What you need to know
- The first leaks of the Huawei Mate 40 have emerged, showing off a more refined Mate 30-inspired design.
- Huawei adopts trends like the hole-punch display while leaning hard into its camera bump.
- The phone is expected to be delayed by at least two months.
Huawei is preparing to launch the Mate 40 in the next few months, and a new set of renders from OnLeaks and HandsetExpert shows us what the company's putting together. It's very recognizably Huawei and a subtle evolution of the Mate 30's design. The most obvious change here is the camera bump, which seems a little larger than the Mate 30 ones. While some OEMs are trying their best to minimize or hide their bumps, Huawei is going all out on embracing theirs and push their reputation as a camera phone.
As with the P40, Huawei will ditch the notch for a hole-punch display to accommodate the dual-selfie camera, and the leak adds the display will measure a fairly large 6.4-inches.
While the hardware in this phone will, just as with the Huawei P40 and P40 Pro, probably be excellent. Huawei will still face problems getting this phone out to the masses as the U.S. continues to further isolate the company. A June report indicated that supply chain issues may push its launch two months later than the company would prefer, so November rather than a probably September going off of previous launches.
The lack of Google apps will still loom large in places like Europe and the UK even if the company manages to get past all that, but Huawei may find success in the Chinese market regardless.
Huawei Mate 30
The Mate 30 was the first proper Huawei flagship to ship without Google's software on board. The hardware remains excellent even in 2020, but the lack of the Play Store and Google apps will be a deal-breaker for many.
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