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Huawei will release the Mate 30 Pro in the U.K. … without Google apps

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The Huawei Mate 30 Pro will be yours to own in the United Kingdom beginning February 20, with preregistration opening on February 11. The phone will be sold exclusively through retailer Carphone Warehouse, and comes with an exceptionally generous bonus package containing a black Huawei Watch GT2 and a pair of Huawei Freebuds 3 true wireless headphones. The price has been set at 900 British pounds, or about $1,160, which is competitive given the device’s specification.

All sounds normal, right? Well, not exactly, because the Huawei Mate 30 Pro is not a completely “normal” phone. Due to the continued battle with the U.S., Huawei does not have access to Google’s mobile services which includes the Google Play Store. Therefore, although the phone runs Android 10, it does not have the Play Store or the preinstalled suite of Google apps. While anyone who follows mobile news will probably know this, many regular people just looking for a new phone do not, and that presents a unique situation.

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Registration needed for the Mate 30 Pro

Visit Carphone Warehouse’s Mate 30 Pro registration page, and a note states:

“The new Mate 30 Pro comes with Android 10, EMUI 10 and the Huawei App Gallery. This device does not come with Google Mobile Services, so we have a dedicated VIP support team on hand for you once purchased.”

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro may not be available in Carphone Warehouse stores for you to try out, making the support team an important part of the initial setup process for some new owners. How much of a pain is the lack of the Google Play Store? It does make life difficult, but not impossible. For a start, there is Huawei’s own growing App Gallery store, and you can install Amazon’s App Store too, where many apps missing from the App Gallery can be found.

Also, as we found on our review Mate 30 Pro, if you use a Phone Clone app it’s possible to install some missing and otherwise difficult to obtain apps too. However, this is a workaround and you probably will encounter bugs and issues with updates by trying to sideload apps outside of an app store. The software will be the aspect that most will struggle with on the Mate 30 Pro, but the hardware is great.

The Mate 30 Pro is worth the effort

The camera is the real star here. It has two 40-megapixel cameras, an 8-megapixel telephoto camera, and a 3D sensing depth camera too. It takes incredible super-slow-motion videos, 4K ultra-low light time lapses, has a 5x optical zoom, and a 30x digital zoom, plus an array of artificial intelligence-driven features too. On top of that, the Mate 30 Pro uses the latest Kirin 990 processor, has 3D face unlock, a stunning waterfall-style 6.5-inch screen, and a buttonless chassis too.

Those who want the Huawei Mate 30 Pro aren’t going to have it easy, with the necessity to register interest first, and then adjusting to a new way of app installation, but the phone is worth the effort.

Andy Boxall
Andy Boxall
Former Senior Mobile Writer
Andy has written about mobile technology for almost a decade. From 2G to 5G and smartphone to smartwatch, Andy knows tech.
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