It's no longer a surprise that once revealed the Huawei P40 series will be premium in every inch. There will be three versions to pick from - the regular, the P40 Pro, and the P40 Pro Plus - but whatever the choice, the design and hardware specs will certainly please. The new family is a significant step up from last year except the Android footprint is missing.

There is no doubt the new Huawei P40 will catch attention. The display is gorgeous and made even more stunning by the 90Hz screen refresh rate, which promises buttery smooth animation. The power underneath is of Kirin 990 processor that is roughly the equivalent of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865, which should tell these new devices are beautiful monsters on the pocket.

And the camera, as expected, will be first-rate. As noted by CNBC, the Huawei P40's shooting capabilities are designed to convinced Apple and Samsung to give the China-made devices a try. With last year's P30, Huawei proved it can do a great in this area and with the P40 the company is saying it is continuing on an established first-class tradition.

Then there are the peripheral attractions. Faster and more accurate biometric unlocking, for one, and improved fast charging for extra convenience to users. The obvious goal by Huawei is to package the P40 series as the smartest handset models that will be out there soon with the pricing that is mostly at par with the flagship competition.

Price starts at €799 for the Huawei P40, €999 for the P40 Pro, and €1,399 for the P40 Pro Plus. To be sure, owning any of the models will not be cheap but the quality and functions packed with the hardware surely justify the cash damage. The question is: Will buyers willing to part ways with good money for a handset that is not Android?

Yes, unlike the Huawei P30 the new P40 will be without Google apps and services. The devices will unbox powered by EMUI 10.1, which in past Huawei releases means a layer of Android 10. That is no longer the case with the P40 - it's all Huawei on the hardware and software side. Running the show is Huawei Mobile Services and apps can be obtained via the company's in-house AppGallery store.

As it became clear last year that the Google ban will make life hard for Huawei in the Android universe, the company thought it wise to develop its own ecosystem. The AppGallery is a good start of that ongoing attempt and Huawei is making sure that the hub will boast of the most important applications known to the usual Android users.

Getting there is still a bit far for Huawei but the device maker is ramping up on efforts to attract more developers into making the AppGallery a respectable alternative to the Google Play Store. While doing that, Huawei is also offering mouth-watering hardware, as evidenced by the Huawei P40, in hopes of convincing users that Google is not at all indispensable, according to The Verge.