The much-awaited HUAWEI P40 Series is finally here and I’m fortunate to receive this HUAWEI P40 Pro unit to test out!
Before I proceed to the full review, let’s unbox it first and let you know my 1st impressions.
What’s in the box…
1. The smartphone unit
2. Sim ejector tool
3. Free jelly protector case
4. HUAWEI 40Watt SuperCharge charger
5. USB -C cable
6. Default headphones with a USB-C plug
I really love it whenever a new unit comes with the HUAWEI 40Watt SuperCharge charger because with this I can fully charge my phone in less than 2 hours. 1 hour already gives me about 75% battery juice by the way. I think this is an absolute must-have for every android user. I always recommend this to friends whenever they ask me about my recommended charger.
It’s also lovely to see a FREE Jelly case protector, so I don’t have to buy online. Though to be honest, I prefer using the unit without its case because I simply adore how it feels whenever I hold it. Every HUAWEI phone is masterfully designed making it an absolute pleasure to look, touch and feel.
The standard headphones come with a USB-C plug so don’t expect any old audio sockets in the unit. I do recommend however to get yourself the HUAWEI Freebuds 3 for maximum audio listening pleasure.
So now that we’ve seen the contents of the box, time to focus on the main event, the P40 Pro unit.
HUAWEI popularized gradient colors since they launched the P20 Series so I was surprised that they opted back to nature-inspired solid classic colors this year. The P40 Series come in 5 elegant shades namely, Black, Deep Sea Blue, Ice White, Silver Frost and Blush Gold. For this review, I’m glad to receive my preferred color – the Silver Frost!
The Design
The P40 features the HUAWEI Quad-curve Overflow Display – an elegant and sleek borderless display that will fill the user with joy. It features slender bezels, maximizing the viewing area for users.
The Quad-curve Overflow Display was inspired by the beauty and form of flowing water. Pretty much like the shape of liquid in a cup that’s about to overflow. The designers of HUAWEI always find inspiration from nature and they have always been very successful with each phone they release.
The Look and Feel
I never thought the actual Silver Frost would look even better in real life! It looks so sleek and elegant with a frosted metallic finish that’s fingerprint-proof. I love the feel of its smooth surface. Like my fingers are fluidly gliding on ice. Like with all HUAWEI devices, the P40 Pro is also like a fashion accessory.
The Display
After opening the device, the next thing that wowed me was its amazingly bright display. I must say that the viewing experience has greatly improved! The secret lies in its 90Hz display. It displays up to 50% more frames per second than the traditional 60Hz display. This high refresh rate display produces smoother animations across all UI interactions. The screen looks so clear yet it doesn’t hurt the eyes even after hours of reading and browsing.
The ALL-New In-Screen Fingerprint Scanner
HUAWEI has updated their in-screen fingerprint sensor that works 30% faster. To be honest, I didn’t really notice the speed much because all the HUAWEI devices which I use all have super fast fingerprint touch response. I noticed that they changed the position of the fingerprint scanner. They placed it higher from the bottom of the screen this time for better one-hand ergonomics. I’m pretty comfortable with the previous position of the scanner though, so I have to get used to this new one.
The Quad Camera System
For the 1st time, HUAWEI is using a rectangular camera module at the back of the device. The pane is made of GDM textured glass which elegantly highlights the interiors of each lens. The smooth finish looks highly sophisticated and seamless.
The 4 Rear Cameras
– 50 MP Ultra Vision Camera with a 1/1.28 inch Ultra Vision Sensor that takes in massive light and detail for super clarity.
– 12 MP Telephoto Camera with 5x, 10x and 50x Max Zoom for you to meet unseen details.
– 40 MP Ultra Wide Cine Camera with a 1/1.54 inch sensor for ultra low-light, slow-motion, telephoto and even 4K time-lapse videos. It’s a cinematic video camera with multiple features
3D Depth Sensing Camera for real-time death detection to create professional-level bokeh effects.
