Huawei P40 Pro in review: The silent smartphone without Google services

With the Huawei P40 Pro, the Chinese have released their first P-series smartphone without Google services. We find good hardware on the data sheet - does the concept work overall despite the lack of Google services? We'll take a closer look at this in this test.

We already have the matter of the Huawei ban in the USA in detail here on TechnikNews reported. Huawei hasn't been allowed to use Google services for almost a year now. Although there is still Android with EMUI as the operating system, since Android is open source, there are no apps and services from Google. This may be an advantage for some without having to use Google, but for others? Does it work? We're done with thatprobeers.

Unboxing

The packaging hasn't really changed compared to its predecessor, the Huawei P30 Pro. Only the note "Explore it on AppGallery" is now printed on it. I'll explain what that means later. Otherwise, the smartphone comes out straight away after you lift the lid, and the package also contains a SIM needle, USB-C headphones, a 40-watt "Huawei SuperCharge" power pack, and a USB-C cable. There's also a soft plastic case included, which doesn't look particularly classy, ​​but is suitable for its intended purpose - protecting the smartphone from scratches and dents.

Design & processing

After the pretty colorful and good-looking colors of the P30 Pro, I was actually disappointed by the simple colors of the P40 Pro. The shimmering color was a unique selling point, which has now disappeared. My test device in silver looks good, but is nothing special when you have seen the colors of its predecessor. They could have been more daring with the colors.

The weight of the Huawei P40 Pro was also striking: At 209 grams, it is relatively heavy compared to the current flagships. Although the difference here is no more than 20 grams, it is still noticeable. It could be a bit lighter. Last year I complained that the Huawei P30 Pro was quite slippery, but that is no longer the case given its high weight.

The recess on the upper left edge of the display is quite large. (Image: © 2020 TechnikNews)

Otherwise there is nothing to complain about with the processing - only the "hole punch" on the top left of the display could have been smaller for me personally. Currently, a lot of display space is lost due to the two cameras on the front.

Display

The OLED display of the Huawei P40 Pro measures 6,58 inches diagonally and has a resolution of 2.640 x 1.200 pixels. Like some other flagships this year, Huawei has also installed a 90 Hz panel for smoother display. As was the case last year, calls are made via the speaker integrated into the display. This has now become noticeably louder and represents a significant improvement over last year. Otherwise, the P40 Pro offers good color reproduction and good contrasts - but with very little brightness. The display is actually no longer readable in sunlight, which seemed brighter to me on the predecessor.

Software - without Google: the difficulties

Push notifications sometimes do not work

The Huawei ban in the USA means that the company is no longer allowed to use Google services. If you think that's not a problem, you're completely wrong: even if you're not dependent on Google services, the apps are. Some apps use Google's interface for push notifications. This means that around 90 percent of my installed apps didn't receive push notifications. Be it Instagram, Twitter, Slack, Discord or Outlook. Until the developers use interfaces that are independent of Google, we'll have to keep battling with this problem. And without notifications, you miss out on some important things. But in a year's time, things could look very different if the developers hopefully solve the problem together with Huawei.

How to install apps

How about installing apps? These are installed via the Huawei AppGallery or as APK from other stores such as APKPure. If you do not know where which app is available, there is also the Huawei "AppSearch", which has the respective download link to the app directly integrated. If there is only a web version available for an app (e.g. YouTube), there is a corresponding reference to it. However, the app search does not find all apps that are very much available in APKPure - that's why I always got the apps directly from the external store.

But this also has its disadvantages: almost no banking app works, as they do not allow sources outside of the Google Play Store to be obtained. Some banks are already making their apps available in the Huawei AppGallery, where they can also be found prowork perfectly, but still very few.

Which apps work and how?

Let's make a little table to show what it looks like with the most popular apps.

No google pay

A big disadvantage for many could also be the lack of Google Pay, which of course doesn't work without Google. Huawei Pay may start in a while, which could replace this. But there is still no information about a start and when it should take place - and whether this will also be in Germany and Austria in the foreseeable future.

