Huawei may delay 5G Mate 30 smartphone sales overseas because of US trade ban

Huawei Technologies, the world’s second largest smartphone vendor, may delay overseas sales of its upcoming 5G Mate 30 series smartphones for lack of access to Google services under the US trade ban, according to people familiar with the matter.

While the new handsets will continue to run on the Android operating system, the US trade ban on Huawei will prevent the Chinese telecommunications equipment giant from selling these high-end devices with popular Google mobile services, such as Google Play and Google Maps, the people said. They added, however, that Huawei’s planned delay is not final and that any further action by the US government might affect the firm’s decision.

The Shenzhen-based company is expected to send out invitations to international media for the launch of the Mate 30 in Munich, Germany, in mid-September.

But without access to Google mobile services, Huawei will need to initially sharpen its focus on selling the new Mate 30 smartphone models to consumers in its home market, where a range of domestic apps and services are more widely used, according to the people.

Huawei said it does not comment on speculation, according to an emailed statement on Thursday. “The open Android operating system and the ecosystem around it are still our first choice,” the company said. “Please stay tuned for our new products.”