Huawei P40 Pro+ flaunts specs and features that rival Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

The smartphone industry has been seeing several high-profile releases this month. After the 2020 Mobile World Congress (MWC) was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, manufacturers have flocked online to debut their latest products. This week, it appears to be Huawei's turn to officially launch its P40 series. Before the big reveal, there were already rumours about a premium version in addition to the base model and the Pro. This turned out to be the P40 Pro+ and it packs an impressive spec sheet.

As it stands right now, Samsung appears to be on top with the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which is the range-topping model. However, due to reports of camera issues especially with the autofocus, some consumers are still on the fence. Now, with the P40 Pro+ in the market, the South Korean consumer electronics group now has a threat on its hands. Meanwhile, Huawei's top-shelf offering still presents a big caveat that will make it difficult to penetrate western markets.

Similar to the Mate 30 series that launched late in 2019, the device does not ship with Google Mobile Services out of the box. While it does run on Android with Huawei's EMUI 10.1 on top, ongoing US trade restrictions block access to services users outside of China rely on.

CNet reports the P40 Pro+ is compatible with 5G networks and is equipped with a HiSilicon Kirin 990 SoC with 8 GB of RAM. Even though the smartphone does not support Google Mobile Services, tech-savvy users can always sideload apps with the help of third-party app markets or by manual means.

Buyers are greeted by a 6.58-inch 2640 x 1200 OLED Quad-Curve Overflow display with a refresh rate up to 90 Hz. Gone is the teardrop notch of its predecessor as it houses a 32-megapixel forward-facing camera and an IR ToF 3D sensor within an elongated hole-punch cutout on the upper left corner. Moreover, the under-display fingerprint sensor has been upgraded to be faster and can scan a bigger area than before.

The P40 Pro already presents a high-end design with its metal frame and glass back cover. The P40 Pro+, on the other hand, goes for a Nano-tech ceramic panel. The P series has always been focused on imaging performance. Thus, Huawei is prepared to take on the Galaxy S20 Ultra with a beast of its own.

It starts off with a 50-megapixel Ultra Vision main camera which is more than enough for basic photography. Then there is the dual 8-megapixel telephoto sensors which combine 20x Hybrid Zoom with up to 100x. Next is the 40-megapixel ultra-wide and finally the 3D depth-sensing camera. The P40 Pro+ comes with a 4,200 mAh battery that supports Huawei SuperCharge 40W fast charging technology. Furthermore, it is compatible with 40W wireless charging as well.