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Premium Huawei P40 Pro variant leaks with five cameras, ceramic back

By Joshua Swingle

Updated: Jan 28, 2020, 12:42 PM

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Premium Huawei P40 Pro variant leaks with five cameras, ceramic back

Huawei has produced two flagship models each year since the Huawei P10 series debuted in 2017. It was largely expected to replicate the strategy again this year, but it turns out the company is planning a third device that’ll sit above the other two in the lineup.

The perfect Galaxy S20 Ultra competitor

Possible names for the unexpected smartphone include Huawei P40 Pro Premium Edition, Huawei P40 Pro Ceramic, and Huawei P40 Pro 5G. But regardless of what the Chinese giant chooses to call it, leaked renders make clear that it’ll be the perfect Galaxy S20 Ultra competitor.

The flagship looks identical to the standard Huawei P40 Pro from the front and, as such, is expected to feature a massive 6.7-inch OLED display complete with curved edges. But to create a more unique look, Huawei has also added curved glass to the top and bottom, although the display itself isn't curved as previous rumors indicated.

This setup is coupled with an extremely wide punch-hole that houses at least two sensors. The huge space between them suggests that a third sensor might be included, perhaps a Time-of-Flight shooter, or that one of them is much larger, which should result in better selfies.

Huawei P40 Pro Premium Edition

An aluminum frame that curves up in each corner is sandwiched between the front and back panels. It’s home to a bottom-firing speaker, a USB-C port which should support 40W fast charging, a SIM card tray, and the usual volume rocker partnered up with an accented power key.

Five cameras instead of four, 10x optical zoom instead of 5x

Most smartphones these days feature glass panels on the back, but Huawei appears to have enjoyed the premium feeling of the Ceramic Galaxy S10 models last year because it has fitted this Huawei P40 Pro variant with a ceramic rear panel.

Huawei P40 Pro Premium Edition vs Huawei P40 Pro vs Huawei P40 cameras

The new material is joined by the large camera module featured on the regular Huawei P40 Pro, although a few important changes have been made to the setup. Specifically, the 5x optical zoom periscope camera complete with an f/3.4 aperture appears to have been replaced with an arguably superior 10x optical zoom alternative complete with an f/4.0 aperture.

This is accompanied by what’s understood to be an ultra-wide-angle camera and a new 52-megapixel main shooter. The Time-of-Flight sensor is also present, yet this time around an extra camera has been added to the package.

Leaks are yet to detail the mysterious fifth camera but it could potentially be a macro camera. After all, they’re becoming increasingly common on smartphones these days.

As an additional point of reference, the cheapest Huawei P40 model is expected to feature three rear cameras. These reportedly include a 3x telephoto zoom shooter and unspecified primary and ultra-wide-angle shooters.

Huawei P40 series announcement date and availability

Huawei recently confirmed plans to announce the P40 series at an event held in Paris at some point in March. The exact date hasn’t yet been confirmed, but Evan Blass says it’ll be Thursday, March 26.

All three smartphones should go up for pre-order straight away in China but might be in limited supply elsewhere. That’s because of the ongoing US trade ban, which prohibits Huawei from shipping new smartphones with Google Play Services on board.

If the trade ban is lifted by the time of the event, however, Huawei will be able to ship its new phones on schedule in global markets such as Europe, just like it did last year with the Huawei P30 series.