Review: Huawei P40 Pro – Unboxing and How To Set-up
The new Huawei P40 Pro is a pretty incredible device. The materials are clearly of exceptional quality and the screen is bright and crisp.
What I’m really here for, is the camera. Well, cameras. It boasts some incredible stats, not to mention the Leica lenses.

Since it’s a Huawei phone, they have their own App store (App Gallery), in just the same way that Amazon Tablets, Apple, and Google have their Play Store, App Library, or iTunes stores. That being said, I found it super easy to get most of the apps I’ve been using on my Google Pixel 3XL over to the new P40 Pro.
Firstly, there’s Phone Clone.
- Install Phone Clone on your old device
- Select it on the new Huawei phone
- Follow the instructions to scan the QR code
- Let the phone find the apps, contacts, etc. and copy them over.
Then there’s the AppGallery
- Find the app you want
- Install it.
- That’s it
For everything else, including some Google apps, there’s Petal Search.
- Find the apps you’re missing
- Download the file
- Let the phone auto-install
- Done


After One Week
I’ve been using the Huawei P40 Pro for a week now and I’ve got to say that it’s a mixed bag, mostly on the side of AMAZING. However, there are a couple of small habits that I had to change from using my old phone.
Pros:
- Incredible cameras
- Bright screen
- Fast charging and long-lasting battery
- Great build quality
- Surprisingly good app marketplace
Cons:
- No Google services. Gmail, Drive, etc. Web versions only. But Huawei is now using Huawei Mobile Services, which I’m hearing is a significant step for Huawei creating it’s own ecosystem to work simultaneously with its other devices now available in Canada.
- That’s it.
I honestly think this is a phenomenal device and I’m particularly looking forward to trying out more of the Huawei ecosystem. The MateBook looks like it has some serious chops and their smartwatch is really putting Fossil and Motorola on the ropes.
More to come on that, but stay tuned to @JamesRCS on Instagram as I’ll be posting a few stories as I play with the phone more every day.
Tairalyn
June 23, 2020 at 9:43 pmThis phone looks awesome — I would love to put it to the test for weekly vlogging! I wonder how it would hold up, quality wise and sound?
jamesrcsmith
June 23, 2020 at 9:55 pmThe picture quality is great, although with all photography and film, lighting is a huge part, so if you’re in the house, set up a ring light or a softbox. The audio is excellent!