Huawei Mate 40 Pro offers flagship tech, but software limitations remain

The Huawei Mate 40 Pro arrives as a phone built from the best components available—a display that sets the standard, a processor that doesn't compromise, a camera system that delivers. But it comes with a catch that no amount of engineering can fully resolve: the absence of Google Services and an operating system still finding its footing.

Open the box and you're met with generosity. A protective case slides out first, then USB-C headphones, a charging cable, and a 66-watt charging brick that makes Samsung's 25-watt offering and Apple's 20-watt standard look quaint by comparison. The phone itself sits wrapped in plastic, its circular camera module immediately visible—the design choice that dominated conversation before launch. This is not a phone that skimps on what comes with it. In an era when some manufacturers omit chargers entirely, Huawei includes the essentials and then some.

The hardware tells a story of refinement. The screen stretches nearly edge to edge, interrupted only by a dual-camera cutout in the top left corner—a design choice that feels less intrusive than the notches common on Android devices. The bezels above and below are minimal. The back, finished in frosted glass with a Mystic Silver hue, shifts color depending on the light, creating an almost iridescent quality that makes the phone feel alive in your hand. The curved edges are visually striking, though they introduce the familiar problem of accidental touches; Huawei claims enhanced software algorithms mitigate this, a promise worth testing in real use.

The physical layout is conventional: power and volume buttons on the right, SIM tray and speaker on the bottom, charging port positioned where you'd expect it. But there's an outlier—an infrared blaster on the top edge, a feature that has largely vanished from modern phones. It works as a remote control for televisions, air conditioners, and any appliance that responds to infrared signals. It's a small thing, but it hints at a design philosophy that considers what users actually do with their devices.

What makes the Mate 40 Pro difficult to recommend without qualification is what it lacks rather than what it contains. Google Services—the suite of apps and frameworks that Android users depend on—are absent. Gmail, Maps, Play Store, all of it gone. In their place is Harmony OS, Huawei's own operating system, which is functional but not yet mature. The phone works, but using it requires patience and a willingness to find workarounds, to sideload applications, to think differently about how a smartphone operates.

This is a device for someone willing to adapt, someone with technical comfort and curiosity. The hardware is uncompromising. The software, for now, demands compromise. Whether that trade-off is worth making depends entirely on what you're willing to accept and how much time you're prepared to invest in learning a new ecosystem. The Mate 40 Pro is a beast, but it needs taming.