Huawei Mate 30 could be announced without any Western release dates
Huawei has recently confirmed that its upcoming Mate 30 series of phones will be officially announced on the 19th of September. We expect that additional details like pricing and availability will also be shared at the event, but now according to a report from The Information (paywall), that might not be the case.
The report cites “employees familiar with the situation” who have told the publication that any release dates for Western markets, like in Europe, could be held back, and that Huawei might only provide release dates for markets like China. This is due to the fact that Huawei is still trying to figure out the best way to proceed.
In case you’re hearing about this for the first time, the Huawei Mate 30 series will not be launching with Google Play services or apps. This is due to the ongoing trade war between the US and China where Huawei has been placed on the US government’s Entity List, preventing them from doing business with US companies. This includes entering into licensing agreements with Google, which is required if Huawei wants to include Google Play services and apps in its phones.
Huawei themselves had previously stated that they plan to keep using Android, but Android without these software and services does feel a bit lacking. Huawei did previously announce their own operating system in the form of HarmonyOS, but we doubt that it will be used on the Mate 30 phones.
Take it with a grain of salt, but we should have more details on the 19th of September when the phones are officially announced.
Source: Android Authority