Huawei Next Flagship Smartphone May Not Contain Google Apps

Hauwei has confirmed that its next flagship smartphone, the Mate 30, would still be launched in Europe, even without the Android operating system or Google apps such as YouTube or Google Maps.

This confirmation was made by Huawei executive speaking to Reuters, which reported that Huawei is set to unveil its new Mate 30 line of phones on 18 September in Munich, according to a source familiar with the matter.

That said, it not clear what date the new flagship handset will go on sale in Europe, but presumably it would in time for the Christmas holiday period.

Mate 30

The Mate 30 is designed to work with 5G networks and is the first flagship device from Huawei since the trade war escalation between US President Donald Trump and China.

In mid May President Trump famously blacklisted the Chinese firm over national security concerns – concerns which the firm has always denied.

Shortly after the May blacklist move the US granted a 90-day temporary licence, which expired on Monday, 19 August.

A Google spokesman told Reuters the Mate 30 cannot be sold with licensed Google apps and services due to the US ban on sales to Huawei.

The US government announced a second temporary reprieve last week, but it does not apply to new products such as the Mate 30, the spokesman said.

Entity list

US-based companies can seek a license for specific products to be exempted from the ban.

Google would not tell Reuters whether it had applied for a license to offer its apps and services known as Google Mobile Services, though it has said in the past that it wants to continue supplying Huawei.

What is known so far that that US Commerce Department has received more than 130 applications from companies for licenses to sell US goods to Huawei, but none have so far been granted.

“Huawei will continue to use the Android OS and ecosystem if the US government allows us to do so,” Huawei spokesman Joe Kelly told Reuters. “Otherwise, we will continue to develop our own operating system and ecosystem.”

The Commerce Department reportedly declined to comment.

Earlier this month Huawei said it planned to continue using Google’s Android operating system for its smartphones for the time being, but could make the switch to its newly introduced HarmonyOS “at any time”.

The first device to use Harmony, which is known as Hongmeng in China, is a television bearing the Honor brand that went on sale in China in August.

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