Huawei Mate 40
Huawei typically announces two flagship smartphone series a year: the P Series and the Mate Series. The P Series normally arrives in the first half of the year, while the Mate Series is reserved for the second half of the year.
With the Huawei P40 and P40 Pro announced in March, all eyes are on the upcoming Huawei Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro.
Design
- Mate 40: 158.6 x 72.5 x 8.9mm, or 10.4mm with the camera bump
- Mate 40 Pro: 162.8 x 75.5 x 9mm or 10.4mm with the camera bump
Based on the rumours, the Huawei Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro will have very prominent rear camera housings – even more so than the Mate 30 series did. Renders suggest both will be circular with the Mate 40 featuring a triple camera and the Mate 40 Pro featuring a quad camera.
It appears the Mate 40 could have a curved-edge display with a dual punch-hole camera in the top left – similar to what the Galaxy S10+ did. Meanwhile, the Mate 40 Pro could have a waterfall display like the Mate 30 Pro with dual punch-hole cameras instead of the notch we saw on the 2019 device.
In terms of IP ratings – the Mate 30 Pro has a higher IP rating than the Mate 30 so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the same for the Mate 40 series. Both devices are expected to have aluminium frames with glass backs.
Display
- Mate 40: 6.4-inch, OLED, curved, 90Hz
- Mate 40 Pro: 6.7-inch, OLED, waterfall
According to the rumours, the Huawei Mate 40 will have a 6.4-inch display – which is a little smaller than the Mate 30 had. There’s also been talk of a 6.67-inch display though, which is said to be curved with a 90Hz refresh rate. Resolutions haven’t been mentioned but the Mate 30 has a Full HD+ resolution with HDR10 support so we’d expect at least that for the Mate 40.
The Mate 40 Pro meanwhile is said to have a 6.7-inch display – which is a little larger than the Mate 30 Pro. A Full HD+ resolution at least is expected on the Mate 40 Pro, like the Mate 30 Pro offers. It’s said the Mate 40 Pro will have a waterfall display and also offer a 90Hz refresh rate.
Cameras
- Mate 40: Triple rear camera
- Mate 40 Pro: Quad rear camera
It’s likely that cameras will be the main focus of the Mate 40 series, especially in the case of the Pro model. It’s been claimed the Huawei Mate 40 could feature a freeform lens – which you can read more about here – but we suspect if this does appear, it will be reserved for the Mate 40 Pro or Mate 40 Pro+ if there is one.
According to reports, the Mate 40 will have a triple rear camera made up of a 50-megapixel sensor, 20-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, 8-megapixel telephoto sensor and laser autofocus will be on board. The Mate 40 Pro meanwhile, is reported to have a 50-megapixel wide-angle sensor with liquid lens technology, an 80-megapixel Cine sensor, along with a periscope and Time of Flight sensor. None of these specifications are confirmed yet though.
We’d expect Leica optics again and whatever the make up, we’d expect both to be very good given Huawei’s recent prowess in this area.
Hardware and specs
- Mate 40: Kirin 1000, 6/8GB RAM?
- Mate 40 Pro: Kirin 1000, 8/12GB RAM?
It’s claimed the Huawei Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro will be the last devices to use Huawei’s homegrown Kirin chipsets.
With the US trade ban in place, Huawei’s own Kirin chips that underpin its top smartphones cannot be manufactured after 15 September 2020. The Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro will use already-stockpiled chips however.
These new devices are rumoured to come with a 5nm chip though, and it’s claimed it will likely be the Kirin 1000.
The Mate 30 had 6 or 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while the Mate 30 Pro has 8GB of RAM with 128GB or 256GB of storage. We’d expect the Mate 40 to offer 8GB of RAM at least and the Mate 40 Pro the same, as well as maybe another higher option – perhaps 12GB.
In terms of battery, we expect to see 4000mAh plus on the Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro. With a bit of luck, the Mate 40 Pro will sit closer to the 5000mAh mark, like the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Rumours have suggested 4300mAh, 4600mAh and 5000mAh battery capacities.
