Huawei Mate 30 Series & Sideloading?? (Limitations)

Click_It on 05/09/2019 - 09:00
Last edited 05/09/2019 - 09:03

Most of you will think I'm crazy for considering this, but in case I'm not the only one hopefully this can serve as an information point for us.

Right now I'm waiting to make a decision on either the Mate 30 Pro or P30 Pro. Photography is key to my next purchase, the P30 Pro is the current king, I'd gladly pull the trigger except it sucks in video and I'm also a hobby videographer (mostly family videos, some landscape etc).

The Mate 30 Pro is expected to make minor improvements on still photography and giant leaps in video photography.

The elephant in the room is of course GOOGLE SERVICES.

So assuming they can't negotiate a deal with Google (I don't think they will, because google are prevented by law to do so) what are my options? I don't mind some inconveniences if the device is amazing.

Sideloading, I think I can sideload everything successfully except Google Pay? I'm told it won't work unofficially. That's a real bummer because I love Google Pay. The rest I won't lose sleep over. I've heard they have been developing a Huawei Pay for some time so it's possible that comes and saves the day, I'm with CBA who tends to get added to these things early.

Any other hurdles I'm overlooking? Google Photos is the only other one I use a lot, can that be sideloaded?

(I bold'd the key texts for those who are too lazy to read it all) :)

Mobile Huawei Mobile Phone Android

Comments

  • mbck on 05/09/2019 - 09:27
    +1

    have you seen their (p30pro) videos? it's not flagship worthy at all. It's not smooth with panning even in good lighting. I personally saw plenty of artifacts and couldn't handle it.

    I'd wait for reviews before jumping in. They said the kirin 980 would improve the video heaps; I was underwhelmed.

    • Click_It on 05/09/2019 - 10:39
      +2

      Yeah exactly. As I said above, the P30 Pro sucks for video. I do more still photography than video but if I had a phone capable of crisp video I'd certainly do more.

      The Kirin 980 was a bit of a disappointment (except for battery life!), their first 7nm chipset but it couldn't do things the Snapdragon could such as 4k/60fps. I expect the Kirin 990 to be a huge improvement. Now it's just a matter of whether the rest of the hardware improves. I see a lot of "cine lens" talk, probably not a true cine lens ($$$$) but with Huawei even using that language has to be a good thing.

      So I'm just trying to determine what things I won't be able to do with the Mate 30 Pro. If Google Pay is the only thing I genuinely can't do with it, but the phone itself is otherwise amazing, I think I'll still buy it.

  • ESEMCE on 05/09/2019 - 10:04
    -1

    The Mate 30/Pro are already confirmed for Google Services…
    Google and Huawei have already confirmed access to Android Q, so you'll even see at least one Software Update to the Mate 30 series if they dont ship with it..

    Not sure where the concern lies?

    It's future models that may/will be in trouble for Google Services, not current ones.
    Existing Huawei devices wont lose access to Google Services overnight.

    I'd like to see Huawei offer bootloader unlocking again for their devices as that would assuage much of the risk, by allowing third party ROM's to maintain support for Huawei devices should the worst happen.

    • Click_It on 05/09/2019 - 10:28
      +1

      The Mate 30 series is a future model though and unless I've missed something, it's certainly not confirmed to have full Android, only the light version which lacks Google Services. Very happy to be wrong though! So that's where my concern lies :)

      I think what you've done here is confuse the P30 with the Mate 30?

      Yes I've wondered if they'll start supporting bootloaders, now would be the best time to open up that door.

      Neg didn't come from me either.

      • ESEMCE on 05/09/2019 - 10:45

        Yep, you're right, I did realise Mate 30 wasn't yet released, but I missed the bit in the Android Q confirmation that Google Services were probably excluded.
        The neg is justified from whoeveer gave it… I'm wrong.

        I can't believe that offering bootloader unlocking wasn't a part of their initial response. It would have immediately kept their devices popular with the tech crew.

