Huawei launches flagship smart devices in Malaysia, with pre-orders starting 3 April

By Tan Jee Yee April 3, 2020

Huawei P40 series available for pre-order, price starting from US$641
Pre-orders for MatePad Pro tablet & GT 2e smartwatch also now open

Those eyeing the top of the line P40 Pro+, at US$1,099 will have to wait. It will be released at an unspecified date.

Huawei has been revealing a slate of new flagship devices over the past few weeks. Their arrival into Malaysia is expected, but we now get official word that their latest devices – the P40 series of phones, the MatePad pro and the GT 2e smartwatch – will be available in Malaysia.

Pre-orders for the devices begin today, 3 April, with deliveries starting on 11 April onwards.

The most anticipated among the devices are undoubtedly the P40 series of smartphones. Announced 26 March, the Huawei P40 flagship smartphones come in three variations – the more entry-level P40, the P40 Pro and the highest-end P40 Pro+.

The selling point for them is, of course, the camera. The P40 series features the Ultra Vision Leica camera system, integrated into the P40’s, P40 Pro’s and Pro+’s respective triple-camera, quad-camera and penta-camera configurations.

The company says that the Ultra Vision Sensor included in the series is Huawei’s largest CMOS sensor to date, measuring 1/1.28 inches diagonally.

The P40 comes with ultra wide-angle, wide-angle and telephoto lenses. The P40 Pro, on the other hand, has a more powerful Ultra Wide Cine Camera and a Time of Flight (ToF) camera, fitted alongside a 50x telephoto lens. The P40 Pro+, on the other hand, features the widely touted SuperZoom Array, which supports 10x true optical zoom and a whopping 100x maximum digital zoom.

The HUAWEI P40 Series is powered by the Kirin 990 5G chipset, which supports 5G connectivity as well as Wi-fi 6 Plus.

The base Huawei P40 prices at US$641 (RM2,799), while the P40 Pro goes for US$893 (RM3,899). Both are available in Deep Sea Black, Black, Blush Gold and Silver Frost designs. Huawei notes that those who pre-order the devices will get free gifts worth more than RM1,300, which includes Huawei Freebuds, 1-year extended warranty, 1-month screen protection and more.

[RM1 = US$0.23]

The P40 Pro+, on the other hand, will only be released later (at an unspecified time). The price for the device is listed at RM4,999.

The 10.8-inch MatePad Pro is essentially Huawei’s answer to Apple’s iPad Pro – a device packing power for productivity.

A MatePad and a Watch

Malaysians will also be able to pre-order the new Huawei MatePad Pro. This 10.8-inch tablet is essentially Huawei’s answer to Apple’s iPad Pro – a device packing power for productivity. It’s worth noting that the P40 and MatePad Pro devices won’t feature Google Mobile Services due to the US government restrictions, but they will come pre-installed with AppGallery, Huawei’s official app marketplace. Huawei launches flagship smart devices in Malaysia, with pre-orders starting 3 April

The screen displays at 16:10 with a 90% screen-to-body ratio, packed onto a magnesium alloy frame. Powered by a Kirin 990 processor that is bolstered by up to 6GB of RAM and 256GB ROM, this Android tablet supports multi-window, allowing for multitasking. To top it off, users can opt for the Huawei M-Pencil stylus for illustrations and pair the tablet with the Smart Magnetic Keyboard for better productivity.

Rounding up the specs is a 7,250mAH battery that supports 40W quick charging (the bundled charger is 20W though). This is the first Huawei tablet to support wireless and reverse charging as well.

The MatePad Pro is priced at RM2,399 (for the 8GB RAM + 256GB ROM + WiFi edition), and is available in Midnight Grey and Pearl White designs. Customers who pre-order now get freebies worth RM1,000, which includes the keyboard, M-Pen and three months free subscription of Huawei Video, their streaming video on demand service.

Last but not least, the latest Huawei GT 2e smartwatch is also up for pre-orders. An upgrade from the Huawei Watch GT 2, the new edition sports a similar 1.39-inch OLED display and Kirin A1 chip, but amps it up with upgrades in the fitness-tracking department.

The watch now has SpO2 monitoring and VO2Max tracking, on top of 85 custom workout modes and 15 professional workout modes. Huawei claims that the battery life can last two weeks.

The device prices at RM599, and comes in Mint Green and Graphite Black. Pre-orders will net customers a free strap worth RM68.

Huawei launches flagship smart devices in Malaysia, with pre-orders starting 3 April