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Huawei Mate 40 Pro review - Top smartphone with handicap

Huge power. The Mate series is Huawei's top-of-the-line technological product. It has always been equipped with the latest high-end specifications and combines a large display with long battery life. The Chinese have remained true to this line this year, but they stumble when it comes to a core component.

The Huawei Mate 40 series reappears with four models: The Mate 40, Mate 40 Pro, Mate 40 Pro+, and Mate 40 RS. Only the Pro version is coming to Europe this year, and this speaks volumes about the sales figures Huawei expects, which are due to the involuntary absence of Google services.

The Huawei Mate 40 Pro is powered by the Kirin 9000, which is particularly supposed to outperform the Snapdragon 865+ in all performance aspects. In addition, the Chinese provide 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage; the latter can be expanded with a nano memory card. No compromises have to be made when it comes to connectivity either. Huawei promises the fastest 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and USB 3.2. Whether with or without a cable, the Mate 40 Pro offers the latest data transfer technologies. The new Leica triple camera is also expected to set new standards.

Huawei Mate 40 Pro (Mate Series)
Processor
HiSilicon Kirin 9000 8 x 2.1 - 3.1 GHz, Cortex-A77/-A55
Graphics adapter
Memory
8 GB 
, LPDDR5
Display
6.76 inch 18.56:9, 2772 x 1344 pixel 456 PPI, capacitive, native pen support, OLED, 240 Hz touch sampling rate, glossy: yes, HDR, 90 Hz
Storage
256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash, 256 GB 
, 237.89 GB free
Connections
1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, USB-C Power Delivery (PD), 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: USB-C, Card Reader: nano memory card (FAT, FAT32, exFAT, up to 256 GB), 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: gesture sensor, 3D face recognition, gravity sensor, infrared sensor, barometric pressure sensor, gyroscope, compass, proximity sensor, laser sensor, color temperature sensor
Networking
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/), Bluetooth 5.2, 2G (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), 3G (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 19), LTE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40), 5G (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78, 79, 80, 84), Dual SIM, LTE, 5G, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 9.1 x 162.96 x 75.5 ( = 0.36 x 6.42 x 2.97 in)
Battery
4400 mAh Lithium-Ion
Charging
wireless charging, fast charging / Quickcharge
Operating System
Android 10
Camera
Primary Camera: 50 MPix (Ultra Vision, wide, f/1.9), 20 MP (ultra wide, f/1.8), 12 MP (5x telephoto, f/3.4, OIS), 4K video at 60 FPS, Camera2 API level: Limited
Secondary Camera: 13 MPix (f/2.4) with 3D ToF sensor
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, Keyboard: onscreen, 66-watt charger, USB cable, SIM tool, headset (USB-C), documentation, EMUI 11, 24 Months Warranty, DRM Widevine L1, IP68, fanless, waterproof
Weight
212 g ( = 7.48 oz / 0.47 pounds), Power Supply: 136 g ( = 4.8 oz / 0.3 pounds)
Price
1 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Comparison devices

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Drive
Size
Resolution
Best Price
90.6 %
11/2020
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24
212 g256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash6.76"2772x1344
89 %
12/2019
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16
198 g256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash6.53"2400x1176
89.6 %
02/2021
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11
208 g256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash6.90"3088x1440
89.8 %
11/2020
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
A14, A14 Bionic GPU
189 g256 GB NVMe6.10"2532x1170
88.2 %
04/2020
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
SD 865, Adreno 650
208 g256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash6.67"2340x1080
86.1 %
03/2020
Oppo Find X2 Pro
SD 865, Adreno 650
202 g512 GB UFS 3.0 Flash6.70"3168x1440

Case - A lot of glass for the Mate 40 Pro

The Huawei Mate 40 Pro is only available in black and silver. However, the silver version is reminiscent of the precious metal only at steep viewing angles and otherwise shimmers in many colors (see the video below). Unfortunately, neither the white model nor the one with an imitation leather back are available in Germany.

Although the camera on the back protrudes 1.75 millimeters, the smartphone doesn't wobble on the table due to its wide design. The workmanship of the Mate 40 Pro is excellent. The glass panels on both the front and the back of the phone fit tightly and evenly with the metal frame, and twisting attempts can be carried out without any effects.

The smartphone is protected against the ingress of dust and water according to the IP68 standard. The cover of the card slot is of the same color as the frame and is flush with it. The tray itself is made of plastic and can hold either two nano SIM cards or one nano memory card instead of the second SIM.

Size comparison

165.2 mm / 6.5 inch 74.4 mm / 2.93 inch 9.5 mm / 0.374 inch 202 g0.4453 lbs164.8 mm / 6.49 inch 77.2 mm / 3.04 inch 8.1 mm / 0.3189 inch 208 g0.4586 lbs162.96 mm / 6.42 inch 75.5 mm / 2.97 inch 9.1 mm / 0.3583 inch 212 g0.4674 lbs162.6 mm / 6.4 inch 74.8 mm / 2.94 inch 8.96 mm / 0.3528 inch 208 g0.4586 lbs158.1 mm / 6.22 inch 73.1 mm / 2.88 inch 8.8 mm / 0.3465 inch 198 g0.4365 lbs146.7 mm / 5.78 inch 71.5 mm / 2.81 inch 7.4 mm / 0.2913 inch 189 g0.4167 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity - The nano memory card slot dilemma, part 3

In terms of connectivity, Huawei has only done fine-tuning on the Mate 40 Pro. With USB 3.2 (Gen. 1, max. 5 Gb/s), it has a fast data interface that supports wired image output in addition to OTG and Power Delivery.

Expanding storage via a nano memory card is possible again. Huawei's own format may be more compact than a traditional microSD card, but it's also only available with a capacity of up to 256 GB. Since the introduction of the new memory slot in the Mate 20 Pro 2018, nothing has changed here, and other manufacturers haven't adopted the new model either. Although the exFAT file system is supported, formatting the card as internal storage is not possible.

