Huawei P40 release date, price, specs and features

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Huawei has reportedly sent out invitations to an event it is planning for Oct. 17, and some believe the Huawei P40 will be the focus. However, we highly doubt that, and here’s why.

Huawei P40 release date is all wrong

T3 reports that the invitations have been sent out, although this hasn’t been widely reported. The event is scheduled to be held in Paris, which is where the Chinese smartphone maker has held previous events to launch Huawei P models. However, the timing is all wrong for next week’s event to be the Huawei P30. The company launched the P30 in March 2019 and the P20 in April 2018, so we would expect a spring 2020 launch for the P40.

The folks at T3 suggest that next week’s event could be one of two things. The first is an event to simply show off the technology behind the under-screen selfie camera that could debut on the P40 whenever it launches. The other possibility they suggest is a launch event for a “unique, one-off device in the Huawei Mate range to test the design.”

We also point out that the Chinese company just launched the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro exclusively in China last month because they don’t have Google’s apps or services. Thus, it does seem a bit odd that the event is scheduled to be held in Paris if the company plans to continue launching devices only in China. However, it seems some progress has finally been made on this front.

Trouble without Google

Huawei was banned from buying licenses from Google, which means it couldn’t load any Google apps or services on the Mate 30 and 30 Pro. Some users tried to get around this by side-loading the apps, but the results were temporary and compromised the security of the devices. The big question many Huawei fans have been forced to ask themselves is whether not having access to Google apps and services is a deal-breaker, and for many, it is.

There is a sign of progress in the trade war that could mean good things for Huawei and Google, however. Citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, The New York Times reports that President Trump has agreed to start issuing licenses allowing some U.S. firms to sell non-sensitive goods to Huawei. It’s unclear whether Google services and apps fall into the non-sensitive category, but at the very least, this means progress is being made in what has been a difficult challenge for the Chinese smartphone maker.

Other rumors about the Huawei P40

Based on what’s happening with the trade war, it’s impossible to guess what Huawei’s next move will be. However, it seems unlikely that the company will be in a hurry to launch devices until the Google matter is settled.

Rumors about the Huawei P40 have been thin, but there is one interesting claim that has been made about the handset. Supposedly, the phone could be the first to feature an under-display selfie camera, which would eliminate the need for a notch or punch-hole display. However, this rumor comes from a patent that was just published in August and spotted by Let’s Go Digital.

The patent is for a device which has the selfie camera, flash and LED indicator under the display. As most claims about this technology have suggested, these elements would be invisible unless they are in use. It seems like the technology could be a ways away, but we expect rumors about it to keep increasing until it finally makes an appearance on a consumer-ready device.

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