The Lite versions of the P series from Huawei are particularly popular, as they promise appealing performance and modern design at a fair price. This is exactly where Huawei ties in in 2020 and is bringing an interesting budget smartphone onto the market again with the P40 lite. How this performs – without the Google App Store you can find out in the following test. Here is the Huawei P40 Lite 2021 review that you need to know.
Scope of Delivery of the P40 Lite
What is noticeable about the simple, white box is actually only the note below about Huawei’s own app store “AppGallery”. The equipment is perfectly fine for this price range, but does not contain any surprises:
- Wired headphones (3.5mm)
- Supercharger 20W charger
- USB-C / USB-A cable
- SIM tool
Design and Workmanship
In terms of design and workmanship, Huawei is once again stepping up the pace with the P40 lite. The 6.4″ smartphone has a colored aluminum frame, depending on the color variant, and the front and back are made of glass and plastic. On the right side are the easily accessible volume buttons and the fingerprint reader, which in turn also functions as an on or off switch. On the bottom are the USB-C port, the loudspeaker, a microphone, and a headphone jack. This means that the trend in 2020 that cheap smartphones keep the headphone input will continue.
Display
The 6.4″ IPS display with FullHD plus resolution (398dpi) is bright and has stable viewing angles. The punch-hole for the front camera in the upper left area is kept pleasantly small. Of course, an OLED display would have been a bit better, also to make the integrated dark mode even more effective. The color temperature can be set according to personal preferences.
Appgallery and Features
Since mid-2019, Huawei has been banned from using Google Services on its devices in the wake of a trade dispute with the USA which means that the popular Google App Store is also missing. Huawei, after all, one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world, is now trying to establish a replacement with its own app ecosystem, the “AppGallery”.
According to its own information, the Appealer is now the third-largest app marketplace in the world and also offers popular apps such as Microsoft Office, Amazon Shopping and games such as Asphalt 9 and Fortnite.
Huawei’s efforts to get popular apps into its own ecosystem are obviously there. Apps are suggested and installed during the initial setup. Apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp & Co. can usually be found and installed in the AppGallery via small detours. The Geizhals app is also available there for free download. The Huawei community also offers helpful tips on app installations and AppGallery. There are usually replacements for the missing Google apps, even if they are not always completely equivalent. Google Maps and Google Drive in particular were sorely missed in the test. In the tools area, there are also useful apps that are supposed to make everyday life easier. For example, a weather app is also preinstalled, but only in the free version with advertising.
Operating System
The P40 lite is equipped with Android 10, although the operating system has been heavily modified with Huawei’s own EMUI 10.0.1 interface. The last security patch dates from January 2020 how often Huawei will update here in the future remains to be seen. But the performance was convincing: Hardly any micro stuttering, but brisk navigation and a chic dark mode that’s how it should be.
Unlock
The fingerprint reader attached to the side is also the ON-OFF switch. This also worked quite reliably during testing, even if the recognition rate – felt – is a few percentage points behind the previous year’s model, the P30 lite. In the tools area, there are also useful apps that are supposed to make everyday life easier. For example, a weather app is also preinstalled, but only in the free version with advertising.
Operating System
The P40 lite is equipped with Android 10, although the operating system has been heavily modified with Huawei’s own EMUI 10.0.1 interface. The last security patch dates from January 2020 how often Huawei will update here in the future remains to be seen. But the performance was convincing: Hardly any micro stuttering, but brisk navigation and a chic dark mode that’s how it should be.