Read the detailed review of the Huawei Mate 40E 4G, a mid-range powerhouse with impressive performance, OLED display, and Leica-powered cameras. Discover if this is the right smartphone for you.
Introduction
Huawei’s Mate series is renowned for delivering high-end features and cutting-edge performance, and the Huawei Mate 40E 4G continues this legacy. Released in June 2021, the Mate 40E 4G is positioned as a mid-range flagship that offers premium features but lacks 5G connectivity, making it ideal for users who don’t need 5G but still want top-notch performance, design, and camera capabilities.
Running on HarmonyOS 2.0, the Mate 40E 4G boasts a stunning 6.5-inch OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, powered by the Kirin 990E chipset. With a versatile Leica triple-camera system, a 4200mAh battery, and fast 40W wired and wireless charging, this smartphone competes in the premium segment despite its mid-range price tag.
This review will explore the design, performance, display quality, camera features, battery life, and overall user experience of the Huawei Mate 40E 4G.
Design and Build Quality
The Huawei Mate 40E 4G continues the Mate series tradition of offering a premium design with excellent build quality. The phone has a glass front and back, framed by aluminum, which gives it a sleek and polished look. At 188g and with dimensions of 158.6 x 72.5 x 8.8 mm, the device is lightweight yet feels solid in hand.
The phone comes in three color options: Silver, White, and Black, providing choices for users who prefer a minimalistic or more striking appearance.
The Mate 40E 4G is also IP53 certified, meaning it is splash-resistant and dust-resistant, although it’s not waterproof. This makes it suitable for everyday use, though users should be cautious around water.
Display
One of the key highlights of the Huawei Mate 40E 4G is its 6.5-inch OLED display. With a resolution of 1080 x 2376 pixels and a pixel density of ~402 ppi, the display is sharp and vibrant, delivering a rich and immersive experience for media consumption, gaming, and everyday use.
The 90Hz refresh rate adds to the smoothness of scrolling, animations, and transitions, providing a premium feel, especially when compared to devices with 60Hz displays. The phone supports HDR10, ensuring vivid colors and deep contrast, particularly when viewing HDR-enabled content.
While the display size is slightly smaller compared to other flagships in the Mate series, it is still ideal for users who prefer more compact devices without sacrificing quality.
Performance
The Mate 40E 4G is powered by the Kirin 990E chipset, a 7nm+ processor designed to deliver top-notch performance in everyday tasks and gaming. The octa-core CPU features 2×2.86 GHz Cortex-A76 high-performance cores, 2×2.36 GHz Cortex-A76 mid-range cores, and 4×1.95 GHz Cortex-A55 power-efficient cores, ensuring smooth multitasking and power efficiency.
Graphics are handled by the Mali-G76 MP14 GPU, which performs well in most games and intensive applications. While the Kirin 990E might not be the latest chipset on the market, it still holds its own against modern mid-range and flagship processors, making the Mate 40E 4G a capable device for gaming, video editing, and productivity tasks.
The phone is available with 128GB or 256GB of internal storage, both paired with 8GB of RAM. The inclusion of UFS 3.1 storage ensures fast read/write speeds, enhancing the overall responsiveness of the device. Storage is also expandable via Nano Memory (NM) cards up to 256GB, though it uses the shared SIM slot.
Software
Running on HarmonyOS 2.0, the Mate 40E 4G brings Huawei’s ecosystem of apps and services into the spotlight. HarmonyOS offers a smooth and customizable user experience with features such as multi-window multitasking, enhanced privacy settings, and system optimizations that improve performance over time.
However, as with all Huawei devices post-2020, the Mate 40E 4G does not come with Google Play Services, meaning users will need to rely on Huawei’s AppGallery and other third-party app stores for their apps. While this can be a drawback for users heavily integrated into Google’s ecosystem, Huawei has made strides in expanding its app offerings, and popular apps can still be sideloaded.
