Despite holding a flashy launch event for its newest flagships in Germany last month, Huawei shied away from announcing a European release date for the phones. That was a particularly striking omission, especially since the phones' pricing was in Euros. It was, no doubt, a result of the company's ongoing spat with the U.S. government, and its apprehension about releasing a flagship device in Europe sans Google services.
It looks like Huawei may finally be done waiting for relief, though. Citing Chinese sources well acquainted with Huawei's plans, a new report from Techgarage suggests the company is looking to bring its Kirin 990-powered handsets to Europe by mid-November, possibly even on November 15.
Both the Mate 30 and the Mate 30 Pro feature EMUI 10 on Android 10 and, as has been discussed to death by now, they do not come with Google Mobile Services. That means no Gmail, no Maps, and most importantly, no Play Store. Barring that, the phones are some of the best you'll find, with both featuring a 40MP primary sensor. The Mate 30 Pro has three additional camera modules to round out its quad-camera setup, while the Mate 30 has only a total of three lenses. Beyond that, the phones are mostly similar, notwithstanding slight variations in display size, resolution, and battery capacity between the two phones. Also, 5G is exclusive to the Mate 30 Pro, unfortunately.
On the pricing front, the Mate 30 should retail for €799, while its larger sibling will cost you €1,099. If you're looking to be an early adopter for 5G, the Mate 30 Pro 5G will start at €1,099. There's also a special Porsche Design variant of the Mate 30 Pro, but it's unclear if the company will be launching this in Europe, and when. You might need to start saving from now, though, because the premium handset is priced at an eye-watering €2,095.
A great phone that absolutely no-one should buy.
The Huawei Mate 30 Pro is a great phone, with a versatile camera system, stunning waterfall display and fantastic battery life. There's a huge problem, though – it doesn't officially support Google services right now, so no one should buy this.
