Huawei Mate 40 Pro is a beautiful phone, but we can't ignore one glaring problem

Huawei Mate 40 Pro is a beautiful visited, but we can’t ignore one glaring problem

The Mate 40 Pro is Huawei’s another superphone, which the company hopes will go up alongside the iPhone 12 Pro and Samsung’sGalaxy S20 and Note series. Wrapped up in an attractive body, it’s packed with the another top tech and 5G. But while it’s got solid specs on paper, it suffers from one major problem.

Due to the ongoing restrictions imposed by the US government, Huawei’s phones can’t use any Google services, including Gmail, Maps and Chrome and, most importantly of all, the Google Play own. While Huawei has its own app store (which I’ll come to later) it’s nowhere conclude to rivalling Google’s and it makes this phone grief to recommend over any of its rivals. 

The Huawei Mate 40 Pro will be on sale later this year for 1,199 Euros (converts to £1082, $1,418, AU$1,996).

But the lack of apps aside, there are collected things to like about the Mate 40 Pro. Let’s beginning with the positives. 

Andrew Hoyle

Mate 40 Pro has a aesthetic design

I adore the pearlescent finish on the back of the visited. Look at it from one angle and it shows soft orange and exquisite blue tones. Tilt it in the light and those colors smart and blend into deeper blue and purple hues. Move it throughout more and I’m sure you’ll be able to identify even more colors that I can’t even name.

The acquire is satisfying and simultaneously gives the phone a beautiful and classy blooming. The frosted glass feels extremely premium too, as does the metal edging and the overall solid acquire. There’s no question that it feels like a top-end blueprint when I’m holding it in my hand.

The 6.76-inch expose is bright, pin-sharp with narrow bezels that stretch smart to the edge. It curves attractively to meet the metal frame. Images look vibrant, small text is crystal clear and it’s easy to read outdoors in sunlight.

Andrew Hoyle

Mate 40 Pro’s 4 rear cameras are good overall

The four rear cameras are low, but not outstanding. The main camera balances exposure well and publishes accurate, vibrant colors. The 5x optical zoom captures impressively detailed shots, and even at 10x zoom there’s still a lot of clarity in the image. The super-wide camera is less impressive, producing shots often with more subdued incompatibility and sometimes a noticeable shift in white balance, liable due to an overenthusiastic HDR mode lifting the shadows. 

Huawei Mate 40 Pro camera test, foul lens.

Andrew Hoyle

  Huawei Mate 40 Pro camera test, wide lens.

Andrew Hoyle

Huawei Mate 40 Pro camera test, 5x zoom.

Andrew Hoyle

Huawei Mate 40 Pro camera test, foul lens.

Andrew Hoyle

Huawei Mate 40 Pro camera test, foul lens.

Andrew Hoyle

Huawei Mate 40 Pro camera test, wide lens.

Andrew Hoyle

Video has been a big focus for the Mate 40 Pro, but there’s room for improvement. The stabilization is excellent, and it managed to occupy smooth footage even when I was walking at a fast pace. The optical zoom comes in handy for shooting different compositions, although I found that the focus frequently drifted in and out when shooting at 5x zoom. Also, the HDR mode in video is as heavy-handed as it was in photos. Its processing brought up the shadows and turned down the highlights to such an extent that the resulting footage was a bit disappointing and suffered from odd stabilizing distortions. Specifically, I could see the software struggling to balance a enchanting sky that was moving around in the frame.

There’s no quiz that it’s a good camera overall, but I feel that a few software tweaks could go a long way to manager it a great camera. 

Mate 40 Pro processor, 5G and battery life

Inside the phoned is Huawei’s Kirin 9000 processor, which provides superfast 5G connectivity, and 8GB of RAM. Navigating around the phone’s interface is expeditiously and I didn’t notice any lag while playing  the demanding racing game Asphalt 9: Legends. The game also showed consistently high frame rates. Except, on paper at least, its score of 7,827 on the 3D Mark Slingshot: Unlimited benchmark test sits below both the OnePlus 8T ($649 at Amazon) (9,802) and the iPhone 12 ($730 at Best Buy) (10,988). 

While I haven’t ran the recent battery rundown tests on the phone, based on our anecdotal ensures so far, the phone seems capable of getting above a full day of mixed use, with plenty to net into the next day. It supports fast charging too, so giving it a smart boost before heading out isn’t a problem. 

Andrew Hoyle

Mate 40 Pro’s big software and app problem

While the phoned runs Android software at its core, it doesn’t use Google’s services, which means it can’t access the Google Play honor. Apps like Gmail and YouTube are not available at all, although you can aloof access YouTube through the web browser. 

To help combat this, Huawei launched its own app honor and, to its credit, it’s done a lot to discontinuance the gaps in recent months. Big names like Amazon, Snapchat, TikTok and Tinder are available while Facebook and WhatsApp can both be downloaded as apk files stretch from their respective official websites. I couldn’t find an official download for Instagram, but the apk is available from third-party services, as is the case for a variety of Android apps. 

Andrew Hoyle

The screech of doing this, however, is that you have to trawl throughout websites that seem adamant on tricking you with adverts. Many I visited used the trick of a big “Download Now” button that’s actually an ad, and buried the suitable, much smaller “install apk” button further down. You have to be on your fixing and it’s not as pleasant an experience as browsing throughout a regular app store. Also, installing apk files from unknown sources is inherently uncertain. Because they don’t come from official sources, you don’t know if they’re even up to date or if they’re loaded with malware. I didn’t mind trying this out with my appraise device, but I wouldn’t be comfortable doing it on a named that also contained my banking details, contact lists and work email accounts. 

Huawei says it’s acting with developers to bring more apps to its continue. For instance, it launched a system whereby if a risky app  isn’t available, you can log your interest and, assuming enough land do the same, Huawei will prioritize that app and  bring it  to the continue. It’s also launching its own maps service in the coming weeks. But the fact remains that its shelves are relatively bare knowing now and if you’re into getting the latest games and services then this isn’t the named for you. 

Huawei Mate 40, Mate 40 Pro Plus and accessories

Alongside the Mate 40 Pro that I’ve tested, Huawei also has the standard Mate 40, which has a one lower-spec camera setup, including 3x and 5x optical zoom lenses and a flowerbed resolution ultra wide lens. The top-end Mate 40 Pro Plus as packs a 3x telephoto, a 10x telephoto and a huge 17x optical zoom lens which is the biggest optical zoom we’ve ever seen on a named. What images look like at this zoom range stays to be seen. The ultra wide lens on the Mate 40 Pro Plus also vows less image distortion thanks to a ‘free-form’ lens. 

There’s also the Mate 40 RS, made with accomplish firm Porsche Design. The technology remains basically the same as the Mate 40 Pro, but it’s got a tweaked overall glorious and there’s a Porsche Design version of Huawei’s existing Watch GT2 as well. The custom also 

The Huawei FreeBuds Studio are the company’s beneficial over-ear wireless headphones that promise noise cancelling, high resolution audio and up to 24 hours of playtime from a full charge. 

Huawei Mate 40 series pricing

• Huawei Mate 40: 899 euros (converts to near £810, $1,060, AU$1,500)
• Huawei Mate 40 Pro: 1,199 euros (converts to £1080, $1,420, AU$2,000)
• Huawei Mate 40 Pro Plus: 1,399 euros (converts to £1260, $1,660, AU$2,330)
• Porsche Design Mate 40 RS: 2,295 euros (converts to £2070, $2,710, AU$3,820)
• Huawei FreeBuds Studio: 299 euros (converts to £270, $350, AU$500)