There's no notification LED, but the always-on display can be used as an alternative. The infrared blaster is back on board, which can be used to control home entertainment peripherals, cameras or air-conditioning systems.

Top: Speaker, infrared, microphone
Top: Speaker, infrared, microphone
Left side
Left side
Right side: Volume rocker, power button
Right side: Volume rocker, power button
Bottom: Speaker, USB, card slot
Bottom: Speaker, USB, card slot

Software - EMUI 11 only with Android 10

The Huawei Mate 40 Pro uses a free variant of Android 10 with the current EMUI 11. Normally, the Mate smartphone would have been a candidate to feature the latest Android version, but due to the forbidden cooperation with Google, this has been delayed. Once again, the forced abandonment of Google services is not surprising. Huawei tries to compensate for this as conveniently as possible with their own AppGallery. However, since many apps can't be found there yet, a powerful tool was created with Petal Search, which searches for the corresponding APKs at the respective company websites or on APKPure. The installation is not as convenient as via a regular app store, but it's also doable for users with less technical knowledge. However, many updates have to be installed manually.

Likewise, an in-house map solution is not available yet. However, Petal Maps is already in the testing phase and should be available next year. Huawei also wants to close the gap in respect to mobile payments and present solutions for Europe next year as well.

Despite the trade war, the Mate 40 Pro has DRM certification (Widevine L1), so that even correspondingly protected streaming content can be enjoyed in its full glory.

Communication and GNSS - Wi-Fi 6 and 5G are worthy of reference

The Huawei Mate 40 Pro uses the current Wi-Fi 6 standard (IEEE 802.11 ax) to connect to WLAN networks. Not only does it use MIMO antenna technology, but it also uses VHT160 to achieve the highest possible data rates. This works brilliantly in combination with our Netgear Nighthawk AX 12 reference router, and the Mate 40 Pro is the fastest smartphone in our database so far. The Huawei smartphone is also convincing in terms of range.

In the best case, the Mate can connect to mobile data networks using 5G and aims to be the fastest here as well. Huawei hasn't yet provided any concrete figures, but the Balong modem in the SoC is expected to deliver twice the download rate and five times the upload rate compared to the X55 modem in the Snapdragon 865+. In terms of numbers, this would correspond to a data rate of up to 15 Gb/s in both directions - no, we didn't forget any decimal places. In everyday use, the Huawei phone shows good reception capabilities and a very broad frequency range for all mobile radio standards.

On top of that, the Mate 40 Pro is the first smartphone with Bluetooth 5.2.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
Mali-G78 MP24, Kirin 9000, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
1395 (689min - 1434max) MBit/s
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Mali-G76 MP16, Kirin 990, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
966 (923min - 995max) MBit/s -31%
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Mali-G76 MP16, Kirin 990, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
637 (584min - 715max) MBit/s -54%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Adreno 650, SD 865, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
816 (403min - 832max) MBit/s -42%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Mali-G77 MP11, Exynos 990, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
772 (691min - 832max) MBit/s -45%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
A14 Bionic GPU, A14, 256 GB NVMe
736 (667min - 787max) MBit/s -47%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Adreno 650, SD 865, 512 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
509 (264min - 571max) MBit/s -64%
iperf3 receive AX12
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
Mali-G78 MP24, Kirin 9000, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
1348 (1217min - 1413max) MBit/s
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Mali-G76 MP16, Kirin 990, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
1010 (912min - 1092max) MBit/s -25%
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Mali-G76 MP16, Kirin 990, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
533 (468min - 602max) MBit/s -60%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Adreno 650, SD 865, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
883 (834min - 919max) MBit/s -34%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Mali-G77 MP11, Exynos 990, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
870 (841min - 882max) MBit/s -35%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Adreno 650, SD 865, 512 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
754 (346min - 881max) MBit/s -44%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
A14 Bionic GPU, A14, 256 GB NVMe
527 (457min - 562max) MBit/s -61%
Average of class Smartphone
  (last 2 years)
376 MBit/s -72%
075150225300375450525600675750825900975105011251200127513501425Tooltip
Huawei Mate 40 Pro; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1347 (1217-1413)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1395 (1344-1434)
GPS Test
GPS Test

The Huawei Mate 40 Pro's positioning has a lot to offer too and often supports several frequency bands simultaneously. Besides GPS (dual-band), Glonass, BeiDou (quad-band), Galileo (tri-band), and QZSS (dual-band), the Indian NavIC can also be used. SBAS is available as well. The satellite signal is obtained fast and comparatively precisely even inside buildings.

The Mate 40 Pro has to face the comparison with the Garmin Edge 500 bicycle computer on a short bike ride. The Huawei smartphone shows a somewhat more precise location here and is, therefore, optimally suited for more than just navigation tasks.

Garmin Edge 500 - Overview
Garmin Edge 500 - Overview
Garmin Edge 500 - Lap around the lake
Garmin Edge 500 - Lap around the lake
Garmin Edge 500 - Turning point
Garmin Edge 500 - Turning point
Huawei Mate 40 Pro - Overview
Huawei Mate 40 Pro - Overview
Huawei Mate 40 Pro - Lap around the lake
Huawei Mate 40 Pro - Lap around the lake
Huawei Mate 40 Pro - Turning point
Huawei Mate 40 Pro - Turning point

Telephone and call quality

The telephone app has a clear structure and is easy to use. In the SIM card management area, these can be administered and assigned, and functions such as WLAN calling or VoLTE can be switched on or off. If you're already able to use 5G, you should be sure to check the settings, since the latest standard needs to be activated first. Alternatively to the second nano SIM, an eSIM can also be used.

The call quality of the Huawei Mate 40 Pro is excellent as long as the phone is held to the ear. The transmission of the conversation is done very naturally, and even background noise is reliably filtered out. Speaker mode is also good in quiet environments, but it occasionally reverberates slightly.

