HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro finally launching in UK, still doesn't have Google apps

It’s been a while since the Mate 30 Pro’s officially debuted in September 2019 amid a storm of controversy, but at long last the Google-free Android flagship is finally coming to the UK. HUAWEI announced today that the Mate 30 Pro will go on sale on February 20, exclusively at Carphone Warehouse and priced at £899 (~$1,162).

Interested buyers can pre-register here and grab themselves a nice bundle that includes a free pair of HUAWEI FreeBuds 3 and a HUAWEI Watch GT2, while stocks last. The Mate 30 Pro is only available in Space Silver, so if you were hoping to grab a funky Cosmic Purple or Emerald Green colorway you’re fresh out of luck. This is also the 4G model, not the 5G variant.

Of course, any buyers hoping to download a bunch of their favorite apps will also be fresh out of luck because, much like other regional models, the UK Mate 30 Pro won’t support Google Mobile Services. That means no Play Store, Search, Maps, Gmail, etc. Instead, the Mate 30 Pro leans on HUAWEI’s own AppGallery storefront and Amazon’s app store. In a savvy move, Carphone Warehouse says it will provide a “dedicated VIP support team” on hand for Mate 30 Pro buyers to guide them through using a phone without GMS.

As with all other models, this could all change overnight if the US’s standoff with the Chinese giant comes to an end, but for now, the Mate 30 Pro is a tricky phone to recommend — and that’s a huge shame considering just how good the phone is. Check out our Mate 30 Pro review (or our video review below) for more of our thoughts on HUAWEI’s flagship.

The other caveat to fully recommending the Mate 30 Pro right now is the impending launch of the HUAWEI P40 series. The latest entry in the camera-centric P series is rumored to be launching in March, so if stellar photography is high up your list of smartphone wants, it may be worth waiting to see what happens in a month’s time.

Will you be picking up the Mate 30 Pro? Let us know in the comments.