Huawei P40 Pro Plus in gorgeous ceramic finish
HuaweiJuly 24 update below. This post was first published on July 21, 2020.
Huawei has been having a torrid time, with the most recent turn of events being the British Government’s announcement that Huawei equipment would no longer be permissible in the country’s 5G network infrastructure.
What’s there will be removed in the coming years, by the end of 2027, and no new Huawei equipment can be bought after the end of this year. A previous ban on Huawei from the most sensitive core parts of the 5G network remains in place. But while this news was heard everywhere, other parts of the story were less audible. If you have a smartphone, tablet, laptop, smartwatch or speaker from the brand, should you be worried?
In short, no.
July 24 update: As if to prove that the infrastructure decision does not mean Huawei smartphones or other gadgets are about to vanish or become less cutting-edge, Huawei has just announced a series of partnerships with other brands. Huawei has recently launched a sensational smart speaker developed in conjunction with Devialet.
The just-announced collaborations are not just badging operations: that Huawei smartphone is crucial. So, there’s a partnership with the leading luggage brand, Samsonite. Tap the Smart Lock on compatible Samsonite cases with a Huawei smartphone and it will lock automatically.
Cleaning company Kärcher is involved in the Huawei HiLink Kärcher Water Purifier. Just saying such a long-winded name may leave you thirsty, but the Huawei AI Life app on a Huawei smartphone can reveal the water quality and the water purifier’s filter life.
That same app can now be used to remotely control the Joyoung Intelligent Thermostatic Electric Kettle, and it can also monitor how the kettle’s doing. Plus, a range of lighting solutions from Opple can now be controlled by the same Huawei AI Life app on a Huawei smartphone.
There are more collaborations than these, but the point of all of them is that Huawei is defiantly saying that it is determeined to see its involvement in British life, and that of other countries, growing rather than dwindling.
This is merely the latest news in a company which is putting huge resources into adding more apps in the Huawei App Gallery, reducing reliance on the Google Play Store’s apps.
In other words, though Huawei’s behind-the-scenes 5G hardware is being eased out, Huawei is making sure that its phone and other gadgets remain front-and-center in British life.
The British National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a government department which is the country’s lead technical authority on cyber security, has helpfully distilled its advice into an online post (read it here).
It says: “The NCSC’s work on this topic relates purely to Huawei equipment in the UK’s telecoms network. It doesn’t directly affect the Huawei technology you use at home, such as smartphones, laptops and tablets. However, the May 2020 announcement from the US will have other consequences for your use of Huawei technology, that you may want to consider.”
The advice online is as much geared to informing companies as individuals, but it goes on to explicitly talk about phones and tablets:
“Existing Huawei devices shouldn’t be affected – all your apps should continue to work, and your phone/laptop/tablet should keep getting security updates for its normal lifetime. But from now on, new Huawei devices won’t be able to use Google applications or services; for example: the Play Store, Maps, YouTube or Google Assistant.”
Five rear cameras on the Huawei P40 Pro Plus
HuaweiWhen Huawei customers have got in touch with the company on Twitter, Huawei has replied: “Hi, the announcement does not affect our consumer products. We will continue to provide the best technology to our millions of consumers in the UK and around the world, and we have an innovative roadmap of future products which we’re excited to bring to the UK soon.”
That’s pretty clear, and not really surprising. In some ways, Huawei works as a company of two halves, one that works behind the scenes, powering mobile and broadband networks, and one that makes consumer products.
For consumer products there are no surprises on their way. The phones and tablets that work with Google Mobile Services (GMS) such as Gmail and Play Store, will keep working and continue to be updated in the normal way. And those devices such as the latest flagship, the Huawei P40 Pro Plus, which have open-source Android and Huawei’s own app store, the App Gallery, will similarly be supported for, as the NCSC says, the normal lifetime of the product.
So, should you consider buying Huawei phones or tablets now?
Huawei P30 Pro in its most recent design update, running full Google Mobile Services
HuaweiWell, you do need to think about how crucial elements like the Play Store or Google Maps are to you. If you think you won’t be happy with Here WeGo Maps – a highly capable alternative in my view – or the full range of Android apps, then you might prefer to think about the new, updated P30 Pro smartphone, for instance, which still comes with GMS.
For many, the absence of some apps is less important, or balanced out by the exceptional quality and design of its smartphones, say, with their truly splendid cameras. In which case, the P40 series may suit, and, like the other phones, these are unchanged by the latest development.
Follow me on Instagram by clicking here: davidphelantech and Twitter: @davidphelan2009
The Link LonkJuly 24, 2020 at 06:00PM
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Huawei’s Removal From U.K. 5G: Where Does That Leave Your Smartphone? - Forbes
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