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Huawei announces plans for global EMUI 10.1 rollout
The new EMUI version was unveiled along with the P40 series
Huawei's latest iteration of its custom skin on top of Android, EMUI 10.1, was first introduced along with the P40 series in March. Back then, we didn't know when the software would make the jump to other phones internationally, even though some handsets received the update in the form of a beta. That's now changing — Huawei has announced that it will start rolling out EMUI 10.1 across its lineup starting this month.
The Mate 30 Pro was first unveiled in September last year, and it's another hugely impressive piece of kit from Chinese tech giant Huawei. The problem is, few people outside of China have had the opportunity to buy one thanks to the US trade ban that is preventing it from being launched with Google apps and services. There's been no movement on that, unfortunately, but Huawei is making its most recent flagship available in the UK regardless.
Earlier today, well-known developer John Wu — the name behind Android's current go-to root solution Magisk — penned an explanation over on Medium for precisely how the Mate 30's Google apps workaround worked. It was a pretty interesting read for folks interested in the minutiae of Android, as parts of it are a bit concerning from a security perspective. Based on the timing, it seems like it may have also worried some other folks as well, as the site hosting the installer APK for the Play Store workaround has been taken down.
The Huawei Mate 30 Pro's Google Play Services situation has been one hell of a ride so far. CEO Richard Yu first said the company was thinking about making the bootloader unlockable, which would make it easier to install a custom ROM with Google Play Services support. This was quickly backtracked by a spokesperson clarifying Huawei has "no plans" doing so. In another turn of events, it seems installing Play Services is possible without unlocking the bootloader – if you're ready to install the enterprise device manager LZ Play on the phone, though it requires extensive permissions.
Huawei's newest flagship, the Mate 30, was officially revealed a few days ago. It's an impressive piece of hardware, but its lack of Google services (due to ongoing trade disputes between the United States and China) mean it's going to be a very hard sell outside of China. There was some hope that Huawei would loosen its grip on bootloader unlocks, so buyers could flash an alternate ROM with Google apps, but that won't be happening.
[Update: Nope] CEO says Huawei Mate 30 bootloader is unlockable, opening easy pathway to Google apps
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Huawei might have been able to deploy Android 10 just in time for its Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro releases, but, thanks to a looming U.S. imports ban, Western markets will not be able to use Google apps and services on those phones... at least out of the box. We've been expecting a couple of twists to come out of the company in order to accommodate those Google-dependent customers and they have certainly come — right out of the CEO's mouth.
Today, Huawei announced the Mate 30 Pro and the Mate 30 during its keynote in Munich, Germany. The phones haven't leaked as badly as the Pixel 4, but we've known quite a bit about them before the launch. The Mate 30 series focuses on photography and comes with the Kirin 990 chip, the first SoC with an integrated 5G modem. They're also the first Huawei devices that have to launch without Google apps, which might make it harder to sell them outside of China.
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Chinese tech company Huawei has been in too many headlines for a smartphone maker. It is at risk of losing all of its U.S. goods suppliers as questions hang in the air about what corporate crimes it may or may not have committed. But today, the firm is making news of its own agency in introducing the Huawei Mate 30 and the Huawei Watch GT 2 to market — and we have the link for you to see that happen live.
Huawei's upcoming Mate 30 line is just around the corner, and while the inclusion of Google apps is still a question, an avalanche of leaks over the last two days has answered plenty of others. Following the pile of official-looking renders dug up by Evan Blass, specs have started to leak and hands-on photos have been posted to Chinese social platform Weibo. Most notably, the leaks peg the Mate 30 Pro as having a slightly insane 7680 FPS camera.
Today at IFA 2019 in Berlin, Huawei has unveiled its next-generation silicon that will power its upcoming mobile products. The Kirin 990 5G is the world's first flagship 5G SoC and it will debut in the Huawei Mate 30 Pro — a product that likely won't ship with access to Google apps. A non-5G Kirin 990 will also come to other Huawei and Honor phones.
Renders of the Huawei Mate 30 Pro based on leaked CAD files have been published by Pricebaba, courtesy of @OnLeaks. While commentary accompanying the images admits that some of the details are uncertain, due to a "tricky CAD," the renders reveal a step up in the camera department, with the Mate 30 housing a total of seven: Four in a circular arrangement on the back, and three front-facing inside the notch. Volume buttons are also curiously missing, corroborating an earlier claim that the phone will use a "sliding" touch-sensitive area instead.