Huawei P40 may be cheaper than Galaxy S20 — but there’s a big catch

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The Huawei P40 may cost up to $220 less than the equivalent Galaxy S20

The Huawei P30. (Image credit: Future)

The Huawei P40's prices have leaked, and while they're cheaper than their big rival, the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, it'll be up to users to decide whether a lack of Google apps is worth the discount.

The leak comes from Teme, a.k.a. RODENT950, a fairly prominent and respected Twitter leaker. His latest post reveals the price of the P40, P40 Pro and P40 Premium Edition in euros, but does also say these prices could vary by up to about $111 (100 euro) depending on the local market.

He also posted the following image of what appears to be some promotional art for the P40's launch event on March 26. He points out the brighter stars in the top left corner of the phone, which seem to indicate a triple-camera within a punch-hole notch, although one or two of those sensors could also be used for depth-sensing or facial recognition, like the cameras on the Mate 30 Pro rather than taking pictures.

(Image credit: Teme)

Looking back at the prices, you'll see that even the most expensive models are around €100 cheaper than the equivalent Galaxy S20 model. There looks to be the option to go even cheaper too, which is handy since there is only one 4G and one 5G variant of the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 Plus, with the Galaxy S20 Ultra being the only phone to get a choice of storage size.

However, these are Huawei phones, which means you won't get any Google apps or services. You can manage without thanks to Huawei's own first-party apps and the slow development of its App Gallery storefront, but it'll be quite a shock if you're used to the typical Android experience.

As mentioned above, the P40 series will debut at an online launch event on March 26. We're expecting some awesome new camera tricks including an upgraded "super spectrum" main sensor and an even more powerful periscope optical zoom lens. There will almost definitely be a Kirin 990 5G CPU at the devices' hearts, and hopefully another colorful exterior design to really set the phones apart.

Richard Priday
Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.