Display
6.58 ''
Pixel Density
392 ppi
Relativized ⓘⓘ Pixel Density relativized to 6 inch for better comparison
430 ppi
Display Technology
AMOLED
Weight
175 g
Resolution
1080 x 2340 px
Released
2020-04
Huawei P40 – This time Huawei is bringing a “normal” one to the market alongside the P40 Pro. How big will the trade-offs be? Can it still keep up with the competition (Apple, Samsung)? Is it suitable for virtual reality?
Huawei P40 – Few compromises compared to the P40 Pro – quality with convincing design and equipment
Like its predecessor, the Huawei P30, the Huawei P40 is convincing again with a strong all-screen design. This time the display fills 86.3% (with the Pro version this is an unbelievable 91.6%). The front consists more or less almost entirely of display. The display edges are not rounded on this model.
This time, 5G is standard on board and ensures extremely fast transfer rates. It is “only” IP53 “certified” again, which means that it is splash-proof (the Huawei 40 Pro, on the other hand, is waterproof with IP68) and has an aluminum frame. In general, this all-screen design is not possible these days do a lot wrong, provided the quality is right. With a size of 148.9 x 71.1 x 8.5 mm, it is smaller than its predecessor and 10 mm shorter and approx. 30 grams lighter than the P40 Pro.
The in-house Kirin Chipset 990 does an impressive job with 8 GB of RAM to play games and videos smoothly and generally to ensure smooth handling. The battery is convincing all along the line, you can actively use the smartphone for over 11 hours before the battery has to be charged. The cell phone can be charged to 70% after only about 30 minutes.
The memory can be expanded by up to 256 GB using a memory card.
Unfortunately it doesn’t have a headphone jack.
You can find out more information about the Huawei P40 in this video from Swag Tab:
Display: No 90 Hz, but smooth. But as usual from Huawei – low pixel density
Huawei only offers 60 Hz for the 40. The 90 Hz for the Pro version is immediately noticeable during operation, but you have to compromise somewhere in order to be able to offer a lower price. Everything still feels fluid and smooth and it is fun to use this smartphone.
The colors of the 6.1-inch display are very vivid, the black is very deep and the colors look very accurate and realistic. The content is also very easy to see in the sun, although the display brightness is nowhere near the brightness of the competing products. This time there is a hole for the dual camera on the upper left edge of the display.
The fingerprint scanner is located directly in the display and always reacts very quickly and reliably.
Huawei likes to equip its smartphones with somewhat “blurred” displays. With its 1080p AMOLED display pixel density of only (!) 422 ppi, the content is relatively clear to read, but unfortunately this is a bit too little for a VR experience. In comparison: The Galaxy S20 + has 52 ppi, Galaxy S10 + 550 ppi, and the Galaxy S9 + 529 ppi (1440p). At least the battery lasts a bit longer thanks to the poor display.
Huawei P40 – the sound
The Huawei P40 only uses a mono speaker on the bottom of the smartphone. It can get very loud, but it cannot keep up with the competition. In addition, it just sounds extremely strange when you watch a video in Quee format and the sound only comes from one side. Huawei could think about something here and should upgrade to stereo.
Unfortunately there is no speaker connection, which means you have to use an adapter.
Very strong camera equipment
The Huawei P40 was already known from its predecessor for its powerful camera equipment. This time there are again 3 lenses on the back, and 2 on the front
It takes extremely impressive photos in both good and bad weather. Videos can be recorded at 4k at 60 Hz.
The photos from the dual camera on the front take good photos, but they are not extremely impressive.
Problem: No Google services → No Google Play Store
Since Huawei was not allowed to use American software for the P40, the Google services, including the Google Play Store, are unfortunately missing. This means that you cannot download apps like on other Android smartphones.
Install apps on Huawei P40: There are 2 variants. The first is to get the apps from the “Huawei Gallery”, which is far from missing many apps. The second option is to download the APK files and install them on your smartphone. But this option is a bit cumbersome.
Is the Huawei P40 suitable for VR?
Unfortunately, like its predecessor, the Huawei P40 cannot be used well for virtual reality with a low pixel density of only 398 ppi. The size of the display, the OLED technology and the performance would fit very well, but the low pixel density is very noticeable when used for VR.
In addition, there is no Google Store on the mobile phone. So you have to laboriously download everything from the Internet directly to your mobile phone in the form of apk files.
The best vr smartphones you can find here: The best VR smartphones (Cardboard)
Huawei P40 VR headset
There is no dedicated VR headset especially made for this smartphone, but you can choose from the best VR headsets and use your smartphone in combination with it. Here you will find the best VR headsets for smartphones: The best VR headsets
Huawei P40 offers
Check out where you can get this smartphone from now:
How does work virtual reality with your smartphone?
In the video below you will see how it works. This is an example using the Destek VR headset and a Samsung smartphone. This is how it works with almost every combination of smartphone and vr headset: