Does Huawei’s Mate 40 Pro have what it takes to play with the big boys?
As we watch 2020 come to a close, the last major smartphone brand with a flagship offering finally entered our hands – the Huawei Mate 40 Pro.
If you’re wondering why Huawei seemed quiet after announcing the Mate 40 series in October, that’s because the phones were slated for a December 2020 launch. To recap, the Mate 40 series models available globally are:
Huawei Mate 40 (8GB RAM + 128GB storage): €899 (S$1,610)
Huawei Mate 40 Pro (8GB RAM + 256GB storage): €1,199
Huawei Mate 40 Pro+ (12GB RAM + 256GB storage): €1,399
There’s also a special edition, Porsche-inspired Huawei Mate 40 RS (12GB RAM + 512GB storage) going at €2,295.
For Singapore, the Huawei Mate 40 Pro is available since Dec 12 at $1,598 in two colour variants – Mystic Black and Silver. More details, like pre-order bonuses and official retail channels, can be found here. It’s still not known if other Mate 40 models will hit our shores.
So what’s going on with the Mate 40 Pro? In a nutshell, the middle-child of the Mate 40 series features its latest flagship-tier chipset, the Kirin 9000 system-on-chip.
Across the board, the Kirin 9000 is said to offer on-board 5G connectivity so fast that it runs circles around Qualcomm’s independent X55 5G modem for phones, has 30 per cent more transistors than Apple’s already stunning A14 Bionic transistor count, and a 24-core GPU for ‘pro-level graphics’ for unrivalled gameplay.
However, hardware only makes up one part of the entire smartphone experience. Using all that power would require compatible apps and software. The Mate 40 series came at a time where political quarrels spilt over to technological advancements.
As a result, the phones come without Google Mobile Services (GMS) out of the box, just like the Mate 30 series, the P40 series, and Nova 7 series handsets. Instead, Huawei has Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) running under its Android-based operating system, supported with apps made for Huawei phones via AppGallery. As with the recent Huawei phone reviews, we’ll definitely check in on AppGallery’s progress.
In the imaging department, Mate 40 Pro packs a triple-rear camera configuration led by a 50MP Ultra Vision Came with f/1.9 aperture and RYYB colour filter overlaid on its image sensor.
The RYYB filter sees its two green channels swapped out with yellow (hence the ‘YY’ in the name), theoretically allowing more light in than regular RGGB filters that populate just about every other colour-shooting phone camera out there.
The Huawei P40 Pro touts a very similar main camera – same megapixel count, same aperture size, same 1/1.28-inch sensor, same RYYB filter – but the Mate 40 Pro’s main camera doesn’t have optical image stabilisation like how P40 Pro does.
That’s not to say the camera tech was stagnant on the Mate 40 Pro – Huawei is counting on the Kirin 9000 to bring great imaging quality with its “50 per cent higher image processing throughput and 48 per cent better video noise reduction” than the previous Kirin 990 5G chipset, which the P40 Pro had.
Other flagship features are also available on the device, such as 66W wired fast-charging, 50W wireless fast-charging, IP68 water resistance, NFC, both face recognition and fingerprint sensor, and a second SIM slot that doubles as an expandable storage slot using Huawei’s proprietary NM card.
By all accounts, it seems like the Huawei Mate 40 Pro is your regular, high-end flagship smartphone, but can it hold up in such a competitive market? Let’s find out.
Design & handling
Huawei decidedly kept key design elements of the Mate series on the Mate 40 range while giving it a small spin to spruce up the device for 2020 and forward.
Dubbed as the Space Ring Design, Huawei houses the rear cameras in a circular cut-out with the Leica branding in its centre. The central portion is no longer black like the rest of the camera housing, and Huawei did away with the differently polished border for a modern, cleaner appearance.
The top and bottom rungs showcase its polished metal prominently, while the sides accommodate the curved display. The antenna bands share a similar colour scheme as its rear (in our case, the review phone came in an iridescent Silver). The overall aesthetic feels familiar to the Mate phones that came before it.
It’s a lovely design that stands out from other premium alternatives, even if it feels a little dated by now. While it looks unique, it has one of the biggest camera housings for a phone – most handsets have a bump that takes up a corner, while the Mate 40 Pro’s camera housing is nearly a third of the rear. You’ll need to be extra mindful when removing it from the pockets or placing it face-up on a table.
New‑Look Mate 40 Pro: Back to Physical Buttons Missed by Many
One of the biggest changes the Mate 40 Pro brings is the return of the classic physical volume keys. The previous Mate 30 Pro made you slide your finger along the side to tweak the sound—no tactile buttons, just a smooth gesture. The power/lock button was the only real key on the whole phone.
With the 40 Pro, you’ll find a fresh set of volume dials right above the red‑tinted power/lock button. They’re sleek, still feel good under pressure, and give you instant control.
But Don’t Lose the Slide‑It‑Forward Feature
- On the far side of the phone you can double‑tap and slide your finger along the rim.
- Make a smooth up or down move to hit the right volume level.
- That means you’ve got two convenient ways to tweak sound—buttons on one side and sliding on the other.
So whether you’re a keyboard‑loving classicist or a gesture‑enthusiast, the Mate 40 Pro has you covered.
As a whole, the smartphone’s handling is expectedly comfortable if you can deal with the protruding camera housing.
Display & audio
The Huawei Mate 40 Pro has a 6.76-inch OLED display rated at FHD+ (2,772 x 1,344 pixels resolution) and 90Hz refresh rate. Where it excels is the panel’s 240Hz touch sampling rate, making it feel really responsive to your touch inputs.
An OLED display makes the Mate 40 Pro’s panel vibrant and bright, with great colourisation, detail, and accuracy. If we had any gripes, it’s only because it’s not quite 1440p. However, its high pixel density of ~456 PPI makes the Mate 40 Pro sufficiently sharp at a glance.
Meet the Twin-Stack Audio Powerhouse
Got a Mate 40 Pro? Here’s the cool truth about its speakers.
Two Speakers, One Mission
- Bottom speaker – the sturdy boom box at your feet, dropping bass like a thunderclap.
- Top speaker – the slim call mic that pops up for your daily ring‑ups, whispering the tiniest details.
Right off the bat, Huawei hasn’t thrown a fancy orchestra on the device. No secret tuning, no elite audio wizardry. The dual speakers are designed to keep sound serviceable and nothing more – reliable, solid, and just plain audible.
A Bit of Emoticon‑Level Truth
If you’re craving a slick audio experience, this Mate 40 Pro will deliver “good enough” vibes, not “mind‑blowing” ones. Think of it as the dependable friend who says, “Hey, I’m here. Let’s crank it up a bit!”
UI & features
The Huawei Mate 40 Pro comes with Android 10 reskinned beneath its proprietary EMUI 11. This is odd, considering how Android 11 has already started popping up on competing devices, either via software updates or in newly-launched models.
Fortunately, your browsing experience isn’t going to see a huge hindrance, unless you’re banking on Android 11 features making EMUI better.
As described in our overview above, certain political circumstances have led to the decoupling of GMS from Huawei’s recent slate of newly launched phones.
Huawei has since plugged that gap with two important features – the AppGallery, where it hosts all Android apps made with the HMS core in mind, and Petal Search, a search engine app that scours both official app sources (like WhatsApp official website, which hosts APKs of the messaging app), and unofficial, third-party app stores for copies of installable Google Play apps.
The latter, however, doesn’t guarantee full app functionality on the phone – it just looks for the most updated APK file hosted outside of Google Play Store, and the process is subject to these third-party app stores keeping their inventory up-to-date and free of mobile cyber threats. 
Even with the lack of GMS, certain Google products like Google Maps worked fine when installed via Petal Search. A deeper look (in the Settings app) revealed that it’s using the HMS core for location services, and not GMS. Chances are, map data is on par with regular Google Maps, but HMS handles the location and navigation heavy-lifting.
Before we celebrate, other commonly used Google services and products are not as readily available. YouTube still requires access via the built-in Internet browser, and so does Gmail.
The Google app, Google Drive, and Google Chrome apps either don’t work, and they don’t function properly if you manage to install them.
