Huawei P40 review

8 April 2020


Sort by:

Anonymous, 10 Apr 2020"Also the stutter in frame in extreme low light in the comp... moreRYYB sensor calculates green value from the amount of light entered to yellow pixels and red pixels, which means it actually produces more chroma noise than regular RGGB sensor (because this kind of colour interpolation processes always introduce more noise to the image) and its colour accuracy suffers quite a bit. The camera can handle those issues well when taking still photos because it can sample colours information from multiple images shot at different exposures, but obviously it's impossible to do that on video. This is why you start to see a lot of colour blotches in sky under very poor lightings when you're shooting a video with the main camera - interpolations simply don't work that well when there's barely any light entering red pixels even if yellow pixels are letting in more light into themselves - and Huawei recommends users to use Cine Lens instead. And yes auto frame rate can be turned off by switching to 30fps or 60fps.

'Cine Lens' for videos which we all know already has a smaller Fov compared to other flagships"
..You mean compared to other flagships' UWA cameras that drop significantly in quality in low light? And could you give me a link to a video that shows P40 Pro's captures narrower field of view than others during video recording? Because I couldn't find one on YT.
And as I already said, many phones from competing brands don't give you an option to turn off EIS, so I don't see how it can even be a problem for most people, even though I admit it's a nice feature to have nonetheless.

"you'll notice difference in quality"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVbWhe9VXtA&t=520
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEqd0l2kzGI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAam4n4bfhc&t=670

To be honest, not really. In some cases S20 Ultra wins, in others it goes to P40 Pro. This "artifacts" problem won't show up under regular lighting and it's not something that will bother you unless you're shooting videos in pitch black.

    Anonymous, 11 Apr 2020Why not increase the battery capacity or at least keep the ... morei was using mate 20 pro wich has the same size of battery and it could last up to day and a half (u will still put it on charging every night). If u rly want that jack , then u can use adapter jack to aux and problem solved.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • d%u
      • 11 Apr 2020

      Why not increase the battery capacity or at least keep the 3.5 phonejack in a budget oriented variant, I will never understand.

        • A
        • AntiChina
        • Evq
        • 11 Apr 2020

        [deleted post]"regs".

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • XRg
          • 10 Apr 2020

          Nick Tagataka, 10 Apr 2020"which are kept in control on other flagships" Because the... more"Also the stutter in frame in extreme low light in the comparison you linked is most likely due to the RYYB filter not being very suitable for video recording and auto frame rate adjustment that newer Huawei flagships have on by default"

          Can you explain why RYYB filter is not very suitable for video recording? Coz most of the footage comes out soft especially in low light compared to other flagships.

          Also the auto frame rate adjustment sucks. Had it on previous HTC and LG flagships back in the day. Only Samsung used to give proper stable framerates even in low light.
          Are you telling me there is no way to turn it off? No way to get solid 30/60fps footage without lowering frame-rate in low light? Do third party apps like Lumio cam help lock footage to a specific frame rate without drops?

          You do realize that stabilization turned on reduces Fov? Since there is no way to turn it off, you are stuck with it. Also Huawei by default is resorting to the 'Cine Lens' for videos which we all know already has a smaller Fov compared to other flagships.
          Look at the S20 footage in low light(with hybrid stabilization on) and compare it to Huawei, you'll notice difference in quality. Also remember how the default bitrate for videos, 4k or otherwise is lower compared to other flagships. Maybe that's the reason for those artifacts in low light.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • XRg
            • 10 Apr 2020

            Nick Tagataka, 10 Apr 2020No way to get true to life colours? Just turn off the Maste... moreHaha, you should have mentioned that earlier instead of going on long rants as I am simply comparing images out of the box instead of just blindly believing reviewers.

              Anonymous, 09 Apr 2020Don't care about your preferences. The images are unnatural... moreNo way to get true to life colours? Just turn off the Master AI, end of story.

                Anonymous, 09 Apr 2020Never talked about noise, but EIS does make the footage sta... more"which are kept in control on other flagships"
                Because the footage is so dark on those phones that there isn't anything much to show in the first place. In regular low light P40 Pro's video doesn't show any artifacts, apart from bouncy light sources that are common phenomenon among most Android smartphones. Also the stutter in frame in extreme low light in the comparison you linked is most likely due to the RYYB filter not being very suitable for video recording and auto frame rate adjustment that newer Huawei flagships have on by default.

                "combination of AI with EIS/OIS"
                ...which is essentially the same as hybrid stabilisation that other companies frequently use, but with EIS bit being assisted with NPU. I don't know why you think it is the cause of the artifacts when there are clearly more important factors that should be taken into account.

                  sabineblog, 10 Apr 2020even though Google android is no longer supported, I'm sure... moreyea the people are panicking way to over. They already set up apps like messenger viber watssap who most of the people use. In time they will bring the rest of the apps.