Cameras - Strong triple camera in the Mate 40 Pro

Selfie with the Mate 40 Pro
Selfie with the Mate 40 Pro

A dual-camera setup is integrated into the display on the front side, and it also provides an additional ultra wide-angle lens for group selfies. Despite the new lens, there is still distortion towards the edges. This isn't the case with the normal wide-angle lens, but the image composition is similar on both of them. In general, the Mate 40 Pro takes good selfies, but they aren't great. Even without portrait mode, there's too much retouching, and the background bokeh is practically non-existent. Videos can also be recorded with the front-facing camera in Ultra HD (60 FPS).

The triple-camera setup on the back consists of a wide-angle lens (23 mm) with the same sensor that is found in the P40 Pro, an ultra wide-angle lens (18 mm), and a periscope camera (125 mm). The latter achieves a 5x optical magnification and is supported by an OIS. Digital magnification can be done up to 50x. The ultra wide-angle sensor is completely new and no longer works with pixel-binning like its predecessor, but instead, it uses 1.6 µm pixels that should provide an even better low-light experience than before. However, Huawei has also changed the camera for the worse, because the main sensor is identical to the one on the P40 Pro, but it has to do without optical image stabilization.

Sunset with the main lens
Sunset with the main lens

The image results are impressive, and the Mate 40 Pro convinces in just about every area. The HDR algorithms in particular produce spectacular pictures in some cases, which often can't be foreseen in the live view. When photographing a sunset, the sky was displayed in full color, but the meadow was almost in complete darkness. When the final image was displayed, the illumination was evenly bright without taking away from the sunset.

The color reproduction is quite strongly saturated, and especially green tones are displayed intensely; when taking close-ups, the white balance is occasionally a bit too cool for our taste. Furthermore, the ultra wide-angle lens provided pleasing results as well and is much better than on the competition but also not as good as the camera's main sensor. Its distortion correction works very well, so that we can only make out a small curvature on pictures taken from a very close distance to the subject. The optical zoom provides good image results, and even at maximum magnification, many details are preserved.

Videos can be recorded in Ultra HD at up to 60 frames per second at best. The Mate 40 Pro also supports an impressive HDR mode here as long as the footage isn't viewed on TVs that are too large, because at that size, you will notice that some of the details are lost with HDR. The sound of the videos is good and has low noise.

Naturally, the Mate 40 Pro offers many more features that we've already described in more detail in the review of the P40 Pro. New, however, is the use of the DCI-P3 color space.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Wide angleWide angleUltra wide angleZoom (5x)Low light
Wide angle
Wide angle
Ultra wide angle
Ultra wide angle
Ultra wide angle
Wide angle
Wide angle
Wide angle
10x zoom
Wide angle
Wide angle
5x zoom
Wide angle
Ultra wide angle
Wide angle
Wide angle
6x zoom
Wide angle
Wide angle
Wide angle
Wide angle
ColorChecker
3.8 ∆E
7.1 ∆E
3.9 ∆E
2.5 ∆E
7 ∆E
0.9 ∆E
3.2 ∆E
4.1 ∆E
4.9 ∆E
4.6 ∆E
4.4 ∆E
2.5 ∆E
3.5 ∆E
3.1 ∆E
4.9 ∆E
7.7 ∆E
4.1 ∆E
10.8 ∆E
6.6 ∆E
2.2 ∆E
4.6 ∆E
5.4 ∆E
1.7 ∆E
3.7 ∆E
ColorChecker Huawei Mate 40 Pro: 4.47 ∆E min: 0.88 - max: 10.81 ∆E
ColorChecker
18.7 ∆E
19.9 ∆E
20.2 ∆E
18 ∆E
22.8 ∆E
25.2 ∆E
17.6 ∆E
14.4 ∆E
20 ∆E
16.8 ∆E
23.9 ∆E
20.7 ∆E
12.3 ∆E
22 ∆E
15.5 ∆E
21.4 ∆E
19.8 ∆E
22.5 ∆E
22.1 ∆E
20.8 ∆E
23.3 ∆E
23 ∆E
21.7 ∆E
13.2 ∆E
ColorChecker Huawei Mate 40 Pro: 19.83 ∆E min: 12.31 - max: 25.24 ∆E

Accessories and warranty - Fast charger included in the box

Huawei provides a 24-month warranty for the Mate 40 Pro, and it can't be extended.

In addition to the smartphone itself, the scope of delivery includes a modular 66-watt power adapter, a USB cable (USB-A to USB-C), a transparent protective case, a SIM tool, and a headset. It's not entirely clear to us why Huawei still sometimes opts for USB-A when it comes to the charging cable, especially since some laptops of the Chinese manufacturer rely exclusively on the more modern version.

A flip cover (40 Euros (~$48)) can be optionally purchased, and the 2nd generation M-Pencil (100 Euros(~$119)) is also available. An appropriately powerful wireless charger that can exploit the potential of the Mate 40 Pro is not yet available in the portfolio. Consequently, prospective customers will have to make do with the SuperCharge Wireless Charger Stand (up to 40 watts, 129 Euros (~$153)). We were already able to test it. The charger performs its duties very reliably and charges the smartphone quickly. Another positive aspect is that the same 65-watt power adapter that is also used with the Mate Xs or MateBook is included in the box. The integrated fan that starts as soon as the charging process begins is a less appealing aspect, though. This makes using it at your bedside unthinkable, because it's not necessarily quiet either. We can only hope for an appropriate 50-watt charger that goes back to passive cooling.

Input devices and handling - The return of the volume rocker

After the volume rocker in the Mate 30 Pro was completely replaced by gesture controls, it's now back on board. Gesture control fans don't have to be sad, though, as this options is still available.

Huawei hasn't abandoned the non-touch gestures in the Mate 40 Pro either and has developed them a little further instead. As a result, not only can you scroll up and down without touching the display but also to the left and right. It's also possible now to pause or start a playback. This doesn't work completely intuitively yet and requires a little practice, but afterwards, these gestures can also be used effectively in everyday life. The touchscreen itself has very good gliding properties and reacts very quickly and reliably in all areas.

