Huawei has addressed the 2019 smartphone elephant in the room with its much anticipated new smartphone: the Mate 30 series runs Android, but without Google Mobile Services (GMS).
The new devices were announced yesterday in Munich, where Huawei tread carefully around its software announcements, by mentioning a new mobile service called Huawei Mobile Services (HMS).
It didn’t mention, however, that it is set to replace GMS, which many consider the “heart and soul” of Android devices. But could this mean the end of Huawei handsets?
To answer this question, we need to fully understand what GMS does and doesn’t do for an Android smartphone. GMS is “a collection of Google applications and APIs that help support functionality across devices”, according to Google. These apps include the Google search app, Google Chrome, Google Maps, Gmail, and the Google Play Store.
GMS apps need to be licensed to manufacturers by Google and, with the recent US trade war, it’s unclear when Huawei will have a license to preinstall Google apps on their new devices.
It’s important to note that the absence of GMS does not mean the Mate 30 series smartphones will not be able to access Google services. In fact, Huawei offers several applications that are similar to the Google apps.
Except for Google, the apps mentioned above all have existing equivalents. Google Chrome is just a web browser, Google Maps is just one of many mapping apps, and Gmail is just an email client – albeit the most widely used across devices. This move forces Huawei to create more of its own apps, similar to Apple’s approach.
Huawei is also not the only Android manufacturer that won’t be using GMS. For example, Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets run Android but don’t feature the Google Play Store.
HMS is giving Huawei a chance to become more independent of other players, and will likely soon have a selection of strong integrated apps, as do Apple and Amazon. It’s easy to see that Huawei may garner the same level of trust in its integrated apps as iPhone users have, provided it remains on the same trajectory towards consistent innovation and refinement.
Click here to read about the specifications of the Mate 30 series devices.
Huawei says the Mate 30 Series showcases how aesthetic design fuses with technology. Its features what it calls a Horizon Display, which is similar to Samsung’s Edge display technology, which offers an immersive viewing experience with a curved display. For connectivity, the Kirin 990 5G SoC is the first to integrate processing units and a 5G modem on the same chip using the ultra-thin 7nm process.
A quad-camera includes a new SuperSensing Cine Camera, a dual main camera system designed for improved photographic and videographic results. The devices’ interface is the latest version of Huawei’s EMUI10 skin, which it says offers long-lasting battery life for heavy mobile users and an enhanced user experience.
Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, said: “The Huawei 30 Series unleashes the full potential of the smartphone. Designed to stand out, it challenges convention while delivering an unrivalled user experience. The era of 5G is an opportunity to rethink smartphone technology and the Huawei Mate 30 series is the ultimate expression of what’s possible.”
With a narrower notch design and thinner bezels, the Huawei Mate 30 Pro features the Horizon Display, which curves at an angle of 88 degrees to maximise the display area to provide an edge-to-edge viewing experience.
It dropped the physical volume rocker and introduced a side-touch interaction feature to replace the side volume buttons with virtual keys. This feature also allows users to use the volume key position on either side of the device, and customise the keys.
On the rear, the square camera array has been replaced with a new ring design of the quad-camera system, surrounded by a metallic halo.
For security, it features 3D Face Unlock, similar to Apple’s Face ID, which projects invisible dots to identify a face. It features an In-Screen Fingerprint sensor to provide higher levels of biometric security and convenience. It also features an Acoustic Display Technology to deliver high-quality audio through a sound emitting display.
Click here to read about Huawei’s updated camera system.
The Mate 30 is equipped with a SuperSensing Triple camera, comprising a 40MP SuperSensing camera, 16MP Ultra Wide-angle camera, and an 8MP Telephoto camera. Coupled with an ISP 5.0 Image Signal Processor, it enables users to capture high quality photographs and videos.
The SuperSensing Cine Camera is a dual-main camera system for different photo and video scenarios. The Cine Camera features a large 1/1.54-inch sensor size with a high maximum Video ISO of 51200 to capture videos with an extended dynamic range at 4K/60fps, as well as ultra slow-motion at the highest 7680 fps.
It supports 4K Low-light Ultra-wide time-lapse video. The Mate 30 Pro offers pro-bokeh capabilities while recoding, for professional looking results. Additionally, the second of the dual-camera system is a 1/1.7-inch SuperSensing camera which attracts 40% more lights to deliver stunning results in low light conditions, with an impressive light sensitivity of ISO409600, making it the best low light one-shot device ever, even for ultra-wide shots.
The 8MP Huawei Telephoto Camera offers 3x optical zoom, 5x Hybrid Zoom and up to 30x Digital Zoom. A front-facing 3D Depth Sensing Camera delivers pro-bokeh effects with accurate depth-of-field information for selfies and portraits.
Huawei’s built-in camera app now natively supports DJI gimbals, so users don’t have to download more apps to use accessories.
Click here to read about the major performance improvements on the Mate 30 series devices.
The Mate 30 series is powered by the Kirin 990 5G, which incorporates a three-level power efficiency architecture for the CPU, Huawei’s self-developed Da Vinci NPU architecture (large dual-NPU + tiny NPU cores), and a supersized 16-core GPU to deliver super-fast performance and high-power efficiency.
Manufactured with the cutting-edge 7nm+ EUV process, the Kirin 990 5G supports 2G/3G/4G network and 5G Non-StandAlone (NSA) and StandAlone (SA) modes, along with Dual SIM, Dual Standby and FDD/TDD full frequency bands to deliver reliable connectivity. As the world’s first 2nd generation 5G smartphone, the Mate 30 Pro 5G features 21 antennas, 14 antennas are reserved for 5G, delivering blazing fast speeds.
The Mate 30 sports a large battery of 4200mAh, while Mate 30 Pro has a bigger battery of 4500mAh. With TÜV Rheinland certified wired and wireless Huawei SuperCharge Technology, the 27W Wireless SuperCharge and the 40W SuperCharge provide users fast charging. New wired and wireless in-car charging and a wired powerbank ensure a consistent fast charging experience across more scenarios.
Additionally, the Mate 30 Series provides upgraded reverse wireless charging, bringing users a quick and convenient way to recharge other devices.
The 6.53-inch Mate 30 Pro and 6.62-inch Mate 30 come in various colour variants and materials: Emerald Green, Space Silver, Cosmic Purple, Black, while Forest Green and Orange are available in vegan leather.
While there is no South African pricing yet, Huawei has provided European pricing:
| Model | Version | Price (Tax Included) |
| HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro (5G) | 8GB RAM + 256GB ROM | EUR 1199 |
| HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro | 8GB RAM + 256GB ROM | EUR1099 |
| HUAWEI Mate 30 | 8 GB RAM + 128 GB ROM | EUR 799 |