        • Click_It on 05/09/2019 - 11:18

          Easy mistake to make, I think that news broke around 01/08. I've been following this daily, since then nothing much has happened. I don't see a deal with Google happening for the reasons mentioned therefore it probably won't even be released in Australia but I'm fine with grey importing, it's how I've bought all my phones.

          You're 100% right about bootloading, they really need to embrace that. It's still possible they will. That would certainly make it more appealing to a niche western market. Without Google it'll never enjoy mass appeal.

  • plmko on 05/09/2019 - 10:58

    Why bother wasting that much money on a phone when you want photos, and will be relying on children up in the Northern Hemisphere not throwing tantrums.

    $1000 buys you a RX100 IV and some change for a LG V30, Xiaomi, Xperia XZ2 etc

    • Click_It on 05/09/2019 - 11:15

      A real camera will always win, but I also want convenience. As the saying goes "The best camera is the camera you have with you". A phone easily fits in my pocket, no fuss. The compromise in quality I can live with.

      My phone until it died recently was the LG V20 which I was pretty happy with for photo/video quality, it sucked in many other areas though. I'm having a break from LG. The Xperia XZ2 I hear does well in video.

      Honestly with the Mate 30 just 2 weeks away I'm happy to wait and see what it brings. If I'm not blown away by it I will be forced to look at one of the alternatives like you suggest.

      • mbck on 05/09/2019 - 11:47

        plus the rx100 doesn't have wide angle…

        • Click_It on 05/09/2019 - 13:31

          I do love my wide angle :)

  • wallet72 on 05/09/2019 - 14:04

    no love for the Oppo Reno 10x? I'm not a very good or even tolerable photo taker, but it does seem to make my attempts look better than usual.

    • Click_It on 05/09/2019 - 14:11

      That was in the original mix, ruled out as being not as good still photo taker compared to the P30 Pro, but at the time I didn't realise how bad the P30 Pro was at video, so I'll have another look at the Oppo Reno, it might be a well balanced alternative. There is also a Oppo Reno 2 out or on the way.

      • wallet72 on 05/09/2019 - 14:20

        I will say I do like the Reno and find it quite a good phone, but the 'pop up' front facing camera is a bit wanky.

  • auozb on 09/09/2019 - 16:59

    OP, I'm in the same boat as you, want best photo cam in a phone, P30 Pro was the one I was looking at but video features were disappointing.
    Then Samsung Note 10+ for video/photo & 12GB RAM and MicroSD card. But now waiting for Mate 30 Pro, since they announced Cine lens features. I think Mate 30 Pro is gonna be a killer photo cam on a phone and hopefully for video too as Kirin 990 is defo capable of 4k60p and AI Da Vinci is beyond any other AI currently on the market, so the noise reduction, dynamic range and everything else should be above and beyond Note 10+, just hopping Mate 30 Pro also has 12GB RAM.

    In regards to Google Play services, as it stands today,
    ( https://ausdroid.net/2019/09/08/huawei-mate-30-series-will-r… )
    apparently Mate 30 will ship with Android 10 Open Source, but WITHOUT Google Play store and Google apps. So hopefully we can install them ourselves just by downloading.

    Any idea how simple it would be to install Google apps on Open Source Android? is it just downloading apk or would require bootloader?

    • Click_It on 09/09/2019 - 20:31
      +1

      Ah I knew I couldn't be the only one! Yeah the P30 comes so close just earning a big fail on the video performance.

      Samsung phones haven't impressed me much for a few iterations now. Camera-wise they are an all rounder but not amazing in any one area was my consensus. Also battery life is pretty terrible.

      You're right the Kirin 990 is looking amazing. 4k60p will be possible and I read 8k30p also possible (though to me 8k is silly). I would be surprised if 12GB RAM isn't an option. The phone will come in 5G and 4G SoC versions. Battery life will be strong like the P30. The 5G has higher clock speeds and more power for the AI NPU so it wouldn't be a stretch if more RAM comes exclusive to that model but given 12GB is available on much cheaper phones, it'll probably be available on both. Me personally, 8GB is fine.