Even with unofficial sources of Google apps made easily accessible with Petal Search, Huawei really doesn’t want you to go back to Google-backed services, since the apps sometimes shut down even if you manage to get it onto the phone.
Additionally, we requested for a list of new apps available on AppGallery since our Nova 7 SE review, but Huawei regurgitated its full list of relevant apps, most of which we’ve already covered previously in individual news articles and in older phone reviews.
As far as we can tell, TraceTogether is a new app in AppGallery, making Huawei phones more relevant for hyperlocal use given our ongoing social distancing requirements. DBS and POSB join the list of previously supported local bank apps. Deliveroo, HungryGoWhere, and Chope have decidedly joined FoodPanda as well. For government e-services, Singpass Mobile will come after this year (estimated January 2021).
Other apps, like Lazada, Shopee, ComfortDelGro, TADA, RYDE, and a host of banking apps were available on AppGallery since H1 2020. Noticeably, the Grab superapp (which has its ride-hailing, e-payments wallet, and food delivery services) isn’t available via AppGallery.
According to Huawei, more than 18,000 new games to AppGallery over the past 12 months. However, a quick scan at mobile gaming options tells us we’re better off side-loading top game apps of higher quality (Genshin Impact and Dragalia Lost, anybody?) like we always have with previous Huawei devices.
As a whole, not getting to use the YouTube app (along with all its handy casting alternatives) and Google Chrome app (which offers cross-platform records of your bookmarks and web history) can affect your general browsing experience.
We tried side-loading Grab, and it actually works fine since the driver or food reaches you, but location data isn’t available (so you can’t see where your driver/delivery person is).
If you’re not savvy with side-loading apps, you’d still be locked out of top mobile games, as well as crucial messaging and social meia apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. On the plus side, popular game titles like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Honkai Impact 3, Lords Mobile, Summoners War, are natively available via AppGallery.
We’d say our experience isn’t that much different from our initial experience with AppGallery.
Imaging performance
On the rear of the Mate 40 Pro comes a triple camera system:
50MP Ultra Vision Camera (wide angle), f/1.9 aperture, 1/1.28-inch sensor, RYYB colour filter, octa-PD AutoFocus
20MP Cine Camera (ultra-wide-angle), f/1.8 aperture
12MP Telephoto Camera, f/3.4 aperture, OIS, AF support, 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, 50x digital zoom
Notably, the main camera does not have optical image stabilisation (which is also confirmed in DxOMark’s experimentation with the cameras).
Huawei makes it up with the Kirin 9000 processor, since it supposedly hosts Huawei’s most powerful image signalling processor (ISP) to-date: at its keynote, the company boasted 50 per cent higher processing throughput and 48% better video noise reduction over the previous Kirin 990 5G chipset.
Seeing how it has nearly the same main camera but a supposedly better ISP than the P40 Pro, we’re expecting imaging results to be slightly better, if not the same as its early 2020 relatives. Of course, our sampling is to find out how Huawei improved its imaging quality in visible ways.
Note: The recent adverse weather meant sampling image quality at the first opportunity available, and therefore may not be ideal conditions for photo-taking. Kindly bear that in mind when reviewing the following images.<img alt="" data-caption="Shot on main camera.
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Even in challenging conditions (as you will see below), the cameras are capable of capturing detail without overly-sacrificing accuracy, and it prioritises good colourisation above all else. Light detection still needs a little more work, though, and it’s less consistent at auto-exposure across different lenses.<img alt="" data-caption="Main camera shot.
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Benchmark performance, battery, conclusion
Mate 40 Pro: Powered by the Kirin 9000 5G Chip
Huawei’s brand‑new Mate 40 Pro rolls out with the next‑generation Kirin 9000, the company’s shiny new 5G‑ready brain. This isn’t just a random upgrade – it follows the habitual cycle where the P‑series phones of a given year adopt the chipset from the previous year’s Mate lineup.
How the Up‑cycle Works
In simple terms: every year, the P‑series grabs the chip that was last year’s Mate boss, and the Mate now gets the fresh new one. Think of it like a musical chairs of processors that keeps everyone on their toes.