Pen support is back on board as well, but it probably only works with the new M-Pencil, which we unfortunately haven't been able to test yet. We couldn't connect the old M-Pen to the Mate 40 Pro.

Biometric security is provided by a fingerprint scanner integrated into the display that does its job reliably as long as it is intuitively touched correctly. We prefer the 3D face recognition with the ToF sensor. This is also very secure and recognizes the stored user faster and more reliably.

Display - Bright 90 Hz OLED in the Mate 40 Pro

Subpixel grid
Subpixel grid

The 6.76-inch OLED display of the Huawei Mate 40 Pro offers a high resolution of 2772x1344 pixels, which ensures a very good pixel density and correspondingly crisp display. The refresh rate reaches up to 90 Hz, and the panel supports HDR10.

Although the brightness is not as high as on the top models from Apple or Samsung, it has been increased considerably compared to its predecessor. With the ambient light sensor activated, the Mate 40 Pro reaches 778 cd/m² in the center of the display with a pure white background and 925 cd/m² with an even distribution of light and dark areas. If the brightness sensor is deactivated, a maximum of 471 cd/m² can be achieved.

The sides of the display are at a slope of 88 degrees. Users who don't like this look can adjust the sides to be displayed in black in the settings. In the same way, the camera notch in the display can be made invisible.

We can also see the flickering typical for OLEDs on the Mate 40 Pro. It occurs between 120.8 and 367.6 Hz. Even though the maximum frequency is a bit higher, the amplitude response is quite uneven, so that sensitive users can definitely expect discomfort. For such cases, however, Huawei has integrated a flickering-reduction mode (DC dimming), which makes the image reproduction visibly cooler, though.

781
cd/m²
760
cd/m²
774
cd/m²
779
cd/m²
778
cd/m²
791
cd/m²
798
cd/m²
783
cd/m²
798
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 798 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 782.4 cd/m² Minimum: 1.27 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 95 %
Center on Battery: 778 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.4 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
97.5% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.22
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
OLED, 2772x1344, 6.76
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
OLED, 2400x1176, 6.53
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Dynamic AMOLED, 3088x1440, 6.90
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
OLED, 2532x1170, 6.10
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Super AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.67
Oppo Find X2 Pro
AMOLED, 3168x1440, 6.70
Screen
-31%
-65%
10%
21%
-81%
Brightness middle
778
592
-24%
860
11%
822
6%
753
-3%
778
0%
Brightness
782
605
-23%
878
12%
820
5%
762
-3%
775
-1%
Brightness Distribution
95
96
1%
96
1%
99
4%
96
1%
99
4%
Black Level *
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
1.4
2.5
-79%
4.5
-221%
1.2
14%
0.9
36%
4.4
-214%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
3.5
5.5
-57%
10.4
-197%
3.5
-0%
1.6
54%
8.7
-149%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.5
2.6
-4%
2.4
4%
1.8
28%
1.5
40%
5.6
-124%
Gamma
2.22 99%
2.16 102%
2 110%
2.18 101%
2.24 98%
2.26 97%
CCT
6530 100%
6173 105%
6466 101%
6337 103%
6415 101%
7250 90%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 367.6 Hz ≤ 99 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 367.6 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 99 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 367.6 Hz is relatively high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. However, there are reports that some users are still sensitive to PWM at 500 Hz and above, so be aware.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Due to the OLED technology, the Mate 40 Pro's panel can display absolute blacks, so that the contrast ratio tends towards infinity in theory.

The color reproduction is very accurate in the smaller sRGB color space (profile: Normal), and even the grayscales only show deviations that are actually perceptible to the human eye here and there. If you choose the larger DCI-P3 color space, you get a much cooler image. 

Grayscales (profile: Vivid, DCI-P3 target color space)
Grayscales (profile: Vivid, DCI-P3 target color space)
Mixed colors (profile: Vivid, DCI-P3 target color space)
Mixed colors (profile: Vivid, DCI-P3 target color space)
Color space (profile: Vivid, DCI-P3 target color space)
Color space (profile: Vivid, DCI-P3 target color space)
Saturation (profile: Vivid, DCI-P3 target color space)
Saturation (profile: Vivid, DCI-P3 target color space)
Grayscales (profile: Normal, sRGB target color space)
Grayscales (profile: Normal, sRGB target color space)
Mixed colors (profile: Normal, sRGB target color space)
Mixed colors (profile: Normal, sRGB target color space)
Color space (profile: Normal, sRGB target color space)
Color space (profile: Normal, sRGB target color space)
Saturation (profile: Normal, sRGB target color space)
Saturation (profile: Normal, sRGB target color space)

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
2.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 1.2 ms rise
↘ 1.2 ms fall
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 7 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
3.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 2 ms rise
↘ 1.6 ms fall
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 9 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Outdoors, the Huawei Mate 40 Pro makes an excellent impression and remains confident in all lighting situations. Only in extremely bright sunshine will the panel reach its limits.

The Huawei Mate 40 Pro outdoors on a clear autumn day.

The viewing-angle stability of the Huawei Mate 40 Pro is actually very good due to the OLED technology, but the steep edges can sometimes become quite ugly. Especially when the surface is very white and when viewed from the front, they are bathed in a sickly yellow color.

Viewing-angle stability of the Huawei Mate 40 Pro
Viewing-angle stability of the Huawei Mate 40 Pro

Performance - The Kirin 9000 makes everyone look outdated

Huawei makes the competition look pretty old with the current Kirin 9000. The 5 nm SoC is the only one of its kind that doesn't need a dedicated 5G modem, since it has one integrated directly into the chip; it also performs extremely well in terms of speed. The processor consists of three clusters: One Cortex-A77 at up to 3.13 GHz, three Cortex-A77 at up to 2.54 GHz, and four Cortex-A55 cores at up to 2.05 GHz. In addition, an ARM Mali-G78 MP24 is used for the graphics calculations.