      RE: Android Open Source, I'm expecting to treat it like a rooted phone. Hopefully I'm not wrong. Find the APK's and install. On rooted phones that's worked a treat. We'll miss out on Google Pay though, maybe Huawei Pay could come though.

      As mentioned above, I also wouldn't be surprised if Huawei being supporting bootloaders again. It just makes sense with nothing really to lose.

    • ESEMCE on 10/09/2019 - 09:31
      +1

      On Custom ROM's you need to install GApps from recovery. I don't believe APK's can access the low level system areas that GApps would require, unless you can give them root access.

      The Huawei recovery is currently (for existing devices younger than Mate 9) locked to install only Huawei Signed files.
      To install a Custom Recovery, you need an unlocked Bootloader!

      The photo in the Ausdroid article is from the TWRP Custom Recovery.

      Even if Huawei maintain locked Bootloaders (they're insane if they do IMHO), the hardware is probably desirable enough that someone will eventually hack a way in, but it'll take a while.

      • Click_It on 10/09/2019 - 14:09

        Thank you for clarifying. I agree 100% there is no reason to maintain locked Bootloaders anymore, hopefully they share that view too.

        But in case they still maintain the lock, we're in a jam until someone hacks it. And then we need to be careful which region/version of the phone we have. When I was big into rooting Samsungs back in the day, the International/AU version always came last. But given the headaches, there may be fewer versions with this new phone making that easier/faster.

        • auozb on 10/09/2019 - 14:10

          there is hope yet:

          " During the Q&A session on the sidelines of IFA 2019, CEO of Huawei Consumer BG, Richard Yu told media that Huawei is waiting for the US government to allow the use of GMS and if they won’t. We’ll go for the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and let consumer install the Google apps by themselves.

          So how the company will allow users to install Google apps without a GMS license? Yu explains that the company is exploring its options on this matter.

          “Huawei is investigating the solution to allow consumers to install applications of their own choice,” told Yu. "

          • Click_It on 10/09/2019 - 14:22

            @auozb: If I'm reading between the lines correctly, it sounds very much like unlocked bootloader talk to me. Here's hoping!

            End of the day, if this phone ticks all the boxes for me (minus GMS) I'll buy it and deal with the shortcomings later.

            • auozb on 10/09/2019 - 17:41
              +1

              @Click_It: Sounds like it.
              Same, politics can change

              • Click_It on 14/09/2019 - 10:59

                @auozb: Indeed they can, and they may… Soon.

                https://www.techradar.com/au/news/huawei-founder-offers-to-s…

                An olive branch to the US from Huawei which is smart given they now make more money globally from mobile phones than infrastructure and that's with very little influence in the US market. If they can pull this off and get restrictions reversed PLUS enter into the US market it'll be a game changer. Not sure how likely it is to proceed but it's interesting. Huawei are already working on 6G too so it's a smart play indeed which could benefit the consumers.

                Also it looks like the Mate 30 Pro will come in 8GB and 12GB, unsure at this stage if both will be available in 4G or if you need to fork out for 5G to get 12GB. I still feel 12GB is not necessary yet.

  • Click_It on 20/09/2019 - 09:16
    +2

    It's out! And Australia is actually getting it. Here is my quick run down of features for those who don't want to read long reviews or watch YouTube (really?).

    CONS first:

    • Price, €1099 for Mate 30 Pro 4G ($1750 before addon costs, add another $100 for 5G model)
    • €799 for Mate 30 ($1300 AUD before addon costs, add another $100 for 5G model)
    • No Google Services, we all knew that
    • Sound is limited to mono speaker at the bottom and under-screen sound (this means poor volume)
    • No Periscope 5X lens (most in the know already knew this, we get 3X instead which will be good enough for most of us)

    So it's looking like the Mate 30 Pro will be $1999 with grey importing the cheaper option.
    For me the only thing I care about now is the side-loading ability. Shipping without Google won't slow me one bit, I sure hope they've given us an unlocked bootloader though!

