Huawei enters period of reckoning for smartphone business as Android resumption hangs in the balance
- Key components such as the Android OS remain barred for Huawei to use under the US trade ban
- Android supports essential Google services that are widely used around the world
The next seven weeks could prove to be a period of reckoning for Huawei Technologies’ smartphone business, as the company prepares for the overseas launch of its next flagship device – the Mate 30.
Indications are that Huawei could launch the smartphone in Germany around mid-to-late September. But a successful launch would depend on a host of factors – chief among them is whether the Chinese firm will receive approval to use Google’s Android operating system.
Company chairman Liang Hua, at a press conference on Tuesday, said supplies for less important products have recovered, but key components such as the Android OS are still blocked under the US trade ban. The latest Huawei smartphone on sale is the Mate 20 X, which still runs on Android because the licence was granted before the US government put Huawei on its trade blacklist on May 16.
Huawei could potentially launch the Mate 30 and subsequent models without Android. The world’s largest telecommunications equipment vendor could decide to use its proprietary mobile operating system, which the South China Morning Post had earlier reported to have been under development since 2012.