Unfortunately, we could hardly do any benchmarks with our test device, because Huawei blocked them, and the apps couldn't be installed at all. Only the 3DMark test was able to be performed, and it shows that the Kirin 9000 makes the whole competition look pretty old. This is, however, tied to two conditions. First, performance mode needs to be activated, and second, the Vulkan API shouldn't be used. If the latter is activated, the performance of the Kirin 9000 suddenly drops significantly below the level of its predecessor, the Kirin 990, indicating poor driver optimization.

If performance mode is switched off, the SoC's performance in 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme (OpenGL ES 3.1, total: 6,345 points, graphics score: 7,144 points, physics score: 4,561 points) drops by about a third; but it's still above the Mate 30 Pro with activated performance mode, which is mainly due to the much stronger GPU.

3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
99445 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
64626 Points -35%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
67590 Points -32%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
108825 Points +9%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
82937 Points -17%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
75632 Points -24%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
99445 Points 0%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
123332 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
75073 Points -39%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
84533 Points -31%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
221179 Points +79%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
150281 Points +22%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
145567 Points +18%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
123332 Points 0%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
59268 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
43459 Points -27%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
39724 Points -33%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
39175 Points -34%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
32384 Points -45%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
28147 Points -53%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
59268 Points 0%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
11256 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6815 Points -39%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
7152 Points -36%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
Points -100%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
9123 Points -19%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
8866 Points -21%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
11256 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (712 - 7285, n=52, last 2 years)
3495 Points -69%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
16670 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
7671 Points -54%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
9480 Points -43%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
Points -100%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
12394 Points -26%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
11458 Points -31%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
16670 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (618 - 9451, n=52, last 2 years)
3845 Points -77%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
5268 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
4900 Points -7%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
3846 Points -27%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
Points -100%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
4729 Points -10%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
5054 Points -4%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
5268 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1093 - 4525, n=52, last 2 years)
2989 Points -43%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
11895 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
7098 Points -40%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
7385 Points -38%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
9094 Points -24%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
8823 Points -26%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
9616 Points -19%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
11895 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (704 - 23024, n=115, last 2 years)
9014 Points -24%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
17612 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
7970 Points -55%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
9536 Points -46%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
20511 Points +16%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
12694 Points -28%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
12573 Points -29%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
17612 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (607 - 45492, n=114, last 2 years)
15728 Points -11%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
5568 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
5133 Points -8%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
4127 Points -26%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
3084 Points -45%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
4283 Points -23%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
5209 Points -6%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
5568 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1075 - 8749, n=114, last 2 years)
4327 Points -22%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
9138 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6048 Points -34%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
6658 Points -27%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
5344 Points -42%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
7157 Points -22%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
7012 Points -23%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
9138 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (286 - 7890, n=102, last 2 years)
2665 Points -71%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
11573 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6478 Points -44%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
8156 Points -30%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
6917 Points -40%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
8299 Points -28%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
8045 Points -30%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
11573 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (240 - 9814, n=102, last 2 years)
2655 Points -77%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
5262 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
4909 Points -7%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
4052 Points -23%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
2975 Points -43%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
4895 Points -7%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
4582 Points -13%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
5262 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (858 - 4679, n=102, last 2 years)
3119 Points -41%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
9643 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6382 Points -34%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
6830 Points -29%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
6903 Points -28%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
7986 Points -17%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
7982 Points -17%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
9643 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (317 - 20131, n=175, last 2 years)
6514 Points -32%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
12146 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6657 Points -45%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
8239 Points -32%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
10348 Points -15%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
9356 Points -23%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
9345 Points -23%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
12146 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (267 - 33376, n=174, last 2 years)
9281 Points -24%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
5602 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
5576 Points 0%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
4273 Points -24%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
3187 Points -43%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
5277 Points -6%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
5187 Points -7%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
5602 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (938 - 8480, n=174, last 2 years)
4150 Points -26%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
6528 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
5570 Points -15%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
5178 Points -21%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
6578 Points +1%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
6444 Points -1%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
6528 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (365 - 6439, n=97, last 2 years)
2594 Points -60%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
11259 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6369 Points -43%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
6378 Points -43%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
8173 Points -27%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
8076 Points -28%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
11259 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (298 - 8601, n=97, last 2 years)
2755 Points -76%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
2642 Points
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
3870 Points +46%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
3122 Points +18%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
3830 Points +45%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
3843 Points +45%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
2642 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1667 - 3525, n=97, last 2 years)
2668 Points +1%
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal - offscreen Overall Score (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 9000, Mali-G78 MP24, 8192
3349 Points
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
3468 Points +4%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
1585 Points -53%
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
1583 Points -53%
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
3349 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (177 - 6114, n=61, last 2 years)
2145 Points -36%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
60 fps
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
110 fps
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
60 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
90 fps
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
60 fps
Average of class Smartphone
  (22 - 165, n=178, last 2 years)
83 fps
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
152 fps
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
145 fps
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
318 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
203 fps
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
202 fps
Average of class Smartphone
  (19 - 791, n=178, last 2 years)
244 fps
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
60 fps
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
90 fps
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
60 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
88 fps
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
58 fps
Average of class Smartphone
  (6.8 - 165, n=179, last 2 years)
71 fps
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
106 fps
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
96 fps
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
180 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
122 fps
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
123 fps
Average of class Smartphone
  (9.2 - 363, n=179, last 2 years)
138 fps
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
73 fps
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
61 fps
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
53.3 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
77 fps
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
45 fps
Average of class Smartphone
  (3.7 - 158, n=179, last 2 years)
59.9 fps
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
56 fps
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
65 fps
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
109.9 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
86 fps
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
86 fps
Average of class Smartphone
  (6.2 - 279, n=179, last 2 years)
96.7 fps
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
34 fps
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
34 fps
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
51.8 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
45 fps
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
26 fps
Average of class Smartphone
  (5 - 117, n=179, last 2 years)
42.9 fps
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
41 fps
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
38 fps
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
75 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
50 fps
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
51 fps
Average of class Smartphone
  (2.9 - 166, n=179, last 2 years)
58.6 fps
on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
40 fps
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
49 fps
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
58.6 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
47 fps
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
28 fps
Average of class Smartphone
  (3.6 - 123, n=219, last 2 years)
43.2 fps
1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
49 fps
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
43 fps
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
84.1 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
54 (20min) fps
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
53 fps
Average of class Smartphone
  (2.3 - 229, n=219, last 2 years)
63 fps
on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
26 fps
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
34 fps
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
47.5 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
30 fps
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
18 fps
Average of class Smartphone
  (2.8 - 105, n=219, last 2 years)
32.2 fps
2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
19 fps
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
22 fps
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
31.2 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
20 fps
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
20 fps
Average of class Smartphone
  (0.85 - 94, n=219, last 2 years)
25.1 fps
AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
483224 Points
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
527820 Points
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
569468 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
595466 Points
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
599843 Points
Average of class Smartphone
  (last 2 years)
101336 Points
VRMark - Amber Room (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
4997 Score
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
7156 Score
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
4988 Score
Average of class Smartphone
  (1010 - 10071, n=14, last 2 years)
5281 Score
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
5389 Points
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
4791 Points
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
6072 Points
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
5540 Points
Average of class Smartphone
  (411 - 11438, n=158, last 2 years)
5704 Points
System (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
9309 Points
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
9024 Points
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
10002 Points
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
9555 Points
Average of class Smartphone
  (2376 - 16475, n=158, last 2 years)
9621 Points
Memory (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6130 Points
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
3811 Points
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
7945 Points
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
6350 Points
Average of class Smartphone
  (670 - 12306, n=158, last 2 years)
6230 Points
Graphics (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
10112 Points
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
10646 Points
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
11567 Points
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
11496 Points
Average of class Smartphone
  (697 - 58651, n=158, last 2 years)
13900 Points
Web (sort by value)
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
1462 Points
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
1439 Points
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple A14 Bionic, A14 Bionic GPU, 6144
Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
1514 Points
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
1351 Points
Average of class Smartphone
  (10 - 2145, n=158, last 2 years)
1487 Points