                    • G
                    • GrahamD
                    • nw}
                    • 10 Apr 2020

                    I can't be bothered with any phone that uses proprietary memory cards in 2020. No excuse for it.

                      even though Google android is no longer supported, I'm sure huawei will still be successful.

                        • S
                        • Shui8
                        • KZK
                        • 10 Apr 2020

                        Anonymous, 10 Apr 2020What you call washed out is what the image looks in real ti... moreNope. Lots of reviewer says while its color science are spot on, X2 Pro produce color duller than actual scene.

                        You could also argue that most of the reviewer test P40 Pro on its default state, which is with Master AI on. It adds a bit of saturation, contrast base on certain scene (still tolerable, unlike P20 days).

                        I always disable Master AI on my Mate 20, edit later base on my style for final images.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • XRg
                          • 10 Apr 2020

                          Shui8, 09 Apr 2020Its far from unnatural looks lol. Like i said, the differen... moreWhat you call washed out is what the image looks in real time.
                          P40 pro is far more color accurate compared to Mi 10 and others but lags behind Find X2 pro.
                          As I said, If I want oversaturated, punchy colors, I'll simply check chroma boost option on the Find X2 pro.

                            • S
                            • Shui8
                            • KZK
                            • 09 Apr 2020

                            Anonymous, 09 Apr 2020Don't care about your preferences. The images are unnatural... moreIts far from unnatural looks lol. Like i said, the differents mostly on the contrast level side.

                            'never get true to life colors'
                            - actually on X2 Pro colors look a big washed out. Color accuracy on P40 are way better than any Iphone & Samsung.

                            'oversharpening & oversaturate like Samsung'
                            - Good joke. Go compare between P40 again, please, Samsung color cast on shadows looks cartoony. P40 indeed a bit oversharp, because of cropped sensor in 12.5mp res. Its BM3D tech used are far from oil-painting plasticky looks that Samsung has.

                            X2 Pro indeed looks clean, but details a bit smudge & loss compared to P40. Mate 30 Pro still has the best details, great balancing between texture & noise reduction used, until this day.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • XRg
                              • 09 Apr 2020

                              Nick Tagataka, 09 Apr 2020EIS is not what introduces noises and artifacts to an extre... moreNever talked about noise, but EIS does make the footage stable at the cost of introducing a few artifacts especially during action scenes.
                              In low light on a smartphone, you can clearly see those visible artifacts which are kept in control on other flagships.
                              That's coz Huawei is using AIS which is different from EIS.
                              It is combination of AI with EIS/OIS to give more stable footage. And the price to pay are those artifacts in low light since there is no way to turn it off.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • XRg
                                • 09 Apr 2020

                                Shui8, 09 Apr 2020Honestly, judging by those comparison, both are very good. ... moreDon't care about your preferences. The images are unnatural looking. If I want p40 pro type images, I'll simply check the chroma boost option on Find X2 pro. But with Huawei, no way to get default true to life colors in pics. Images Coming out with a Instagram type of filter. The same oversharpening and oversaturared image processing like Samsung. That is exactly what I said. Read my initial post.

                                Everything I highlighted in that post is correct.
                                Stop shilling for Huawei. Never said it was a bad camera, just pointed out some issues which you have a hard time acknowledging.

                                  • S
                                  • Shui8
                                  • KZK
                                  • 09 Apr 2020

                                  Anonymous, 09 Apr 2020https://youtu.be/Xn1zznLTo8AHonestly, judging by those comparison, both are very good. Only a matter of contrast level differences, (Huawei higher, Oppo lower), & in lowlight, definitely Huawei are superior by controlling highlights better. They are no filter-like added feeling, mind you.

                                  And as an actual Leica camera owner, I love the high-contrast style from Huawei, spot on with my preferences. But that doesnt mean Oppo X2 are bad either. Definitely way better than any Samsung's image algorithm.

                                    Anonymous, 09 Apr 2020They are too focused on updating the Huawei app gallery and... moreEIS is not what introduces noises and artifacts to an extreme low light video. And how's my comment on sensor cropping/lens quality anything to do with App Gallery situation??

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • XRg
                                      • 09 Apr 2020

                                      Nick Tagataka, 09 Apr 2020Care to explain that "filter look" you're talking about? Co... moreWatch the link I gave you on a big screen 4k TV, not a smartphone.
                                      You'll notice the differences.

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • XRg
                                        • 09 Apr 2020

                                        Anonymous, 09 Apr 2020But when real time battery usage,it have good battery live,... moreP40 pro with 90hz giving better battery life than p40 with 60hz.
                                        That's what I am talking about.
                                        Phones with 60hz cannot be considered to be having great battery life unless it's above 110hr endurance rating.

                                          3 of 6