The CEO of Huawei just took the stage and announced the long-rumored P40 series of flagships (and a midranger) in an online-only event that replaced the great Parisian fanfare due to the coronavirus scare (it rhymes!).

Huawei P40 Pro and Plus specs and display

The two larger phones sport a beautiful “quad-curve” waterfall display that slopes not only towards the side frame, but also towards the top and bottom of the device. Now that’s a “waterfall” screen, although Huawei calls Overflow Display. This has allowed Huawei to achieve a record screen-to-body ratio, and stuff 6.6″ displays in incredibly compact for the diagonal bodies.

It looks and feels beautiful, especially when paired with the new matte Silver Frost finish that is still a hue chameleon, and the dual-tone camera island on the back.  The phones are available in “nanotech ceramic” Ice White and Black (P40 Pro+) finishes with sapphire-like hardness, as well as Deep Sea Blue, and the excellent matte Silver Frost or Blush Gold colors (Pro)

The in-display fingerprint scanner has been greatly improved as well, managing to cover 30% more area than before, and be a third faster to unlock. Thankfully, Huawei is keeping the optical instead of Samsung’s ultrasonic solution that behaves slower. 

Huawei P40 Pro and Plus camera zoom and hands-on samples

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the new P40 series is that even in these trying times for Huawei, they are again daring to go where no phone has gone before when it comes to photography. 

Not to be outdone by Samsung, Huawei also equipped a 100% of its camera pixels with phase-detection autofocus, for instantaneous continuous AF when shooting video and milliseconds in low-light scenarios. Instead of the Dual PD autofocus, however, Huawei uses an Octa PD solution for uninterrupted refocusing in all scenarios.

The dual 32MP front camera also comes with autofocus and 4K video recording, unlike many other competitors, and Huawei promises beautiful bokeh portrait shots with the second IR depth/gesture sensor. As for video, there is no 8K recording, but the 4K comes with a bunch of features and optimizations, as well as with optical and Audio Zoom technologies.

These specs alone should tell you a lot about Huawei’s strive for excellence, and we shot a few quick hands-on shots with the P40 Pro to show you how clear the maximum hybrid zoom level is, and the amount of light the crazy big 50MP sensor is able to soak in during the night.

Huawei P40 Pro and Plus price and release date