Huawei on Tuesday will unveil its next-gen Android flagship smartphone in Paris, France. The P20 series will come in three varieties, all sporting a notch design like the iPhone X. The Pro version is actually supposed to compete against the iPhone X, the Galaxy S9, and other 2018 flagships, and it’s the version rumored to feature three cameras on the back.
The P20 will surely hit stores in the weeks after the event, but US buyers will have an even harder time scoring a P20.
The government’s pressure on AT&T and Verizon is what reportedly killed Huawei’s plans to sell the Mate 10 Pro via US carriers earlier this year. Both AT&T and Verizon were supposed to sell the flagship phone, but they backed out in early January. Right around that time, the directors of several US intelligence agencies renewed their concerns regarding the commercialization of Huawei and ZTE equipment in America.
Huawei fans were still able to purchase the Mate 10 Pro from electronics retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, and Newegg. But the P20 series won’t be available from Best Buy this spring. In fact, CNET has learned that Best Buy terminated its partnership with Huawei.
“We don’t comment on specific contracts with vendors, and we make decisions to change what we sell for a variety of reasons,” a Best Buy spokeswoman said.
The retailer apparently stopped ordering Huawei phones and will stop selling them over the next few weeks.
“As a policy, we do not discuss the details of our partner relationships,” a Huawei spokesperson said, calling Best Buy a valued partner.
Amazon, meanwhile, still sells Huawei gear, including the Mate 10 Pro, and so does Newegg. We’ll have to wait and see whether the P20 phones will be available via either retailer.
