With no end in sight to the US's ongoing Huawei ban, which has forced the Chinese smartphone manufacturer to soldier on without access to Google apps and services, many assumed that buying the company's new Mate 30 flagship would be a struggle in the West.
While that's still the case in the UK and many other European territories, Huawei has officially confirmed that its Mate 30 Pro will be getting an Australian release. That said, the regular Mate 30 will not be making its way Down Under for the time being.
In the Mate 30 Pro's local press release, Huawei states that the device "will be available in Australia in Space Silver and Black" and that "its local pricing and availability will be confirmed soon."
The Mate 30 Pro boasts a 6.53-inch OLED display (1,176 x 2,400), the latest Kirin 990 5G chipset, a massive 4,500mAh battery with 40W wired and 27W wireless 'SuperCharge' capability, a Leica-designed quad-camera (40MP + 40MP + 8MP + 3D ToF) on the rear and a triple camera setup (40MP + 16MP + 8MP) on the front for selfies.
No Google for you
Bad news for those hoping to access Google's services on the Mate 30 Pro – at the device's launch in Munich, Germany overnight, Huawei CEO Richard Yu confirmed that users will not be able to sideload Google's apps on the Mate 30 series.
Yu told briefing attendees that "We were forced to do this. We have a good relationship with Google, but the US government forced us to do this and we have no other option."
Instead of the Google Play store, users will have access to Huawei's own app store, though don't expect to find apps like Google Maps or YouTube in there – it remains to be seen how the company will cater to users wanting to use those incredibly popular services.
Watch out
Along with its Mate 30 Pro announcement, Huawei has confirmed that its newly-announced Watch GT 2 range of wearables will also be getting an Australian release.
According to the device's press release, Huawei Watch GT 2 is said to feature "15 sports modes, 10 training modes specifically for running, an enhanced music player and Bluetooth voice calls," along with "new wellness features that allow for hassle-free monitoring of a user’s heart rate, daily sleep and other attributes."
Like the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, the Watch GT 2's Australian pricing and availability will be revealed at a later date.
