The Huawei Mate 30 line up has just launched and it might be one of the most exciting Android phones.
But the big question on everyone’s lips is does it run Android or Huawei’s custom Harmony OS? Find out below.
Does the Huawei Mate 30 run Android?
The Huawei Mate 30 runs EMUI 10 on top of AOSP (Android Open Source Project).
The phone was expected to use AOSP not the normal version of Android as a consequence of China’s ongoing issues with the US and the Huawei Android ban.
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The consequences of the US ban on its businesses working with Huawei have played out in the Mate 30 range. Despite what you might initially think, however, the ban does not stop Huawei from using Android.
Huawei will not be able to utilise as it has in the past, however. Many phone manufacturers use AOSP – Android Open-Source Project – to create their own versions of the mobile operating system, like Samsung’s OneUI or Huawei’s own EMUI.
Huawei can still use AOSP – it is free to use by anyone and, therefore, isn’t disallowed by the US sanctions.
The sanctions do prevent Huawei from including Google Play Services in its variation of the Android Open-Source Project. Not having Google Play Services means that the Huawei Mate 30 range will not have the Google Play Store or access to Google apps like Maps, Drive, Docs etc.
Read our Hands on: Mate 30 Pro review
The Huawei Mate 30 range not having Google Play Store does not only impact Google apps but also limits the phones’ access to other Android apps.
AOSP allows apps to be downloaded without the Google Play Store but it isn’t something the average user will likely want to spend time doing.
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While this is a big loss for Huawei, Huawei spoke in length at this event about HMS. HMS is Huawei Mobile Services and it’s the company’s take on Google Play Services. Along with Huawei’s in-house made alternatives to Android apps, Huawei says over 45,000 apps are integrated with its HMS Core platform for creating applications. The company is also investing $1 billion in its “HMS Ecosystem Incentive Program” which includes a development fund, user growth fund and marketing fund.
Ahead of the event, Huawei had a rough time with leaks – revealing the Mate 30 range, Huawei Watch GT 2, Huawei Vision and more ahead of time. Almost the full lineup of devices launched by Huawei were revealed just yesterday – taking some steam out of the Chinese manufacturers big launch.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