The 2 Front Cameras
I just wanna genuinely thank HUAWEI for improving the front camera! Yes, Halleluia! Seriously, after taking my 1st selfie, I knew then it was time to transfer my sim cards and make this my main phone!
The P40 Pro is equipped with a front dual camera.
32MP AF Camera captures sharp, static photos, as well as record 4K 60fps UHD videos that have finer details. Yes, my skin texture, hair and even eyelashes look more natural and detailed now.
IR Depth Camera helps produce natural shallow depth-of-field effects. Autofocus is also supported for taking sharp photos making close -up selfies or shots from a selfie stick equally crisp.
The front camera also has an ambient light and proximity sensor so the phone can easily open using Face Unlock even on low-light scenarios.
Enter the Era of 5G!
With the P40 Series, you’ll get to experience the ultra fast-speed of 5G as it’s powered by Kirin 990 5G. With the Kirin 990 5G chip, you will get to enjoy ultra fast-speed 5G, outstanding graphics performance, unparalleled image processing and advanced AI capability. The P40 Series guarantees to impress users from video/photo creation, movie binge-watching, fulfilling daily digital tasks and even gaming.
Yes, it’s 5G!
Pro tip:Â Â NOW is the best time to upgrade to a 5G capable phone since 5G will be offered this year by our network providers.
Exploring the HUAWEI AppGallery
The Huawei AppGallery is the official app market on HUAWEI smartphones that comes preloaded since April 2018. The Huawei AppGallery is more than just the default app store on their newest smartphones — it is currently the third-biggest app distribution platform globally, with 180 billion downloads and 390 million monthly active users worldwide (including me!). Every day the AppGallery grows bigger, adding more apps and games to its repertoire for users to enjoy. There’s always something fun, useful, and informative to download from the AppGallery for sure. You gotta try it!
N5006
I find it refreshing to use the HUAWEI AppGallery and I’ve been trying out new apps daily.
A lot of top apps are usable on Huawei smartphones. If the app you’re looking for is not on AppGallery yet, you may find them via third-party apps (APKpure, APKtaken) using the Huawei Browser.
I can still access my Gmail as it can be linked to their default HUAWEI EMAIL App. I also installed my daily go-to top apps like Facebook, Instagram, GCash, PayMaya, Netflix, ShopBack, Lazada, FoodPanda, Shopee, Spotify, Snapseed, InShot, Lightroom, Viber, WhatsApp and also Netflix!
For Grab – the app can be easily downloaded however Maps won’t appear. Users need to pin/type in your location for now. I believe this is already under development now and will be up soon.
Safe and Secure DownloadsÂ
To be honest, I feel more safe using HUAWEI AppGallery. Huawei’s comprehensive four-layer detection security ensures all user data is contained within the device, and every app installation is screened for threats without exemption. The AppGallery features strict security detection such as malicious behavior detection, privacy check, security vulnerability scanning and the manual real-name security check, to ensure the apps featured on AppGallery platform are safe for our users.
Three (3) Ways to Download Your Top AppsÂ
There are three ways to download your top apps on your Huawei smartphone.
1. Via HuaweiAppGallery
2. Via Huawei Browser
3. Via third-party applications
Ok ok, I know you are all excited to look at the photo and video samples, but I’d have to write those on a separate article as I need more time to check on all its features and shoot samples for you to see.
For now, all I can say it that the HUAWEI P40 Series is indeed HUAWEI’s best camera phone, best screen display and best front camera yet. I thought it wouldn’t have much improvements compared with the P30 Pro and Mate 30 Pro but I was wrong
Do I like it?  NO!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! I so love it that I’ve decided to make it as my main phone now. I can’t wait for this quarantine to be over so I can test it out more.
Stay tuned to my next article which focuses more on the camera and its cool groundbreaking features.
Meanwhile, you can actually pre-order the HUAWEI P40 Series until April 24. Click this link for more details https://www.wheninmanila.com/