Why the Kirin 9000 is a Real Deal
The Kirin 9000 is a major selling point. Just like its predecessors, the Mate 40 boasts a brand‑new chipset that everyone’s excited to talk about. It’s the kind of technological punchline that keeps the sales charts smiling.
- Lightning‑fast 5G connectivity
- Energy‑efficient performance boost
- Seamless multitasking and gaming experience
In short, the Kirin 9000 is not just a piece of silicon – it’s the star of the show that makes the Mate 40 Pro a must‑try for tech fans craving the next level of speed and efficiency.
The Kirin 9000 has a 24-core GPU (Mali-G78), a 2-Big, 1-Tiny core NPU (neural processing unit), an 8-core CPU clocked at up to 3.13GHz, all on a 5nm architecture offering up to 15.3 billion transistors. On paper, that’s 30 per cent more transistors than the 5nm A14 Bionic processors by Apple inside the 2020 iPhones. Huawei also said it has 25 per cent, 150 per cent, and 50 per cent increase in CPU, NPU, and GPU performance respectively when compared to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor.
Huawei’s claims put the Mate 40 Pro squarely against the iPhone 12 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 – the closest Apple competitor bearing the A14 Bionic and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ smartphone we’ve tested.
Other phones in our benchmarks below are also for reference, and we included a gamut of flagship phones with varying flagship-tier processors (A14 Bionic, SD865, SD865+, Exynos 990, Kirin 990).
The Huawei Mate 40 Pro was, by far, the most tedious phone we’ve come across for benchmarking in 2020.
Despite our best efforts with several resets, wipes, updates, side-loading from both Petal Search or unofficial app stores, and all permissions enabled down to the HMS Core, the Mate 40 Pro could not accept the installation of two crucial benchmark tools – Geekbench 5 and AnTuTu. It was clear that the device isn’t yet optimised for app compatibility beyond AppGallery.
These two apps are critical at telling us the phone’s CPU usage and performance. It’s extra confusing when the earlier P40 series played nicely with benchmarking, and how the Mate 40 Pro did not reject other non-Google apps we know of that weren’t carried in AppGallery (like game apps or Facebook-owned services such as WhatsApp or Instagram).
Geekbench 5’s rankings also do not have the Mate 40 Pro’s scores as of writing, despite other Huawei P series and Mate series phone models being listed within the rankings or called out (at the bottom) for gaming the benchmark scores. AnTuTu has the Mate 40 Pro listed, so we can glean information there instead. In short, we can still get a sense of the phone’s performance despite the compatibility limitations.
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
OnePlus 8T
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Huawei P40 Pro+
Oppo Find X2 Pro 5G
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra (128GB)
Launch SRP
From S$1598
From S$899
—
From S$2888
From S$1898
From S$1898
From S$1699
From S$1898
Operating system
Android 10 with EMUI 11
OxygenOS 11, based on Android 11
iOS 14
Android 10 (One UI 2.1)
One UI, based on Android 10
Android 10 with EMUI 10.1
ColorOS 7.1, based on Android 10
Android 10 (One UI 2.1)
Processor
HUAWEI Kirin 9000 5G octa-core (1 x 3.13GHz Cortex-A77, 3 x 2.54GHz Cortex-A77, & 4 x 2.05GHz Cortex-A55)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
A14 Bionic
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+
Samsung Exynos 990
HUAWEI Kirin 990 5G octa-core (2 x 2.86GHz Cortex-A76 & 2 x 2.36GHz Cortex-A76 & 4 x 1.95GHz Cortex-A55)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Octa-core up to 2.84GHz
Exynos 990
Built-in Memory
8GB RAM
8GB/12GB RAM
LPDDR4X
6GB RAM
12GB
12GB RAM
LPDDR5
8GB RAM
12GB RAM
LPDDR5
12GB