In the browser benchmarks, the Huawei Mate 40 Pro can easily leave the assembled Android competition behind. Only the iPhone 12 Pro is in a class of its own.

Jetstream 2 - Total Score
Apple iPhone 12 Pro (Safari Mobile 14)
161.4 Points +103%
Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 351, n=167, last 2 years)
104.5 Points +31%
Huawei Mate 40 Pro (Huawei Browser 11)
79.6 Points
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
79.6 Points 0%
Huawei Mate 30 Pro (Chrome 78)
65.9 Points -17%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (Chrome 81)
65 Points -18%
Oppo Find X2 Pro (Chrome 80)
64.6 Points -19%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra (Chrome 84)
56.8 Points -29%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Apple iPhone 12 Pro (Safari Mobile 14)
342.7 Points +164%
Average of class Smartphone (66.1 - 414, n=3, last 2 years)
194.9 Points +50%
Huawei Mate 40 Pro (Huawei Browser 11)
129.6 Points
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
129.6 Points 0%
Huawei Mate 30 Pro (Chrome 78)
115.5 Points -11%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (Chrome 81)
115.4 Points -11%
Oppo Find X2 Pro (Chrome 80)
114.7 Points -11%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra (Chrome 84)
96.2 Points -26%
Speedometer 2.0 - Result
Apple iPhone 12 Pro (Safari Mobile 14)
196 runs/min +132%
Average of class Smartphone (14.9 - 445, n=151, last 2 years)
105.7 runs/min +25%
Huawei Mate 40 Pro (Huawei Browser 11)
84.6 runs/min
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
84.6 runs/min 0%
Huawei Mate 30 Pro (Chrome 78)
74.1 runs/min -12%
Oppo Find X2 Pro (Chrome 80)
71 runs/min -16%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (Chrome 81)
68.6 runs/min -19%
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
Apple iPhone 12 Pro (Safari Mobile 14)
193 Points +31%
Huawei Mate 40 Pro (Huawei Browser 11)
147 Points
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
147 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (37 - 304, n=119, last 2 years)
131.8 Points -10%
Huawei Mate 30 Pro (Chrome 78)
119 Points -19%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra (Chrome 84)
102 Points -31%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (Chrome 81)
101 Points -31%
Oppo Find X2 Pro (Chrome 80)
100 Points -32%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Apple iPhone 12 Pro (Safari Mobile 14)
58488 Points +120%
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=202, last 2 years)
33525 Points +26%
Huawei Mate 40 Pro (Huawei Browser 11)
26597 Points
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
26597 Points 0%
Huawei Mate 30 Pro (Chrome 78)
23568 Points -11%
Oppo Find X2 Pro (Chrome 80)
22976 Points -14%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (Chrome 81)
22834 Points -14%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra (Chrome 84)
19695 Points -26%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra (Chrome 84)
2296 ms * -37%
Oppo Find X2 Pro (Chrome 80)
2044 ms * -22%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (Chrome 81)
2021 ms * -21%
Huawei Mate 30 Pro (Chrome 78)
1963 ms * -17%
Huawei Mate 40 Pro (Huawei Browser 11)
1671 ms *
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
1671 ms * -0%
Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=165, last 2 years)
1653 ms * +1%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro (Safari Mobile 14)
460.4 ms * +72%

* ... smaller is better

At 256 GB, the UFS 3.1 storage of the Mate 40 Pro is adequately large. However, in contrast to the competition, Huawei succeeds  in exploiting the storage's potential better, which is mainly reflected in the high write speeds.

Nevertheless, the memory card slot is rather mediocre and doesn't make full use of the NM card's capabilities.