Camera
One of the standout features of the Huawei Mate 40E 4G is its Leica-engineered triple-camera system, which includes:
- 64 MP primary camera (f/1.9, 27mm, wide): This sensor delivers sharp and vibrant photos in well-lit conditions, while also performing admirably in low-light situations thanks to Huawei’s AI-assisted night mode.
- 8 MP telephoto lens (f/2.4, 85mm, 3x optical zoom, PDAF, OIS): The telephoto lens offers optical zoom capabilities, enabling users to capture distant subjects with minimal loss of detail. Optical image stabilization ensures that photos and videos remain steady even when zoomed in.
- 16 MP ultrawide lens (f/2.2, 17mm): Ideal for landscape shots and group photos, the ultrawide lens offers a wider field of view while maintaining good color consistency and detail.
The camera features Laser autofocus, Leica optics, LED flash, HDR, and panorama, making it a versatile tool for photography enthusiasts.
For video, the Mate 40E 4G supports 4K recording and 1080p recording with gyro-EIS stabilization for smoother footage. The selfie camera is a 13 MP ultrawide lens with HDR and panorama support, which is great for wide-angle selfies. The front camera can also record 4K video, providing high-quality footage for vlogging or video calls.
Battery and Charging
The Huawei Mate 40E 4G is equipped with a 4200mAh battery, which provides enough power for a full day of moderate use. Whether you’re browsing the web, streaming videos, or using navigation, the phone’s battery life holds up well.
One of the phone’s standout features is its 40W fast charging support, which can quickly recharge the device in less than an hour. The phone also supports 40W wireless charging, one of the fastest wireless charging technologies available, and 5W reverse wireless charging, allowing users to charge other devices wirelessly.
Connectivity and Other Features
The Mate 40E 4G offers a range of modern connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC for mobile payments and file transfers. It also features a USB Type-C 3.1 port for fast charging and data transfer, as well as dual-band Wi-Fi Direct for enhanced connectivity options.
The phone includes all the necessary positioning systems, including GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, and NavIC, ensuring accurate location tracking across multiple regions.
For security, the Mate 40E 4G comes with an under-display fingerprint sensor and supports 3D facial recognition for secure and fast unlocking.
Price and Availability
The Huawei Mate 40E 4G is priced at around 550 EUR, which positions it as a more affordable option in the Mate series, especially for users who don’t need 5G connectivity but still want flagship-level performance and features. It’s available globally through various retailers and carriers.
Specifications Table
Here’s a detailed and responsive specifications table for the Huawei Mate 40E 4G:
| Specifications | Details |
|---|---|
| Network | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE |
| Dimensions | 158.6 x 72.5 x 8.8 mm |
| Weight | 188 g |
| SIM | Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Display | 6.5 inches, OLED, 1080 x 2376 pixels, 90Hz, HDR10 |
| OS | HarmonyOS 2.0 |
| Chipset | Kirin 990E (7nm+) |
| CPU | Octa-core (2×2.86 GHz Cortex-A76, 2×2.36 GHz Cortex-A76, 4×1.95 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP14 |
| Internal Storage | 128GB/256GB, 8GB RAM, UFS 3.1, NM Card slot (up to 256GB) |
| Main Camera | 64 MP wide, 8 MP telephoto, 16 MP ultrawide |
| Selfie Camera | 13 MP ultrawide |
| Battery | 4200 mAh, 40W wired, 40W wireless, 5W reverse wireless |
| Colors | Silver, White, Black |
| Price | Around 550 EUR |
Conclusion
The Huawei Mate 40E 4G offers an excellent combination of performance, design, and camera features at an affordable price point. Despite lacking 5G connectivity, it still delivers a flagship experience with its stunning OLED display, powerful Kirin 990E chipset, and versatile camera system. For users who are content with 4G and want a premium smartphone experience without breaking the bank, the Mate 40E 4G is a solid option.
Disclaimer: We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
