Huawei's P40 series has arrived in Australia, but without Google should you bother?

Just weeks after its global reveal, Huawei's photography-focused P40 and P40 Pro smartphones are now officially available to purchase in Australia.

The new Huawei flagships are undeniably premium from a design standpoint, possessing stunning OLED displays on each handset, with the larger P40 Pro's 6.58-inch screen proving a particular highlight with curved glass on every edge.

The Huawei P40 series is no slouch when it comes to specs, either, with each handset boasting the Chinese company's new Kirin 990 5G octa-core chipset and 8GB of RAM.

Additionally, you get 128GB of storage and a 3,800mAh battery on the P40, while the larger P40 Pro gets 256GB of storage and a 4,200mAh battery with Huawei 40W SuperCharge functionality.

It's all about the cameras

We all know that Huawei's P-series handsets are all about photography, and this is where the P40 range really shines. Both the P40 and P40 Pro sport Leica-branded cameras with 50MP primary sensors, though each handset's camera array differs beyond that.

Huawei P40 features a 50MP wide angle lens with f/1.9 aperture, along with a 16MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture and an 8MP telephoto camera with f/2.4 aperture.

Meanwhile, the P40 Pro differs by accompanying the 50MP main sensor with a 40MP ultra-wide 'Cine Camera' (f/1.8 aperture), a 12MP telephoto (f/3.4 aperture) and a 3D depth sensing camera. Combined, the P40 Pro's cameras aim to take on Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra by offering 50x hybrid zoom functionality.

That's all well and good, but should you buy it?

With Huawei's continued placement on the US entity list, the Chinese manufacturer is still unable to offer support for Google apps and services on its handsets for the foreseeable future – that means no official access to the Google Play Store.

Huawei ban: the global fallout explained

Of course, there are hacks available which allow users to get the Google Play Store on new Huawei handsets, however, Google itself has officially warned Huawei device owners not to sideload its apps for security reasons.

The fact of the matter is that Aussies will have to think long and hard before deciding to drop a significant amount of cash on Android handsets which lack official support for Google services.

Huawei P40 has been competitively priced at AU$1,099 and is available from Huawei's online store, Mobileciti, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, eBay, Domayne, Joyce Mayne, and Auptimal mobile.

Meanwhile, the P40 Pro will set you back AU$1,599 and is available from the same stores, along with The Good Guys and Officeworks.