Huawei AppGallery General

In general, the Huawei AppGallery works well and does a few things better than Google's Play Store. For example, several apps are installed and downloaded in parallel, making the download much faster than in the Play Store. However, you can often find apps such as "Health Mate" from Withings, which do not come directly from the manufacturer, but from another developer and have been specially adapted to the device without Google services. How much you trust such apps, you have to know yourself, as well as whether you dare to manually install the Google Play Store (there are some instructions on this on the Internet).

camera

The camera looks very futuristic. (Image: © 2020 TechnikNews)

In terms of cameras, Huawei has installed three of them in the P40 Pro. There is a 50 megapixel main sensor (f/1.9), a 40 megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens (f/1.8), a 12 megapixel telephoto lens (f/3.4) and a time of flight sensor, which is responsible for depth of field, among other things. This camera combination achieves a total of 50x zoom, which was pretty exciting to show off in practice, but the usefulness was somewhat left out.

Test photos

Let's take a look at a few test photos. As usual, a bit compressed to save storage space and increase loading time, but definitely lossless and unprocessed.

The camera on the Huawei P40 Pro is once again a hit. Even if the desired focus cannot be achieved at all, especially in close-ups, the camera scores particularly well in daylight and at night. Before the first camera update, however, there was far too much color, which was then corrected relatively quickly.

Comparison with Samsung Galaxy S20+ and OnePlus 8 Pro

Let's briefly compare the zoom with the other two flagships:

Surprisingly, the Huawei P40 Pro gives us the most unnatural and colorless image here. However, it scores points for zoom, even at the maximum 50x level.

Performance, 5G & battery

Inside the Huawei P40 Pro is a Kirin 990 with a 5G module. This is supported by 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage - the latter can be expanded using a nano memory card. In my everyday test, all apps always started smoothly and many apps were still in the RAM in the evening, meaning they opened right where I left off.

Also in my 5G tests in Linz with the collaboration of Three the processor has always performed well. In terms of the speeds achieved, however, it is on the same wavelength as the current chips from Qualcomm and the Exynos from Samsung. Compared to the other two chips, the Kirin neither got warm during speed tests and downloads, nor did the battery drain drastically quickly - this is completely different with the Snapdragon from Qualcomm and the Exynos from Samsung. A test of the 5G network from Drei in Linz, Austria will follow in the coming weeks here on TechnikNews, where I will go into more detail on the technical data of it.

To ensure that you can enjoy the P40 Pro for as long as possible, there is a 4200 mAh battery under the hood, which can be charged to almost 100 percent within an hour using Huawei SuperCharge. Compared to its predecessor, the P30 Pro, the size of the battery has not changed. Reverse charging (i.e. wirelessly charging other devices) also still works - albeit quite slowly and with a lot of power loss. In my test, I managed almost two days - probably also because of the lack of Google services. I have never had such a great battery life.

Prices and availability

At the market launch The Huawei P40 Pro was priced at a proud 999 euros (RRP), but the smartphone is currently available for just under 800 euros. The colors available are black, silver frost, blush gold and ice white - all models are equipped with a dual SIM function.

Conclusion

Never before have I found it so difficult to draw a conclusion about a smartphone as great as the Huawei P40 Pro. From the workmanship to the display to the camera, battery and performance: you get absolutely top class at this price. If it weren't for the software or the lack of Google services, Huawei simply can't offer a good alternative, numerous apps don't work yet and there are problems with push notifications. Although Huawei can't do anything about this directly, the developers can, it's still a point that needs to be noted.

If you only value the camera, otherwise use all the apps from the AppGallery (there are no problems with notifications) and manage without Google services at all, you will be served very well here. For all other users, I simply cannot give a clear purchase recommendation, the points mentioned above simply speak against it. Around 90 percent of my apps simply use the Google interfaces and therefore do not provide notifications. I don't need a smartphone if I have to check all the apps manually. The fact that no banking apps work and therefore contactless payment is also not possible is depressing.

Even if I simply cannot recommend it this year at the price of 800 euros, it doesn't have to stay that way: If the developers redesign their apps independently of Google and the AppGallery is significantly expanded, my opinion could change quickly. If you miss this, however, you will have real problems keeping up with the competition at these prices. This year, however, it will remain the case and I simply cannot recommend it at this hefty price - even though it hurts me a lot.

A better alternative is the Huawei P30 Pro

I only recently had that again Huawei P30 Pro in the hand - which I can still recommend in 2020 (if you don't necessarily need 5G). Some retailers are currently offering this for around 550 euros, which is a great price. The camera of the P30 Pro is at the same level, and it even still has all Google services without restrictions. The battery, performance and display are also at the same level - so there isn't really a big difference to the P40 Pro.

• Buy P30 Pro on Amazon

Buy the Huawei P40 Pro

• Buy Huawei P40 Pro on Amazon

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