    PROS:

    • Video quality! Finally they've caught up with photo mode. Low light is better than anything else on the market (I expect video stabilisation to have improved too but time will tell)
    • Slow-Mo, 7860fps @ 720p / 960fps @ 1080p - if you care about slow-mo, nothing else comes close
    • Fast charging, 40W Wired, 27W Wireless (they could have included their 55W from the Mate X but said they wanted to keep that exclusive to that model for now. 40W is still good enough IMO)
    • That waterfall display, I prefer flatscreens but in Android those are going the way of the 3mm jack. The reviews show the waterfall is good and won't get accidental activity. When compared with the only other waterfall device (Vivo Nex 3) it's better.

    There's also air-gestures which I think is gimmicky but whatever, we don't have to use it. Might be handy if your hands are dirty I guess.

    For me, the PROS easily outweigh the CONS, pending side-loading ability.

    YouTube reviews:

    • Click_It on 20/09/2019 - 10:44
      +1

      This first leak, it's all italian but after the 5:05 mark you can see the Google Services in there. If they can install Google in the showroom then it can't be hard at all!

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DO1cnJwIWw&feature=youtu.be

      • victor so on 28/09/2019 - 02:23

        There are installation apps one can download to install Google Play Store in the new Huawei Mate 30; however, it will not be able to play many of the apps. This article explains why

        https://tinyurl.com/yxj6y3w8

    • ESEMCE on 23/09/2019 - 11:49

      Unlocked (or unlockable) Bootloader confirmed.
      That will mean full Google Services can be flashed to System Partition (and the system can be rooted, which might even enable Google Pay!).
      The only remaining issue will be whether the US government forces or Google decides to enforce their ability to disable Google Services on uncertified devices!

      • Click_It on 23/09/2019 - 12:31

        Hurrah! Yes that is great news.

        And you're right with your concern about uncertified devices, I don't see Google voluntarily enforcing it but the US government could force their hand. Honestly I don't see either happening, this is such a niche space we're talking about now. But who knows! I guess it comes down to our appetite for risk now. I'm game.

      • victor so on 28/09/2019 - 02:31

        Understand Google pay and many other Google products downloaded from the newly installed Google Play Store will work in Mate 30.

        https://mightygadget.co.uk/how-to-install-google-play-store-…

  • arctan on 20/09/2019 - 11:36

    Yep it looks like we can side load most of Google apps easily. That's a huge plus for most of tech savvy people out there. Still a show stop for a lot of people who just want everything works out of box.

    • Click_It on 20/09/2019 - 12:41

      True on both points. It won't be a phone for the masses, that said the masses will be perfectly happy with the Note 10's, S10's and OnePlus 7's of the world to not care about the superior photography and videographry this phone has to offer.

      Looks like Samsung will finally get serious about cameras in their next series too.

      • arctan on 20/09/2019 - 15:52

        The question is the price now for Aussie stock. From what I have heard we only get 2 colors here. Not a lot of options.

  • Click_It on 25/09/2019 - 15:07

    Good news everybody!

    Someone from XDA Forums tweeted this. In short it appears Google are taking it easy on Huawei and whitelisting them to pass SafetyNet.

    Why does this matter? SafetyNet Certified = GOOGLE PAY!

    Better information here - Gapps ROM Whitelist

    Looks like this is a win/win, it maintains the present of hard action on Huawei whilst letting the tech community bypass everything and enjoy their Mate 30 devices :)

    • ESEMCE on 27/09/2019 - 13:25

      Now to wait for the fire-sale when it bombs in the non-China market!
      Or for lightly used bargains when unwitting people buy it only to find "it's useless"!

  • ty99234 on 27/09/2019 - 15:17

    It only costs $1200 plus shipping(less than $50 using DHL) for a Mate 30 pro in China. I'm thinking about getting one shipped over if the Australian price is higher than $1500. Happy to give up my warranty for $250 plus saving.

