Huawei Mate 40: Our predictions on Huawei’s next flagship, including its release date

If the Huawei Mate 40 and Huawei Mate 40 Pro are announced, there’s no certainty that they’ll be coming to these shores. The ever-evolving trade relationship between the US and China forced the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro to limp on without Google’s Android software, an issue made particularly painful given the insanely high standard set by the hardware.

Huawei can only hope that by the time the Mate 40 series rolls around, the US and China have reached some kind of lasting agreement. If not, it isn’t clear what operating system the Mate 40 will use, and where in the world it’ll be released. Until there are developments in this area, however, we’re here to bring you the latest on the company’s hypothetical handset; for everything we know so far about the Huawei Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro, read on.

Huawei Mate 40 release date: When will it launch?

With no confirmation from Huawei on the launch date we’ll have to base our predictions on previous model launches. The Mate 30 and 30 Pro launched on 19 September 2019 and the Mate 20 hit the shops in October of 2018.

We’d have to make an educated guess, from these launch dates, that the Mate 40 is likely to land in September or October of 2020. Whilst this could well be the launch date, the ongoing Huawei ban is likely to throw a spanner in the works; with no confirmation of when the Mate 30 series will be available in the UK and Australia, we can’t promise anything.

Huawei Mate 40 price: How much will it cost?

Huawei’s Mate series is the high-performance, high-price kind. The Mate 30 retails at roughly £700 and the Mate 30 Pro comes in at a hefty £970 – or at least they would, if they were available in the UK. You might expect to pay a similar sum for the Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro.

Huawei Mate 40 design: What will it look like?

The Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro shook things up as much as any smartphone could, with waterfall displays, shimmering rear panels and enormous, circular camera arrays. Huawei even removed the physical volume rocker, replacing it with a virtual version that – perhaps irritatingly – doesn’t actually function when the screen is off.

As of right now, there’s no real way of knowing how the Mate 40 will improve upon its predecessors on the design front. That said, we’d like to see the volume rocker make a comeback, as we didn’t have enough time to say goodbye.

Huawei Mate 40 features and specs: What will it do differently?

Software

Rumours suggest that the Mate 40 will run Android. The big question is whether this will be an open-source version devoid of Google apps – like the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro – or the real deal. The answer hinges almost entirely on whether the US decides to lift the trade ban on China.

Stylus included

The 30 Pro is compatible with Huawei’s M-Pen, however, the pen has to be purchased separately. In the Mate 40 series, it would make sense for the stylus to be included with both devices and for the component to fit onto the phone, like the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.

Kirin 1000

Huawei Central reports that the Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro will have a Kirin 1000 SoC inside. This will apparently be the first Huawei chip to be fabricated using a 5nm process, and will launch alongside the new Mate handsets. Expect the new chip to be faster and more power-efficient.

The Kirin 1000 will also have a 5G modem built-in, like the Kirin 990 found in the Mate 30 5G and Mate 30 Pro 5G.

We’ll be updating this page more often as the Huawei Mate 40 begins to take shape, so check back soon.