Huawei P40 availability won't be impacted by Covid-19, but sales may still be affected

News
By
published

But coronavirus has affected others

Huawei P40 Pro
(Image credit: TechRadar)

The Huawei P40 range of smartphones was unveiled at an inopportune time. Countries around the world are in lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and that means people might not be focusing on upgrading their smartphone.

However, while it seems like the pandemic might have big implications on the tech world, with the iPhone 12 perhaps delayed by months, Huawei has confirmed that availability of its P40 series won't be affected by factory closures or supply chain issues.

This was confirmed by Huawei CEO Richard Yu after the P40 launch, where he stated that the phone's production actually began in December 2019, back before coronavirus became a global pandemic. The phones were therefore all finished before mass industry shutdowns began.

In fact, Yu reportedly suggested that because lots of people are on their phones while they're locked down, the P40 series couldn't come at a better time. However, it's very debatable whether there's huge demand for phones right now.

Huawei P40: the perfect storm?

The Huawei P40 actually has two factors which mean customers might not be tripping over themselves to buy it right now.

Firstly, it's unlikely many people are too keen to buy new smartphones given the current uncertain global climate. This isn't an issue solely for Huawei, as a recent report suggests the Samsung Galaxy S20 phones sold only 60% as well as the Galaxy S10 series.

Secondly, the Huawei P40 range doesn't have access to some of Google's core apps. That means there's no Google Play Store, Chrome, YouTube, Gmail and more, which greatly reduces their functionality in western countries.

This has been an issue for a few phones from the company now, since the Huawei ban began soon after the P30 launch. 

During the post-P40 briefing, Yu also said that he was keen to work with Google again should trade tensions between China (where Huawei is based) and the US (where Google is based) thaw out.

Via GSMArena

Tom Bedford
Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.