The Huawei Mate 40 Pro is a modern smartphone with HMS. The Huawei Mate 40 Pro turned out to be a powerful high-end smartphone in the test, with many premium features. The biggest shortcoming in Germany is the lack of Google play services. But are they really absolutely necessary? And what alternatives are there?
Insight:
The Huawei Mate 40 Pro uses Android 10 with the in-house EMUI 11 and Huawei Mobile Services (HMS). The AppGallery is available for apps; it has long been established in Asia and is now being expanded to the Western markets due to the consequences of the trade dispute between the USA and China. Some apps are certainly not available there yet, but Huawei manages to close this gap with Petal Search for the most part. This is a search engine that also searches app databases and manufacturer sites for the installation files (APKs) of the respective app and offers direct downloads. Although this is not as convenient as installing an app directly from the AppGallery, it usually only requires an additional touch of the screen. Another minor disadvantage is that apps installed in this way are usually not updated automatically.
With Petal Maps against Google's supremacy:
Another disadvantage that HMS still currently has compared to GMS is the lack of the possibility to do mobile payments with the smartphone. Huawei already has the necessary prerequisites, but it's currently still in negotiations with potential partners. The company hopes to be able to name concrete dates and partners early next year. However, it's foreseeable that this gap will be closed in 2021.
Until now, HMS has also lacked its own navigation solution, and users had to resort to third-party providers. This has now been at least partially solved with the first beta version of Petal Maps. Because on the one hand, it's still a beta version, and on the other hand, the new navigation software can't yet offer the scope of Google Maps. So far, only routes for cars can be planned but not for bicycles or pedestrians. A good feature that's already available, however, is the indication of the number of traffic lights on the route.
Huawei seems to have solved the issue of DRM certification for its top products at least, since the Mate 40 Pro has one. The Corona Warning app is not yet available for HMS either, but the company has created the technical prerequisites for using it and is only waiting for the developers to complete these.
Overall, Huawei certainly has a lot of work to do, but the speed at which the Chinese are tackling the task is astonishing.
Huawei Mate 40 Pro specs:
Body: 162.9x75.5x9.1mm, 212g; Glass front, aluminum frame; IP68 dust/water resistant; Colors: Black, White, Mystic Silver with glass backs, Yellow and Green with vegan leather backs.
Display: 6.76" OLED, 90Hz, HDR10, 1344x2772px resolution, 18.6:9 aspect ratio, 460ppi.
Chipset: Kirin 9000 (5nm): Octa-core CPU (1x3.13GHz Cortex-A77 & 3x2.54GHz Cortex-A77 & 4x2.05 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G78 GPU.
Memory:256GB 8GB RAM; NM (Nano Memory), up to 256GB.
OS/Software: Android 10, EMUI 11, no Google Play Services.
Rear camera: Wide (main): 50MP, f/1.9, 23mm, 1/1.28", 1.22µm, omnidirectional PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 20MP, f/1.8, 18mm, PDAF; Telephoto: 12MP, f/3.4, 125mm periscope lens, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom. Leica optics, LED flash.
Front camera: Ultra wide angle: 13 MP, f/2.4, 18mm; Depth: IR TOF 3D; HDR.
Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 720@7680fps, 1080p@960fps, HDR; gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps.
Battery: 4400mAh; Fast charging 66W, Fast wireless charging 50W, Fast reverse wireless charging.
Misc: Stereo speakers, Infrared face recognition, fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass; NFC.
Huawei hasn't skimped on the smaller niceties either, and the Mate 40 Pro comes with stereo speakers – two evenly matched units. The front-facing ToF cam provides secure face recognition, and there's another IR-based feature – a blaster up top to operate your old-school TV or AC unit. An IP68 rating is also par for the course in this segment. Sure, there's no 3.5mm jack, but does that really bother anyone at this point? Plus, there's headset in this box, unlike other, half-sized boxes.
Huawei Mate 40 Pro unboxing:
The Mate 40 Pro's retail box is the same as what we've gotten with previous Mates - black cardboard, golden lettering, red Leica dot on the front. Inside, there's a full set of accessories.
A powerful 66-watt adapter, which is still reasonably compact, is included as is a cable to go with it - since both pieces use the in-house SuperCharge technology you better hold on to them to get the maximum charging speeds.
There is a pair of earbuds, too, ending in a USB-C connector - that's the only wired interface on the Mate 40 Pro. There's no USB-C-to-headphone jack adapter included.
A new addition this time is a protective case. It's a basic clear silicone one, but it's thick and provides protection straight out of the box. It also doesn't interfere with the touch operation on the curved display edges but does rob you of feedback when operating the physical buttons.
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