    • WesthamAreMassive on 27/09/2019 - 17:56

      Plus gst?

    • Click_It on 27/09/2019 - 18:14

      I'm contemplating that too. I want to have a closer look at all the numbers, factoring in things like GST etc and see if the final savings warrant the hassle. For $250 discount it's a no brainer too, for $125 it's not… For me I have to factor in that I don't have a reliable backup phone right now, very soon I'll need to buy a burner phone or pull the trigger on this. I know which one I prefer.

      • ty99234 on 27/09/2019 - 18:46

        It’s just Huawei Australia hasn’t released its pricing. I’m going to wait until 10th October as that’s the last day you can put a deposit on Huawei GT2 to get the first batch of shipping.

  • auozb on 29/09/2019 - 19:08

    Any idea when Australia be getting 5G version of the Pro?
    There is a talk that it won't be till November… =(

    Also do you think there will eventually be a 12GB RAM version of the Pro that is not Porsche ($$$) version?
    Maybe they want to sell enough of the Porsche versions before giving 12GB RAM to the "standard" Pro one…

    Coz using 7860fps slo-mo eats up 2GB of RAM, plus video editing etc. Seems like all the latest flagships have a 12GB RAM options (Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi) and 8GB RAM seems to be the new "standard" in late 2019.

    • Click_It on 30/09/2019 - 10:09

      It's been very quiet about ANY international launch of this phone. I'm tired of waiting and going to explore buyer agents to get one to me.

      They may release a revamped 12GB non-Porsche version later but I'd say that won't come until at least another >6 months due to wanting to give that Porsche phone some exclusivity.

      Interesting, didn't know slo-mo chewed 2GB of RAM. I wouldn't call it a gimmick, it's pretty amazing but I can't think of many occasions I'd actually use it. I like the idea of slo-mo but I think for 99% of stuff, that's toooooo slow (ironically enough!)

      You are right though, I thought 12GB would come in the PRO. They should have given the overpriced Porsche 1TB instead, or given it the speed bump the 5GB Pro gets exclusively. If we didn't get it in the 5G version I don't think anyone would have noticed.

      Also if you're not time pressured, I think there will be more phones to choose from in coming months.

  • ty99234 on 02/10/2019 - 14:05
    +1

    Just purchased Mate 30 Pro Emerald Green 256gb version for CNY6299~1310AUD

    Now it is on the way to a mail forwarding company and will get shipped by DHL soon

    I'm getting excited!

    • auozb on 02/10/2019 - 21:48

      did you buy 4G version?

      let us know if and how you go with installing Google apps, cheers

  • WesthamAreMassive on 02/10/2019 - 17:05

    When are we likely to hear when it will go on sale in Aus?

    • Click_It on 02/10/2019 - 18:17

      I heard October 15 but information is thin on the ground with this phone. Silence worries me, it will probably be November.

      I'm really tempted to follow ty99234's lead. That same phone in Global version on Australian shelves will be $1700 I think.

  • auozb on 02/10/2019 - 21:41

    New development regarding Google apps side-loading, not good.
    https://www.huaweicentral.com/you-can-no-longer-sideload-goo…

    I really hope that when it is finally available to buy in OZ we can either side-load again or Google Play Service is officially restored and supported. Otherwise it seems too much trouble even for an awesome tech.
    Might have to wait for Galaxy S11, rumours are that it will be new larger sensor 108MP camera that Xiaomi Alpha is using in upcoming phone and 5x Optical tele lens.
    But honestly would really love to have Mate 30 Pro in my hands now.

    https://www.dpreview.com/news/0543007812/report-samsung-gala…

    https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s11_will_bring_108mp…

    And yeah, when you pay around 1300-1500 for a phone you would expect to have all the latest bells and whistles, so 12GB RAM is what I would have expected Mate 30 Pro to have, kinda a let down about only 8GB RAM. Seems like every new phone of under $1000 has 8GB RAM, so a flagship should really have 12GB RAM.

