The end of Huawei?

Huawei is the rising star of handphones....until today.

I was on the brink of pulling the trigger for Huawei Pro 30 until the news hit.
As reported on Reuters, Google will suspend business with Huawei after Trump Blacklist.

What does this mean to Huawei phone owners?

Here is a summary

1) Existing Huawei devices will continue to have access to Google services. However, future updates to Android OS is uncertain and may not be available.

2) Future versions of Huawei that run on Android will lose access to popular services including Google Play Store, Gmail and Youtube apps

3) Existing Huawei devices will have access to Google Play but may be subjected to review

4) Huawei will still be able to use the Android Open Source Project, the public version of Android, but without access to Google's proprietary apps and services.

5) Huawei is said to be working on an alternate mobile operating system but it may take weeks/months or even years to match Google Play. However, with the advance in technology in China, Huawei might pack a surprise in its sleeve. 

Does this spell the end of Huawei?

It really depends on how far Huawei had already anticipated the problem and how they had prepared for this worst-case scenario.  If it is a work in progress with no immediate response, expect a big drop in the sales of Huawei phones going forward.

What does it mean for the Huawei Pro 30?

Touted as the best phone in the market now with its excellent photography functions, this latest development could spell the end of a rising star. Already there are sellers cashing out en mass as

evident from the spike in sale on carousell.

For the next year or so, as long as Google Play is still available, there should be no issue. However, should the Android OS be upgraded, you would not get the upgrade. In addition, Google-related apps may not get updated as well, thus limiting its effectiveness as a smartphone. Without Google Maps, this might also impact 3rd party apps like GRAB that relies on it as part of the app.

There are offers to buy the phone now at $200 vs Sellers at $1000. Personally, I think the phone prices might drop to $300 before anyone would bite given the severity of the news. If things start to look worse, no one wants a brick at the end of 2 years.

Will you take the chance on Huawei?