Huawei P40 Pro specs, P40 Pro Plus and P40 vs. P30 Pro and Mate 30 Pro: What's new and what's different?

Huawei's next generation of superphones is here. After delays caused by the coronavirus, the Chinese phone-maker presented the P40 and P40 Pro and P40 Pro Plus over a YouTube livestream on Thursday. All three phones feature premium hardware including the latest Kirin 990 processor, 5G, 90Hz refresh rates and an in-screen fingerprint scanner, which Huawei says has a 30% faster unlock speed than last year's models. And none of them will have access to Google services, due to Huawei's ongoing difficulties with the US government. But there are some key differences across the three phones in terms of their size, design, battery capacity and -- most obviously -- camera systems.

Huawei P40 Pro specs, P40 Pro Plus and P40 vs. P30 Pro and Mate 30 Pro: What's new and what's different? Picture 1

The P40 is the smallest of the three at 6.1 inches. And with no wraparound screen, the design is a step down from its more expensive siblings, which rock what Huawei calls a "quad-curve overflow display." The company says the new design makes swiping more seamless with the help of what it describes as "demi bullnose edge on all four sides."

Huawei's flagships are known for their impressive cameras and the P40 Series is no exception. The hardware on all three phones includes a gargantuan 50-megapixel sensor and Leica camera hardware. The Huawei P40 Pro Plus has a five-camera system on the rear while the Huawei P40 Pro features a four-camera setup on the rear and two front-facing sensors. Meanwhile the base P40 phone has a three-camera system on the rear and one selfie camera on the front. 

The optical zoom starts at 3x in the P40 and increases to 5x in the P40 Pro. The P40 Pro Plus has 10x optical zoom, the highest we've ever seen on a phone.

Water resistance is another differentiator between the three phones. The P40 is rated IP53, while the Pro and Pro Plus are rated IP68. That means the latter two should be able to withstand being submerged in water, while the P40 should be able to handle light rain.

Huawei P40 Pro specs, P40 Pro Plus and P40 vs. P30 Pro and Mate 30 Pro: What's new and what's different? Picture 2

P40 Series vs. P30 Pro and Mate 30 Pro

The P40 phones' improvements over last year's P30 Pro include an upgraded Kirin processor and updated software based on Android 10. Compared with the Mate 30 Pro, phones in the new P40 Series have a larger main sensor (50-megapixel vs 40-megapixel) among other differences. Huawei's flagship phones are designed for people who care more about a phone's appearance and its camera capability. Its Mate series is more focused on pixels and processors.  

Launched in September 2019, the Mate 30 Pro was Huawei's first major flagship launch after the US imposed a trade ban on the Chinese phone-maker in May. As such, it was unveiled without Google's suite of services, which includes access to the Google Play Store, Gmail, Google Maps and so on. It's also missing the full power of Google's Android operating system. That means the P30 Pro, which is based on Android 9 Pie, is the most advanced Huawei phone available with Google Mobile Services. But it doesn't offer 5G, so you'll have to accept using 4G. Huawei is investing heavily in its own Huawei Mobile System, however, and it's working to get more apps onto its store.