Can Huawei break new frontiers with Mate 30 without Google apps?

CHINA’S BIG GEST PHONE maker, Huawei finally launched its Android version on its new Huawei Mate 30 without pre-installed Google licensed apps.

The Huawei Mate 30 comes with the much-awaited Huawei 5G technology innovation.

Early this year, the United States of America blacklisted Huawei from its market over breach of security issues as claimed by the U.S. and that led the Chinese tech giant to lose 40 percent of its global phone markets alone in the US.

The Mate 30 which was launched in Munich, Germany will operate on an opensource version of Google’s Android which means that most known Google apps will not be on the phone’s outlook, the company said in a statement.

In addition, Google’s known apps such as Gmail, YouTube, Maps or the Google Play Store will not run on Mate 30.

The operating system will be called EMUI10 with its own AppStore, which is its own Android system.

However, social media apps like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp will run on the Mate 30 as confirmed by the company.

Without the Silicon Valley, Huawei faces clearly difficult hurdles. Some analysts have predicted that the lack of Google software would put Huawei at a disadvantage against rivals like Samsung and Apple and other brands.

Annette Zimmerman, vice president, Gartner Research expresses great concern for Huawei on the side of consumers saying that the company will not attract many consumers on its side with this move it has set on the path thereby predicting a gloomy start for the company.

“I don’t see how many users would make so many compromises with such a phone. It’s a lot of uncertainty.”

At the beginning of the second quarter this year, the U.S. government put Huawei on a so-called entity list in May that required American companies to get special permission to sell their technology to the Chinese tech firm. The U.S. gave a temporary break to Huawei in August, giving it a chance to buy technology from American firms until mid-November. But a Google spokesperson hinted the break does not apply to new products like the Mate 30.

The Mate 30 series is Huawei’s first all-new phone series to launch since the U.S. ban was pronounced. The lineup includes the 6.62-inch Mate 30 and 6.53-inch Mate 30 Pro, available in both 4G and 5G models. The Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro models will start at 799 euros ($883) and 1099 euros ($1,215), respectively, while the Mate 30 Pro 5G model will cost 1,199 euros ($1,326).

Richard Yu, chief executive officer, Huawei consumer business group said, “The new phones will probably be available in Europe as early as next month.”

The Mate 30 comes with some features such as; a quad-camera system, dark mode and reverse wireless charging with 5G capability.

The Mate 30 will be powered by Huawei’s new Kirin 990 processor, an all-inone artificial and 5G chip the company calls its “most sophisticated Smartphone chipset launched to date.”

5G is the next generation of wireless networks that promise faster download times and lower latency, meaning the time it takes for devices to communicate with each other. The rollout of the new networks has so far been limited in countries around the world, but smartphone makers are increasingly competing to unveil new 5G devices.

Here in Nigeria, 5G services are yet to commence as telcos are just starting off with 4G services in trickles.

On the other hand, Samsung, the world’s biggest smartphone seller, launched the Galaxy Note 10 plus 5G connectivity in August and the Galaxy S10 5G in February. Huawei’s Chinese competitors like Xiaomi have also unveiled new 5G devices this year and Apple, however, likely won’t release a 5G device until 2020.

According to a report from International Data Corporation (IDC) in market share, Huawei first overtook Apple as the second-biggest smartphone seller in the world in 2018. The company’s European sales surged 66 percent year-on-year (YoY) in the first quarter of the year.