Subscribe

‘Liter’ Huawei P40 to launch first in SA

Simnikiwe Mzekandaba
By Simnikiwe Mzekandaba, IT in government editor
Johannesburg, 31 Mar 2020
The Huawei P40 Lite will be the first of the P40-series to launch in SA.
The Huawei P40 Lite will be the first of the P40-series to launch in SA.

Chinese technology giant Huawei will first launch the “liter” version of the P40-series smartphones in the South African market, once the nation-wide lockdown ends.

This is according to a company spokesperson, who confirmed the P40 Lite will be available first and then shortly followed by the P40.

Huawei previously described its “Lite” devices as those that appeal to more budget-conscious customers who still want a smartphone with premium features.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Huawei’s Consumer Business Group (CBG) had to unveil its P40 line-up of smartphones via an online global launch last week.

Unlike past years, the company chose to unveil three new devices – the P40, P40 Pro and P40 Pro+.

What is also different about the P40 devices is that they launch minus Google apps and the Play Store, and will instead run on Huawei Mobile Services (HMS), the company’s alternative ecosystem to Google Mobile Service (GMS).

At the launch, Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei CBG, said despite a good partnership with Google, Huawei phones can no longer use GMS because of the US ban, adding the company launched HMS as its alternative solution.

Yu indicated the HMS ecosystem is already in over 170 countries, and with the Huawei App Gallery, the company has already achieved over 400 million monthly active users.

Although local pricing of the devices is not yet available, globally the P40 is expected to start selling at €799 (around R15 000).

Phone specifications:

  • Operating system: EMUI 10.0.1 (based on Android 10)
  • Display: 6.4-inch
  • Processor: Huawei Kirin 810
  • RAM: 6GB
  • Storage: 128GB with microSD support up to 256GB
  • Rear camera: 48MP artificial intelligence quad cameras
  • Front camera: 16MP
  • Battery: 4 200 mAh, Huawei 40W SuperCharge
  • Sensors: Fingerprint, proximity, ambient light, digital compass and gravity sensor
  • Colours: Sakura pink and midnight black

Share