Huawei Mate 40 ProHuawei Mate 30 ProSamsung Galaxy Note20 UltraXiaomi Mi 10 ProOppo Find X2 ProAverage 256 GB UFS 3.1 FlashAverage of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5
-15%
-22%
-21%
-33%
-3%
-19%
Sequential Read 256KB
2037
1781
-13%
1782
-13%
1739
-15%
1606
-21%
1767 ?(1004 - 2037, n=85)
-13%
1467 ?(215 - 4512, n=210, last 2 years)
-28%
Sequential Write 256KB
1321
401.8
-70%
802
-39%
750
-43%
729
-45%
1135 ?(452 - 1873, n=85)
-14%
1077 ?(57.5 - 3678, n=210, last 2 years)
-18%
Random Read 4KB
325
226.4
-30%
186.7
-43%
264.9
-18%
202.6
-38%
282 ?(173.5 - 543, n=85)
-13%
241 ?(22.2 - 543, n=210, last 2 years)
-26%
Random Write 4KB
277.6
259.2
-7%
217.7
-22%
258.5
-7%
205
-26%
312 ?(197.5 - 499, n=86)
12%
265 ?(13 - 709, n=210, last 2 years)
-5%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
70.2 ?(NM Card)
82.5 ?(Nano Memory Card)
18%
65.6 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-7%
75.9 ?(65.6 - 85.8, n=4)
8%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
60.9 ?(NM Card)
69.2 ?(Nano Memory Card)
14%
55.6 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-9%
61.9 ?(55.6 - 69.3, n=4)
2%

Games - The software makes the difference

The Huawei Mate 40 Pro is a real powerhouse and offers more than enough power for all Android-based games. While the benchmarks with GameBench run smoothly, there are rather minor problems at the software level.

For example, the new Ultra HD setting is not available in PUBG Mobile, and we couldn't even squeeze higher frame rates than 60 Hz out from the Mate 40 Pro. Armajet is actually a title that guarantees high compatibility, but 60 Hz was the limit here as well.

However, the tested games run without problems and very smoothly. The Huawei smartphone can also convince in terms of control and sound.

PUBG Mobile
PUBG Mobile
Armajet
Armajet
051015202530354045505560Tooltip
Huawei Mate 40 Pro; PUBG Mobile; 1.1.0: Ø39.8 (36-41)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro; Armajet; 1.55.3: Ø59.9 (58-60)

Emissions - The Mate 40 Pro gets hot

Temperature

The surface temperatures of the Huawei Mate 40 Pro are pleasantly low in idle usage and only rise slightly under continuous load.

Unfortunately, because GFXBench can't be installed on our test device, we can't run the mandatory battery test for the stress test at this point. However, the one in 3DMark Wild Life works wonderfully and shows quite clearly that Huawei doesn't succeed in maintaining its high performance over a prolonged period of time. At the beginning, the score is 6,773 points; the lowest value in the penultimate run is only 3,341 points.

3DMark - Wild Life Stress Test Stability
Huawei P40 Pro
99.8 % +102%
Google Pixel 5
94.7 % +92%
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
72.6 % +47%
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
49.3 %
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
26.6 % -46%

Legend

 
Huawei Mate 40 Pro HiSilicon Kirin 9000, ARM Mali-G78 MP24, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
 
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Apple A14 Bionic, Apple A14 Bionic GPU, 256 GB NVMe
 
Google Pixel 5 Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, Qualcomm Adreno 620, 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra Samsung Exynos 990, ARM Mali-G77 MP11, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
 
Huawei P40 Pro HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, ARM Mali-G76 MP16, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
Max. Load
 30.8 °C
87 F
30.6 °C
87 F
28.5 °C
83 F
 
 31 °C
88 F
29.9 °C
86 F
29.2 °C
85 F
 
 31.3 °C
88 F
31.6 °C
89 F
28.4 °C
83 F
 
Maximum: 31.6 °C = 89 F
Average: 30.1 °C = 86 F
28.2 °C
83 F
28.1 °C
83 F
29.4 °C
85 F
28.3 °C
83 F
27.8 °C
82 F
29.4 °C
85 F
28.3 °C
83 F
28.5 °C
83 F
29.5 °C
85 F
Maximum: 29.5 °C = 85 F
Average: 28.6 °C = 83 F
Power Supply (max.)  28.4 °C = 83 F | Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | Fluke t3000FC (calibrated) & Voltcraft IR-260
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 30.1 °C / 86 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 31.6 °C / 89 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 29.5 °C / 85 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28 °C / 82 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speakers

Pink Noise measurements

The experiments with new types of speakers seem to be a thing of the past. After the attempts to hide a second one under the display or in the USB port, Huawei has now finally given the Mate 40 Pro full-fledged dual speakers. And they even sound really good, and you can even hear some bass.

However, there is no audio jack, and Huawei doesn't include a corresponding USB-C to 3.5 mm audio jack adapter with its smartphone. Since wireless earbuds are more popular anyway, the Chinese have included a new, high-resolution audio codec - L2HC. Unfortunately, this is only supported by the in-house Huawei FreeBuds Studio so far. Alternatively, the SBC, AAC, and LDAC codecs are also available. However, users will have to do without Qualcomm's aptX, aptX HD or aptX Adaptive codecs. Since the Mate 40 Pro is already equipped with the latest Bluetooth 5.2 technology, we would have expected the new LC3 codec, which is part of the BT5.2 specifications, to be on board. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2030.4342523.328.4312629.44022.623.85034.538.16319.926.18014.729.510014.437.212514.944.816017.858.620018.953.525011.756.931513.960.64001364.150010.367.563010.466.780012.469.5100011.170.7125011.272160012.775.8200012.379250012.678.2315012.771.3400012.776.4500012.776.4630013.57980001476.51000013.571.51250014.969.6160001661.6SPL24.887.5N0.671.2median 12.7median 70.7Delta1.37.836.923.32923.721.927.4222229.935.3222819.330.716.331.31440.316.956.114.954.614.158.61066.71165.711.766.710.969.411.972.31176.410.276.811.477.812.87912.97912.578.41378.513.175.813.475.315.776.113.573.51470.313.763.924.888.80.677.4median 13median 73.51.37.8hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseHuawei Mate 40 ProSamsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 18.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.7% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (14.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 99% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 13% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 84% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (88.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 22.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.1% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (1.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (14.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 1% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 98% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 15% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 81% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Battery life - Shorter than expected

Energy consumption

The measurements show increased power consumption in idle usage with a refresh rate of 90 Hz, but if this is reduced to 60 Hz, consumption drops by just 0.08 watts. Under load, however, the SoC is energy-efficient despite the active performance mode.

