Google apps aren’t enough to make you want Huawei’s next phone

It looks as though Huawei is planning to re-release the Huawei P30 Pro for a third time, which would mean the company can sell a phone in 2020 running Google apps and services, despite the US ban.

As spotted by fansiteHuawei Central,Huawei Germanyis preparing to launch a promotional campaign with Vodafone Germany and companion MVNO Otelo, which will cover numerous members of theHuawei P30Series, including the as-yet-unannounced ‘Huawei P30 ProNew Edition’.

Set to run from 15 May to 4 June, the promotion is tied to the aforementioned P30 Pro New Edition, along with the Huawei P30 and the Huawei P30 Lite New Edition, which the phone maker released at the start of 2020.

While there are no confirmed specifications for the P30 Pro New Edition as yet, using the P30 Lite New Edition as a template, it’s fair to assume that the main difference compared to existing P30 Pro models would be the option of additional internal storage and/or new colourways to choose from.

Huawei alreadypushed the P30 Pro out a second time during IFA 2019, as the effects of the US government’s entity list were already being felt.

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Huawei being unable to work directly with numerous US-affiliated companies has impacted the development and sale of theMate 30 Proand the newP40,P40 ProandP40 Pro+, not to mention a wealth of mid-range devices andHonor’s most recent handsetsto boot.

Despite the company pouring time and money into building up its own app store – theApp Gallery– and releasing devices without Google Mobile Services (GMS) regardless, it’s clear that Huawei is trying compete against unincumbered competitors with its hand tied behind its back.

One of the ongoing criticisms of Huawei latest phones is that they don’t support GMS, meaning certain native Google apps, not to mention many third-party apps, don’t currently work on these afflicted devices.

The introduction of the P30 Pro New Edition may drum up interest in the short-term but with the phone now using year-old hardware, it’s unclear how much profit the company will actually be able to make selling such devices.

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