Why You Can Trust CNET Despite ban, you can still buy Huawei phones in the US. Here's how
Even with the turmoil, Huawei's P30 Pro is still available to buy in the US.
Owning a Huawei phone in the US became a lot less appealing over the weekend when it was revealed that Google will stop providing Huawei support for its Android phones . The decision wasn't Google's, but instead the company is complying with an executive order recently signed by President Donald Trump.
The Chinese company currently holds the second spot in global smartphone marketshare, but without access to the Google Play services and apps like Gmail, Huawei's push to become the global leader is looking dim. Samsung, No. 1 in global smartphone marketshare, has a lot to gain from this weekend's news.
For its part, Google says "services like Google Play & security from Google Play Protect will keep functioning on your existing Huawei device." But it's unclear exactly what that means for future updates.
The ban will surely affect future sales, but right now it appears that nothing has changed for B&H Photo and Amazon . We have reached out to both companies about their future plans for listing Huawei products in the US and will update this post when we hear back.
But first, some caveats
The P30 Pro has some of the most unique color schemes for a phone.
Without official support from US carriers and retailers, there are a few things to keep in mind when buying a P30 Pro :
- The unlocked international version will only work on GSM carriers. Meaning, AT&T and T-Mobile .
- Because the phone won't be optimized for US networks, you will miss out on some carrier-specific features like Wi-Fi calling and some LTE bands, which can lead to poor reception when indoors.
- It's worth repeating. The P30 Pro will not work on Sprint or Verizon .
- Depending on where you buy the phone, it might not be covered by a warranty.
- It's not currently clear how long the P30 Pro will receive security updates, or have access to Google Play services and apps.
B&H Photo
B&H Photo sells the 256GB version of the P30 Pro for $899. It's available in three different colors -- black, crystal, and aurora -- and is covered by B&H Photo's 1-year limited warranty.
The only downside? B&H Photo doesn't have any in stock at this moment. You'll have to sign up to receive an alert when B&H has more in stock and place your order then. Right now, that's expected to happen at the end of May.
Amazon
If you don't want to wait on B&H, you can order a P30 Pro from Amazon right now, but you'll have to be OK with paying a little more and the phone not being covered with any type of warranty.
Amazon has a black 128GB model for $979. There's also a 256GB model for $988, which makes it clear in the item's title that there's no warranty included with your purchase.
If you're still on the fence about the P30 Pro, check out the gallery below that compares photos from an iPhone XS Max and the P30 Pro.
