The Huawei P40 Pro refines last year’s P30 Pro to near perfection. It takes the P series’ main focus, the camera, and innovates in a big way — literally. With a massive camera sensor, 90Hz screen, and updated internals, there’s a lot to love about the P40 Pro.

Crafted to near perfection 90Hz display is a step forward Superb camera system Excellent ergonomics

No GMS support is a killer AppGallery is limited Fancy bezels don’t quite work

The Huawei P40 Pro 5G is an impressive smartphone with a fantastic screen, but you won't find it in the US anytime soon.

Gorgeous screen; Impressive camera night mode

Not available in North America; Light on storage and memory for a flagship phone; Some camera exposure and color balance quirks; No Google apps or Play Store

Huawei’s P40 Pro (£899, or around $1,100) reminds me of the ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail. It has one of the most compelling screens I’ve ever seen on a phone, and a low-light camera that makes it possible to take photos even in pitch-black situations, all housed in a body that’s sleek and comfortable to hold. But since the US/China trade war stopped Google from providing Huawei access to Google Mobile Services, the P40 Pro is really only a device for hobbyists or those looking to exit Google’s ecosystem completely. We have first impressions to share after spending some time with the phone in London.Design, Display, and Durability The P40 Pro comes in either black or silver frost, with a ceramic back that feels really comfortable in the hand. The faux-leather finish on the Oppo Find X2 Pro provides better grip, but to me, the P40 Pro looks sleeker. Turn it around and you’ll find a 6.58-inch, 2,640-by-1200-pixel OLED screen, which is simply fantastic. It's brighter and ...

The Huawei P40 Pro 5G is an impressive smartphone with a fantastic screen, but you won't find it in the US anytime soon.

Gorgeous screen; Impressive camera night mode

Not available in North America; Light on storage and memory for a flagship phone; Some camera exposure and color balance quirks; No Google apps or Play Store

The Huawei P40 Pro offers a very compelling package of cameras, in fact, the combination of high-quality ultra-wide, wide-angle, and 5x telephoto cameras are an excellent set of cameras to have on a smartphone.

Excellent cameras; True 5x telephoto camera; Great screen; with 90Hz refresh; Impressive image stabilisation for video; Faster fingerprint recognition

Doesn't feature Google Play; Your favourite apps may not be available; 50x digital zoom is terrible; No headphone socket

The Huawei P40 Pro is a beauty with a fantastically impressive set of imaging credentials. Price-wise it undercuts the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus despite offering more zoom, more pixels and a better selfie-camera.

Stunning design; Fantastic optical zoom; Great low light performance

No Google services; Premium pricing; Huge punch hole camera

The Huawei P40 Pro’s hardware makes it the most polished and capable device the company has ever made, but the software experience cripples the handset. The lack of Google Mobile Services is a major problem for many would-be users, and while the camera, design and battery life are all first-rate,...

Phenomenal battery life; One of the best cameras in a phone yet; Likeable design

Frustratingly limited software; Big camera bump; Bezels don’t add much

Fantastic hardware meets challenged software; the P40 Pro is the best camera phone you can get for £899, and the phone’s design is beautiful. Despite some elegant software highlights too, however, the limitations when it comes to Google will likely turn many off.

Class-leading camera; Good battery life; Elegant design; Great if you don't want Google

No Google Services mean; for the price; you'll probably want to look elsewhere (which is a shame); Massive hole punch; App Gallery needs serious improvements quickly

Fantastic hardware meets challenged software; the P40 Pro is the best camera phone you can get for £899, and the phone’s design is beautiful. Despite some elegant software highlights too, however, the limitations when it comes to Google will likely turn many off. If Huawei can improve this in the phone’s lifetime, then the P40 Pro will be a winner.

Class-leading camera; Good battery life; Elegant design; Great if you don't want Google;

No Google Services mean, for the price, you'll probably want to look elsewhere (which is a shame); Massive hole punch; App Gallery needs serious improvements quickly;

The Huawei P40 Pro has a great smartphone camera that delivers impressively high-quality images in conditions that other cameras would struggle. However, the current situation between Google and Huawei means that you can't use many of the apps you'd take for granted on other phones.

Excellent performance in the default settings; High-quality video with good stabilisation even in 4K mode; Superb night-mode that delivers sharp images in challenging conditions

Limited range of apps available; The longest digital zoom settings are best avoided

I was expecting the Huawei P40 Pro to blow away competition by miles ahead, but based on my test results, the P40 Pro’s strength is mostly on the super telephoto end as well as extreme dark scenes.