    • Click_It on 02/10/2019 - 21:54

      I'm starting to have doubts too. I need to pull the trigger soon but there are other options coming like the Pixel 4, I'm not into the weird air gestures features its promoting but if the cameras are good that could win me over.

      A OnePlus 7 Pro or the new 7T is another choice. Camera is inferior to Mate 30 Pro but it's still a nice phone. During an eBay 15% sale you can get 8GB for ~$850 and 12GB for ~$960. Leaves money for some nice accessories.

  • Click_It on 04/10/2019 - 08:57

    Pre-order starts in Malaysia today (global version)

    https://www.huaweicentral.com/huawei-mate-30-pro-pre-order-s…

    Mate 30 8GB+128GB $667 USD ($990 AUD)
    Mate 30 Pro 8GB+256GB $930 USD ($1380 AUD)

    Those prices don't look so special but then have a look at the included gift pack!

    Gifts include:

    • Huawei Wireless In-car SuperCharge charger (RM 289)
    • DJI Osmo Mobile 3 (RM 499)
    • Back casing (RM 68)
    • Huawei care (RM 299) with a 1-Year extended warranty and 6-months display warranty.

    Valid October 3 - 22, 2019.

    That DJI Osmo Mobile 3 alone costs $260 on eBay, well over $300 elsewhere.

    I'm interested again. Buying from Malaysia means Global version and even if the same deal is offered in Australia they will apply the "Australian tax" so expect higher prices than this.

  • AussieMark on 21/11/2019 - 08:26
    +1

    hi there guys, won the Australian promotion and ordered a few units last night from mobileciti

    https://www.mobileciti.com.au/mobile-phones/huawei-mate-30-p…

    I'll get free ear buds too

    • Click_It on 21/11/2019 - 14:37

      Congrats! That's awesome good on you. I ended up getting a P30 Pro but I'll be watching the sanctions issue from the sidelines.

      • AussieMark on 21/11/2019 - 19:15
        +1

        P40 pro March next year sounds exciting

    • this is us on 22/11/2019 - 13:50

      I got the code but still thinking if I really want to spend 1399… The only big issue is Google Pay, which I have been using… Everything else seems to be working so far, according to XDA forum.

      • AussieMark on 22/11/2019 - 17:31

        If it helps the price was 1499 or 1550 yesterday hehe

        I saw it drop as I refreshed at 11pm last night

        I'm getting mine now so will let you know what I think

        The thing that confuses me is some of the versions on different websites say with Google

        • this is us on 22/11/2019 - 18:29

          There is no Google system in the Mate 30 series, there is no confusion about that… There is Android but you will have to follow the instructions to install some Google apps (nothing complicated really)… Check https://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-30-pro if you are not sure. Only Google Pay (Safetynet) is still a problem…

          Two days ago, on mobileciti, it was 1599 and after applying the code it would appear 1599-200 (1399).
          Today, it is 1399 (and you still need the code to add the item)… It'd be great if it was 1399 - 200… That'd make me think more seriously about buying the phone. For now, I don't think I want that. I've been very happy with my P20 PRO, which I bought in May 2018 and it is still an amazing phone, with great camera, battery, etc…. and Google apps without any issues.

          Although I am used to modifying softwares/ROMs, the P20 Pro is the first phone that I've been keeping original since the beginning because it offers everything I need. I think it is a bit too much to pay for a small upgrade and a lot of uncertainty…

          I will observe what happens in the next weeks before making a final decision. ;)

          EDIT:
          On eBay there are some creatures sending the phone as "CN version with Google". They then write: "The product is international and genuine model and comes with original retail box."
          If it is CN, it is NOT international. In any case, the CN version has no Google (and no Huawei Chinese phone has).
          The same ad says: "*** GOOGLE PAY CANNOT BE USED ***"

          The CN model is LIO-AL00.

          • AussieMark on 25/11/2019 - 08:40

            @this is us: Not sure why or how but everything from Google works perfectly haha

            Only thing I haven't tested is google pay. But play store and all the apps work

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