Display
6.76-inches 2,772 x 1,344 pixels (~456 ppi) OLED, 90Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate
Always-On Display
6.55-inch / 2,400 x 1,080 pixels (402 ppi) / 120Hz refresh rate / Fluid AMOLED Display
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display
2,532 x 1,170 pixels resolution
460 pixels per inch
HDR
TrueTone
Cover Screen:
6.2-inch, Super AMOLED, 25:9 aspect ratio
2,260 x 816 pixels resolution (386ppi)
60Hz refresh rate
Main Screen:
7.6-inch, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 22.5:18 aspect ratio
2,208 x 1,768 pixels (373ppi)
120Hz refresh rate
6.9-inch / 3,088 x 1,440 pixels (496 ppi) / 120Hz refresh rate / 240Hz touch sampling rate / HDR10+ / Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display
6.58-inches 2,640 x 1,200 pixels (~441 ppi) OLED, 90Hz
Always-On Display
6.7-inch / 3,168 x 1,440 pixels (513 ppi) / 120Hz refresh rate / OLED Display
6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O display
3,200 x 1,440 pixels
511ppi
Camera
Rear:
50MP Ultra Vision Camera, f/1.9
20MP Cine Camera ultra-wide angle f/1.8,
12MP Telephoto Camera, f/3.4, OIS
Front:
13MP, f/2.4
3D Depth Sensing Camera
Rear:
48MP, Sony IMX586, f/1.78, 4-in-1 pixel binning (1.6µm @ 12MP)
16MP, Ultra-Wide-Angle, f/2.2, 123° FOV
2MP Macro
2MP, Monochrome
Front:
16MP, Sony IMX471, f/2.4, 1.0 µm
Rear cameras:
Triple 12MP camera system with lidar scanner
Ultrawide: 13mm, f/2.4
Wide: 26mm, f/1.6
Telephoto: 52mm, f/2.2
4x optical zoom
10x digital zoom
OIS (wide and telephoto)
Smart HDR for all cameras
Night Mode for wide and ultrawide cameras
Deep Fusion for all cameras
4K, 60fps
Dolby Vision 4K, 60fps
Slow-motion up to 240fps at 1080p
Front camera:
12MP, f/2.2
Night Mode
Deep Fusion
Smart HDR
Rear:
12MP, f/1.8, wide-angle 1.8µm, Super Speed Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
12MP, f/2.2, ultra-wide, 1.12µm, 123° FOV
12MP, f/2.4, telephoto, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS
Cover:
10MP, f/2.2, selfie, 1.22µm
Front:
10MP, f/2.2, portrait, 1.22µm
Rear:
12MP Ultra Wide Camera, 1.4μm pixel size, 120 ̊ FOV, f/2.2 aperture
108MP Wide-Angle Camera with PDAF and OIS, 1.4μm, 79 ̊ FOV, f/1.8
12MP Telephoto Camera, 1.0μm, 20 ̊ FOV, f/3.0
Laser Autofocus Sensor
5x Optical Zoom
50x Super Resolution Zoom
Front:
10MP Selfie Camera with Dual Pixel AF, 1.22μm, 80 ̊ FOV, f/2.2
Rear: Quad: 50-megapixel Ultra Vision Camera f/1.9 + OIS, 40-megapixel Cine Camera ultra-wide angle f/1.8, 8-megapixel SuperZoom Camera, 10x Optical Zoom, f/4.4 + OIS, 8-megapixel Telephoto Camera, 3x optical, f/2.4 aperture + OIS, 3D Depth Sensing Camera
Front: 32-megapixel, f/2.2 + Depth Camera
Rear:
48MP, Sony IMX689 1/1.4-inch sensor size, f/1.7, All Pixel Omni-Directional PDAF
48MP, Sony IMX586 1/2-inch sensor size, f/2.2, 120° FOV, 3cm Macro
13MP Periscope Telephoto, f/3.0, 10x Hybrid Zoom, 60x Digital Zoom
Front:
32MP, f/2.4
Rear:
12MP, 120°, f/2.2, 13mm (ultra-wide), 1.4µm
108MP, 79°, f/1.8, 26mm (wide-angle), 1/1.33″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS
48MP, 24°, f/3.5, 103mm (telephoto), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 10x hybrid optical zoom
0.3MP, f/1.0, time-of-flight 3D, (depth)
Front:
40MP, 80°, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 0.7µm, PDAF
Connectivity
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 5G NR (primary SIM), 4G FDD LTE, dual-band, hotspot, DLNA, Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE, GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C, NFC
5G NSA, 5G SA, LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4G, 5G, 2×2 MIMO), NFC, Bluetooth 5.1 (aptX, aptX HD, LDAC, AAC, SBC), A-GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo, GPS (L1+L5 Dual Band)
5G (sub-6GHz)
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax/b/g/n/a/)
