Huawei P40 Pro launch will still go ahead – without Google apps

Huawei is still preparing to press ahead with the release of its next flagship phone in 2020, despite the ongoing lack of access to Google apps and services.

The CEO of Huawei, Richard Yu, has claimed that the brand will release the P40 Pro is March 2020, even though it will share the fundamental flaw of the Huawei Mate 30 Pro – having no access to Google Apps or Services. Like its predecessor, this means it’s unlikely to even launch in Europe at all, instead destined to be marketed at the Asian market.

The Android ban controversy first emerged in the summer of 2019, when Google suspended its cooperation with Huawei on the grounds of a presidential executive order made for national security reasons. Following this landmark decision, Huawei device have only been able to run Open Source versions of Android software, lacking the apps and services, including the Google Play Store, that most would associate with the operating system.

One of the first casualties to this decision was the flagship Huawei Mate 30 Pro, which was not sold in Europe in light of the ban.

News from Frandroid seems to confirm that the P40 Pro will run on Android 10, rather than Huawei’s own fledgling HarmonyOS software, so it could await the same fate as the P30 Pro, despite the fact that it’s set to be released in Paris.

The article also states that the new device will have a never-before-seen design, along with improved photography and performance, and greater battery life compared to its predecessor. These are all areas in which we rated the Huawei P30 Pro very highly, but it’s good to see even more improvements scheduled for the sequel. But based on our review, we’d like to see the P40 series improve on Huawei’s user interface software, and make the screen sharp enough to compete with rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus as well.