Huawei has just announced the new Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro. The two phones look rather similar from the outside but some key bumps in design, camera and display set the Pro apart. With a decent price gap, there’s plenty to consider when picking a winner in the Mate 40 vs Mate 40 Pro matchup.
Before we take you through the key differences of these two devices, let’s take a look at what’s on offer in terms of price. In the UK, Mate 40 comes in just one model for €899 (expected to be £899 if it comes to the UK, which there’s every chance it doesn’t) while the Mate 40 Pro – also available in just one model – costs £1099.
The £200 difference will likely have a huge sway on which of Huawei’s new flagships you go for, as both continue to battle with Google Play Services-sporting rivals at similar price points. Let’s dive into Mate 40 vs Mate 40 Pro.
Go Pro for the better camera tech
Both the Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro get new camera setups this year and they both feature a 50-megapixel Super Sensing Wide main sensor with an f/1.9 aperture – but that’s where the symmetry ends.
With Huawei Mate 40, you get a 16-megapixel ultra-wide and a 8-megapixel 3x telephoto. The setup offers up a 5x optical zoom range. The Pro gives you a 20-megapixel ultra-wide and a 12-megapixel 5x telephoto periscope camera, with all that able to achieve a 7x optical zoom range. You also get a 3D depth sensing camera on the Mate 40 Pro.
The specs make the choice quite easy for camera diehards, with the Mate 40 Pro outshining the Mate 40 on almost every lens and feature.
Performance won’t differ much
The new Mate 40 series all sports the new Kirin 9000 5G chip – offering eight CPU cores and 24 graphics cores while using the 5nm process. This is paired with 8GB RAM in the models that will be available in the UK – for both the regular Mate 40 and the Mate 40 Pro.
This all means that you can expect nigh-on identical performance from these two devices. Our hands-on Huawei Mate 40 Pro review said of the performance: “The Mate 40 Pro feels, as you would expect, fast.” So, the Mate 40 series is looking like a positively speedy winner, even if some competitors are sporting higher RAM. We’ll be putting the device through more strenuous paces in the coming weeks to put this all to the test more thoroughly.
Related: Best Android phone
Pixel peeping
The compute performance of the Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro is set to extremely similar and the same can be said for much of the display specs.
Both devices get OLED 90hz displays but the Mate 40 Pro sports a higher 2772 x 1344 resolution while the regular Mate 40 goes with 2376 x 1080 pixels. The pixel count may not make a huge difference with the Mate 40 Pro coming in noticeably larger at 6.58-inches, compared to the 6.1-inch display on the Mate 40.
IP68 vs IP53
The Huawei Mate 40 Pro takes the clear lead in the resistance department, sporting the widely adopted higher splash, water and dust resistance standard of IP68. IP68 means the device is protected in static water up to 1.5 metres for 30 seconds, something which is lacking with IP53 – meaning you’ll have to be a lot more cautious with the Mate 40.
Many devices like the OnePlus 8T have opted not to get IP certification when offering less than the IP68 standard – seen on the OnePlus 8 Pro – touted as a cost-cutting measure. Huawei has decided to offer that added security of certification even at the lower standard.
Related: Best phone
Top drawer design comes at a premium
Huawei Mate 40 Pro and Mate 40 look extremely similar for the most part – looking identical from the back (beyond a larger camera module on the Pro) and offering the same three colour options. The colour options for both are Silver Frost, Black and Blush Gold.
The changes come when viewing the phone from the front. Huawei Mate 40 Pro looks remarkable and it’s thanks to its almost complete demolition of its bezels – only slightly visible at the corners. By comparison, the top and bottom bezels of the Mate 40 are easy to see – even if they are pretty inoffensive.
Both designs fall into the same curved glass sandwich formula that many premium Android phones have but the reduced bezels on the Pro certainly make it stand out from the crowd.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