Bluetooth 5.0
Ultra-wideband chip
LTE / 5G (Sub6)
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE
GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
NFC
5G (NSA, SA, mmWave), LTE (4×4 MIMO up to Cat 20), Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4GHz, 5GHz, MIMO), NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Ultra Wide Band
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 5G NR (primary SIM), 4G FDD LTE, dual-band, hotspot, DLNA, Bluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE, GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C, NFC
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4Ghz, 5.1Ghz, 5/8Ghz(, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.1, A-GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo, GPS
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax/ac/n/b/g/n/a)
Bluetooth 5.0
A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
Storage Type
256GB internal storage
Huawei Nano Memory expansion (up to 256GB)
128GB/256GB internal storage
UFS 3.1 2-lane
128GB, 256GB, 512GB
256GB
No MicroSD slot
256GB internal storage
512GB internal storage
Huawei Nano Memory expansion (up to 256GB)
512GB internal storage
UFS 3.0
128GB internal storage
Battery
4,400mAh
66W Huawei SuperCharge
50W Huawei Wireless SuperCharge
15W Huawei Wireless Quick Charge (Qi wireless charging)
Reverse wireless charging
4,500mAh
65W Fast Charging (10V/6.5A)
Built-in lithium-ion
Up to 17 hours video playback
4,500mAh
25W Super Fast Charging
15W Wireless Fast Charging
Wireless PowerShare
4,500mAh
USB PD 3.0 Fast Charging, AFC, QC 2.0
Samsung Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 (15W)
4,200mAh
40W Huawei SuperCharge
40W Huawei Wireless SuperCharge
15W Huawei Wireless Quick Charge (Qi wireless charging)
Reverse wireless charging
4,260mAh
65W SuperVOOC 2.0 Flash Charge
5,000mAh Li-Po
Dimensions
162.9 x 75.5 x 9.1mm (vegan leather 9.5mm)
160.7 x 74.1 x 8.4mm
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mm
Folded: 68 x 159.2 x 13.8 – 16.8mm
Unfolded: 128.2 x 159.2 x 6.0 – 6.9mm
164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1mm
158.2 x 72.6 x 9.0 mm
165.2 x 74.4 x 8.8mm
166.9 x 76 x 8.8 mm
Weight
212g
188g
189g
282g
208g
226g
217g
220g
Video Support
—
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—
—
—
—
4320p@24fps, 2160p@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+
Audio Support
—
—
—
—
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JetStream 2.0
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How JetStream 2 Really Tests Your Browser
JetStream 2 is a mash‑up of all the classic JavaScript and Web Assembly benchmarks—yeah, the ones that once bragled around as SunSpider and Octane—rolled together into one slick package.
What It Does
- Runs 64 subtests (no fancy maths involved)
- Each subtest gets the same weight—so every single one matters
- Multiple tries are run to get a reliable result
- Finally it spits out a single score, the geometric mean of all those runs
Why It’s Worth Your Time
Think of it as a “good‑browser” report card. The better the score, the smoother the web experience you’re going to enjoy. So, if your browser’s score starts dropping, it might be time to fine‑tune or upgrade—becauses, let’s be honest, we all love that buttery‑smooth loading feel.
Takeaway
In short, JetStream 2 is a quick, comprehensive health check for your browser’s JavaScript prowess. Keep those scores high and your browsing bliss will stay high too.
AnTuTu
Note: As of March 9, 2020, all AnTuTu benchmarks were removed from the Google Play Store. This move likely arose from Google’s attempts to relieve the Play Store of apps that violate their policies. AnTuTu is working with Google to restore their app listing. For this review, we used the APK file that was available on AnTuTu’s website.
