offer 40W charging. The handset is expected to charge from dead to full in little over an hour.

Availability

The HUAWEI P40 Pro and HUAWEI P40 are available in three glossy glass finishes – Ice White, Deep Sea Blue and Black – and two innovative refractive matte glass finishes – Blush Gold and Silver Frost while the P40 Pro+ is available in Black and Ice White.

The Huawei P40 will be available in some regions as from April 7, at €799 (around $870), while the Huawei P40 Pro will go for €999 (roughly $1,100). 

The Huawei P40 Pro+ will be available as from June and will cost €1,399 (approximately $1,500).