We already know the Huawei P40 Pro, TechRadar's number one camera phone is primed to shoot iconic photos. With its Leica co-engineered camera system, that shouldn't come as a huge surprise - Leica's look is, after all, iconic.
Life is more than just a single image though, and while photography can capture a moment and tell a story beautifully, it can't bring sound and moving images together. A child's first words, an out of tune happy birthday, sung across generations, or a grandparent recounting an all but forgotten history family history - precious memories you don't want to forget.
Huawei knows how important video is to all of us. That's why it marries best-in-class hardware and software to make its P40 Pro the ultimate camera phone for iconic photos, and crisp, steady, future-proofed video.
No super steady mode needed
The P40 Pro's imaging system is incredibly clever. Unlike most smartphones, it uses a different main camera for photos and videos - sporting not one, but two flagship sensors.
That's why the P40 Pro doesn't need a dedicated super-steady mode, which seems to be all the rage with other smartphones in 2020. With the P40 Pro, you get super steady video as standard.
Huawei evolves the stabilisation algorithms used by action camera makers for class-leading AI-powered image stabilisation.
Unlike action cameras though - and most phones, the P40 Pro's ultra-wide camera packs fast phase-detection autofocus for pin-sharp video of close up and faraway subjects.
Additionally, thanks to its big sensor-size and wide-open aperture, atmospheric, low light videos are also rich, deep, detailed, and low-on grain and image noise.
4K with no crop
Huawei's clever call to switch up its 40MP ultra-wide camera, and turn it into the main video camera also means it captures sharp, 4K video that's super-steady and crop-free.
The result is video that grabs everything and fits it in the frame, from groups of people to stadiums and stunning, expansive landscapes - even at maximum resolution.
Shooting at crystal clear 4K, your videos will be remembered in all their glory, whether you're watching them back on your smartphone, uploading them to YouTube, or casting them to a TV. It also gives you plenty of scope to edit your videos, cropping in on scenes, and even extracting high-resolution photos from your footage.
In the past, 4K video was a luxury most mobile users avoided capturing - after all, it took up so much storage space on smartphones, the sacrifice just wasn't worth it. With a P40 Pro though, there's no need to compromise.
The phone's 256GB internal storage and an optional 256GB extra with a Nano memory card means you can shoot around 2000 minutes of 4K video and still have room for all your files, apps, and games.
Then there's the rest of the video story
We've covered the ultra-wide camera on the P40 Pro in detail, but there's so much more to this quad-camera smartphone. Optical image stabilisation combines with artificial intelligence on the standard wide 50MP camera, as well as on the 5x zoom telephoto camera to ensure your footage looks fantastic and crisp, even when punching right into your subject.
Add to the mix a time of flight (ToF) depth-sensing camera, and your videos will pack depth and detail in all the right places.
When it comes to getting the most out of a scene, Huawei combines super-smart hardware and software with Dual-view mode. It showcases the power of the P40 Pro's camera system, simultaneously capturing wide and close-up video across two frames - one video, two vantage points, ideal for portraits with a stunning backdrop for example.
Want to look your best, even when you're short on time? The P40 Pro has your back. Thanks to the Kirin 990 chipset powering the flagship smartphone experience, computational videography reaches new heights with live AI beauty effects across photos and videos.
A sliding scale from 1-10 sets the beauty tuning from all-natural to tastefully touched up, and you'll see a live preview on-screen while you record.
The P40 Pro can also suspend time with super slow-motion video - slowing down time by up to 256 times. That translates to 7680 frames per second - so you can see the moment a lit match catches fire or an insect or bird's wings flap in exquisite detail, giving you the power to turn milliseconds into minutes.
With a host of Leica-tuned looks created to set the scene for your masterpiece perfectly, ranging from Vivid to Smooth, through to Sentimental, with a P40 Pro, you can give your video a nuanced look without any need for editing or Instagram filters.
Flip to the selfie camera, and things just get better.
The P40 Pro's front camera is a true continuation of the best-in-class quad-camera around the back. Its 32MP resolution sensor captures selfie video at up to 4K resolution, and just like the main camera, it supports live beauty tools so you always look your best.
Add autofocus to the mix - something missing on most selfie cameras and you can be guaranteed sharp videos, whether you're grabbing a group selfies, or shooting a close-up vlog entry.
We already know that when it comes to photography, the Huawei P40 Pro, co-engineered with Leica, checks all the boxes. Start using its video camera though, and it becomes crystal clear, Huawei is anything but a one-trick pony, nailing smartphone videography too.
Ultimately, that's why the P40 Pro is the perfect camera phone to bottle your best memories as either stills or video, so you can relive them at their finest, time and time again.
The Huawei P40 Pro is £899 (RRP) and available in the colours Silver Frost, Blush Gold and Black. It also comes with 50GB free cloud storage (for one year) and 6 months free Huawei Music. Visit the Huawei Store to buy or find out more.
