Huawei could delay sales of its upcoming Mate 30 flagship smartphone overseas due to its lack of Google services amid the US trade ban, the South China Morning Post reported citing people familiar with the matter as saying.
Why it matters: Prospects for Huawei’s smartphone business remain uncertain under the cloud of US sanctions on the world’s second-largest handset seller.
- Google confirmed it won’t allow Huawei to install its apps and services on the new handsets as the temporary US government reprieve doesn’t apply to new products.
- Europe is Huawei’s most important smartphone market outside of China, but its smartphone sales from the region slid 16% in the second quarter compared with the same period a year earlier, according to research firm Canalys.
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Details: The 5G-enabled handset will continue to run on the Android operating system, but it won’t have access to Google services along with apps such as Google Play and Google Maps, said the report. The planned delay is not final and any further action by the US government may affect Huawei’s decision on the release.
- Huawei will sharpen its focus on selling the new Mate 30 to consumers in its home market, where Google services and apps are not widely used, according to the report.
- “The open Android operating system and the ecosystem around it are still our first choice,” Huawei said in a statement sent to the South China Morning Post. “Please stay tuned for our new products.”