Huawei rushed its Mate 30 announcement this year, unveiling the new flagship just days after Apple took the stage to announce the iPhone 11. The Mate 30 Pro was officially introduced just a day before the iPhone 11 hit stores, but the phone came with a massive “flaw”: The lack of official Google apps, caused by the US ban.
And while Huawei’s press event for the Mate 30 series may have arrived a lot earlier than expected, its late 2019 flagship has yet to hit stores in some of Huawei’s most important markets. European fans of Huawei smartphones will soon be able to purchase the Mate 30 Pro and the regular Mate 30, though, assuming they’re ready to ditch Google’s version of Android in favor of Huawei’s alternative.
When Huawei unveiled the Mate 30 last month, complete with European prices, we assumed the phones would soon hit major markets in the European Union — markets where Huawei has sold an increasing number of phones in recent years. However, that wasn’t the case, and Huawei has yet to announce release dates for the EU.
Sources from China, however, notified TechGarage that a launch is imminent in the region, with November 15th possibly being the date when the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro will be available in some European markets. Countries where the phones will launch including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.
The cheaper Mate 30 (8GB/128GB) will cost €799 ($888) in the region, while the Mate 30 Pro (8GB/256GB) is priced at €1,099 ($1,221). The 5G version of the Pro costs €100 more. The phones are going to be tough to find in the US, where only a few retailers stock the handsets. But you could always purchase one from Europe once Huawei kicks off sales in the region.
Again, if it wasn’t clear the first time around, as impressive as the Mate 30 Pro might be, it ships without Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail, and all of Google’s apps. And there’s no official way of installing them on the Mate 30 Pro for the time being. So keep that in mind before you even consider buying one.