AnTuTu is an all-in-one benchmark that tests CPU, GPU, memory, and storage. The CPU benchmark evaluates both integer and floating-point performance, and the GPU tests assess 2D and 3D performance, the memory test measures available memory bandwidth and latency, and the storage tests gauge the read and write speeds of a device’s flash memory.
Since the AnTuTu app could not be installed on the device, we’re using the scores featured in the benchmark’s website.
Geekbench 5
Geekbench’s CPU Ranking – The Real‑World Test
Geekbench 5 gives you a lightning‑fast snapshot of a processor’s power, measuring how a device handles one core or the whole core squad with tasks that feel like everyday use.
What the Numbers Mean
- Single‑core performance – how fast the machine tackles a single thread.
- Multi‑core performance – how it handles the whole team of cores.
Scores are anchored to a baseline of 1,000 – the Intel Core i3‑8100 sits at that point, so anything above is faster, anything below is slower.
The Mate 40 Pro Hiccup
Despite our best efforts, the Mate 40 Pro behaves like a mischievous kid playing hide‑and‑seek with Geekbench. The device simply isn’t compatible with the app, a glitch we uncovered during our reviews. Consequently, the benchmark team has not tackled its score, and you won’t find it on the Geekbench website, even though other Huawei models are flaunting their numbers.
While other Huawei phones enjoy the spotlight, the Mate 40 Pro keeps its performance under wraps, leaving us to wonder what secret it hides.
3DMark Sling Shot Extreme
3DMark Sling Shot is an advanced 3D graphics benchmark that tests the full range of OpenGL ES 3.1 and ES 3.0 API features including multiple render targets, instanced rendering, uniform buffers and transform feedback. The test also includes impressive volumetric lighting and post-processing effects. The test’s Unlimited mode ignores screen resolutions.
We’re also collecting scores with 3DMark’s new benchmark, Wild Life. Below are the test’s Unlimited Mode scores.
Performance benchmark remarks
As a whole, the Huawei Mate 40 Pro performs on par with most 2020 Android flagships. If you’re getting the Mate 40 Pro as an upgrade from 2019 or earlier handsets, it’s certainly within expectations.
But, if you’re getting it hoping that it’ll beat out SD865+ or Apple’s phone performance, you’re not going to find that happening. For reference, the Z Fold2 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ chipset, and the iPhone 12 Pro listed in the benchmarks are running the latest A14 Bionic chipset Huawei compared itself to.
Another problem in our benchmarking was the Mate 40 Pro’s massive inconsistencies in the scores. Typically, we’d run the benchmarks multiple times to check for consistency, and it’s highly unlikely to see a huge difference in scores between each attempt.
The Mate 40 Pro wasn’t consistent, as it sometimes produced scores too high or too low compared to its median score results.
Despite the phone feeling buttery smooth in light-browsing and social media apps, the inconsistent benchmarking and lower-than-promised numbers penalise its performance score.
Battery life
Our standard battery test for mobile phones has the following parameters:
Looping a 720p video with screen brightness and volume at 100 per cent
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
Constant data streaming through email
Huawei Mate 40 Pro Battery: Why It’s Just Okay
What the Numbers Say
Equipped with a 4,400 mAh battery, the Mate 40 Pro gives you roughly 631 minutes of playtime—about 10½ hours. Sound great at first glance, but in real life the phone drains faster than you’d expect, especially when you compare it to the P40 Pro+, which delivered an extra 170 minutes on a less‑powerful old chipset that packed a smaller battery.
Predecessor Outshines the New Kid
- Mate 30 Pro: Boasts 50 % more runtime than the Mate 40 Pro.
- Flagship for battery longevity back in 2020.
Apple’s Tidy Trade‑off
The iPhone 12 Pro runs twice as long on battery but with a much smaller mAh rating. It still manages to outperform many rivals in raw performance, so Apple’s strategy is to lean into speed over longevity.
Galaxy Z Fold‑2: The Big Screen Drag
While the Mate 40 Pro could beat the Galaxy Z Fold‑2 in pure uptime, its massive display still pulls extra power. At the end of the day, the bigger panel is a silent villain that hurts heart‑rate, but the phone overall outlasts the foldable by a touch.