The 4,400 mAh battery is fully recharged within 46 minutes with the 66-watt power adapter. The 60% mark is hit after only 18 minutes, and it only takes four more minutes to reach 70%.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.01 / 0.12 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1.01 / 2.12 / 2.15 Watt
Load midlight 3.94 / 6.53 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
4400 mAh
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
4500 mAh
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
4500 mAh
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
2815 mAh
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
4500 mAh
Oppo Find X2 Pro
4260 mAh
Average HiSilicon Kirin 9000
 
Average of class Smartphone
 
Power Consumption
9%
7%
37%
18%
-58%
0%
0%
Idle Minimum *
1.01
0.87
14%
0.65
36%
0.64
37%
0.61
40%
1.47
-46%
1.01
-0%
0.891 ?(0.42 - 2.37, n=157, last 2 years)
12%
Idle Average *
2.12
1.75
17%
1.06
50%
1.22
42%
1.19
44%
3.43
-62%
2.12
-0%
1.448 ?(0.69 - 4.26, n=157, last 2 years)
32%
Idle Maximum *
2.15
1.83
15%
1.49
31%
1.24
42%
1.23
43%
3.52
-64%
2.15
-0%
1.63 ?(0.79 - 4.45, n=157, last 2 years)
24%
Load Average *
3.94
3.85
2%
4.91
-25%
3.04
23%
4.18
-6%
6.2
-57%
3.94
-0%
5.57 ?(2.4 - 16.5, n=157, last 2 years)
-41%
Load Maximum *
6.53
6.64
-2%
10.29
-58%
3.86
41%
8.53
-31%
10.63
-63%
6.53
-0%
8.27 ?(4.32 - 20.8, n=157, last 2 years)
-27%

* ... smaller is better

Battery life

Battery life is weaker compared to the Mate 30 Pro, which is not only due to the slightly smaller battery but rather to a lower efficiency of the communication modules. The Mate 40 Pro shows strong battery life losses in the tests with activated WLAN in particular.

Especially in the practical WLAN test with an adjusted display brightness of 150 cd/m², the Huawei smartphone takes last place in the comparison field. An unusual sight. Let's hope that future updates correct this deficit.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
20h 55min
WiFi Websurfing (Huawei Browser 11)
10h 9min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
16h 39min
Load (maximum brightness)
4h 30min
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
4400 mAh
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
4500 mAh
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
4500 mAh
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
2815 mAh
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
4500 mAh
Oppo Find X2 Pro
4260 mAh
Battery Runtime
25%
7%
31%
21%
7%
Reader / Idle
1255
2174
73%
1223
-3%
2091
67%
2133
70%
H.264
999
1098
10%
993
-1%
1117
12%
973
-3%
WiFi v1.3
609
823
35%
644
6%
781
28%
865
42%
654
7%
Load
270
219
-19%
338
25%
311
15%
198
-27%

Pros

+ fast SoC
+ fast and expandable storage
+ good dual speakers
+ bright and color-accurate 90 Hz display
+ IP68
+ 3D face recognition
+ fast charging (wireless and wired)
+ excellent positioning capabilities
+ great call quality
+ very good communication modules

Cons

- nano memory card instead of microSD
- shorter battery life
- missing Google services
- no aptX/aptX HD/aptX Adaptive
- SoC throttles strongly under load

Verdict - High-performance Huawei smartphone

In review: Huawei Mate 40 Pro. Test device provided by Huawei Germany.
In review: Huawei Mate 40 Pro. Test device provided by Huawei Germany.

From a technical standpoint, the Huawei Mate 40 Pro is an excellently equipped smartphone. The display isn't as bright as on current top-of-the-line devices from the competition, but it doesn't have to hide behind it either. The Chinese flex their muscles with the SoC in particular, even though we haven't been able to perform all the tests yet due to the benchmark block on our test device.

The Huawei smartphone is also strong when it comes to its positioning properties and call quality. The triple camera was also convincing in the test. The communication modules are state of the art, but they reduce the battery life and deprive the Mate 40 Pro of one of its core competencies. Only future updates will show whether this is due to the SoC architecture or to a driver problem.

The Huawei Mate 40 Pro is technically one of the best smartphones currently available, but it has to deal with software limitations.

Huawei has made improvements to the speakers, since they sound really good now. Due to the trade embargo restrictions, however, not only are there restrictions due to the lack of Google services, but the audio codecs from Qualcomm have to be dropped too. At least the Mate 40 Pro has a DRM certification despite the adverse circumstances.

Download your licensed rating image as SVG / PNG

Huawei Mate 40 Pro - 08/31/2022 v7
Daniel Schmidt

Chassis
96%
Keyboard
67 / 75 → 89%
Pointing Device
97%
Connectivity
73 / 70 → 100%
Weight
88%
Battery
89%
Display
92%
Games Performance
67 / 64 → 100%
Application Performance
80 / 86 → 93%
Temperature
94%
Noise
100%
Audio
78 / 90 → 87%
Camera
85%
Average
85%
91%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Huawei Mate 40 Pro review - Top smartphone with handicap
Daniel Schmidt, 2020-11-26 (Update: 2020-11-26)