Bottom Line
To sum it up: the Mate 40 Pro’s battery life is good enough for daily use but falls short when measured against the 2020 lineup, the broader Huawei ecosystem, or even its predecessor. It’s functional, not flashy—so we’ll call it “sufficient but not stellar.”
Where Huawei Mate 40 Pro makes up for its battery is the insanely fast quick-charging capabilities. By using the cable and the 66W Huawei SuperCharge adapter that came in the phone’s packaging, we were able to get from 0 per cent to 100 per cent in 51 minutes, since the phone itself can also accept up to 66W fast-charging too.
We also tried charging with the Huawei-branded 40W wireless charger, and it averaged between 1.5 hours to 2 hours for a nothing-to-maximum charge. It could be faster yet as the phone actually supports 50W wireless charging but you’ll need a compatible wireless charger too.
Conclusion
As a 2020 flagship-tier smartphone, the 5G-ready Huawei Mate 40 Pro feels like, works like, and looks like a typical high-quality handset. Like the P40 series, the standout feature on the Mate 40 Pro was its imaging capabilities. The display is sufficiently bright, sharp, and detailed, with regular 2020 flagship performance in day-to-day operation.
Coupled with IP68 waterproofing, NFC support, and fast-charging that juices up to 100 per cent within the hour, the Mate 40 Pro checks all the boxes. Huawei tops it all off with an alluring aesthetic for the phone, even if the camera bump feels too massive at times.
Where it falls short on are two key areas: making certain hardware promises it almost could not keep, and the speed of apps being naturalised for the HMS ecosystem. At its keynote, Huawei wanted us to believe it’s a phone that’s at least on par, or more powerful than the iPhone 12 handsets. They also took a dig at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865+ processors.
The Mate 40 Pro is a lesson in humility since our cumulative benchmarking results showed that it’s no better (or worse) than your average Qualcomm-backed flagship. In fact, it’s arguably poorer since it clocks in shorter battery life compared to other flagship options, and even against the P40 Pro+ which had an older Huawei chipset. 
On the HMS and AppGallery front, TraceTogether certainly is a huge addition for greater convenience, but it seems like the converting of apps has considerably slowed down compared to H1 2020.
Right now, a typical Huawei user can feel the pinch if their workplace uses Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), or Google Chrome for personal web browsing, since the HMS Core on the Mate 40 Pro would mean looking for viable alternatives. In the entertainment space,
YouTube is still relegated to its Internet browser app (shortcut or otherwise), and you’ll have to side-load many other higher-quality mobile games beyond the ones we found and listed under our Features section. Technically, it is still an evolution from its Mate 30 days, even if it’s not at a breadth and scale we desired.
Side-loading is also necessary for certain core daily-life apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Grab, etc., which is something that hasn’t changed after a year of HMS since the Mate 30 Pro.
While Petal Search is a great resource for unofficial APKs, it leaves users slightly vulnerable to the perils of installing unverified copies of Android apps – making the Mate 40 Pro something more for the savvier phone users among us.
Even if you find the correct apps for your needs, compatibility challenges lie ahead – just like our experiences in getting the phone to behave during benchmarks, or having to work around Google products for productivity needs.
That said, with major local apps seeing greater support on AppGallery now means that it’s far easier to migrate to the HMS ecosystem when you compare it to the Mate 30 Pro’s era. It’s also a no-brainer upgrade from the previous generation Mate devices since users of the Mate 30 series would’ve already gotten used to the workarounds by now.
At a $1,598 price tag, it’s squarely within a highly-contested market here, but the camera makes a decent showing as to why it’s worth going to an HMS Huawei handset. Naturally, if you value Google-backed services more than camera prowess, you should be looking at other Android handsets for the time being.
If you’re keen to crossover and find out firsthand if living the HMS life with Huawei’s newest flagship is something you can stomach, you can get the Mate 40 Pro handset at Huawei Concept Stores, major telecommunication operators (M1, Singtel, Starhub), online platforms of consumer electronic stores (such as Best Denki, Challenger/Hachi.tech, Courts, Harvey Norman, iShop Changi), and official platforms of Huawei including its Lazada and Shopee storefronts.
This article was first published in Hardware Zone.
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