How much “usable” is “HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro 5G” that can not use Google services: Junya Ishino’s Mobile Eye (1/2 page)

　Huawei Japan will release the 5G compatible smartphone "HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro 5G" in Japan. Advance sales will be accepted from March 16th to March 25th. From March 28, it will be possible to purchase at the Huawei Customer Service Center in Ginza (Chuo-ku, Tokyo). From April 4th, sales will begin at the same base in Umeda (Kita Ward, Osaka City). General sales at Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera are scheduled to begin in April. General sales will also be conducted at the company's stores in Rakuten Ichiba and PayPay Mall.

7680fps slow motion and ISO sensitivity up to 51,200 Attractive powerful camera

　Mate 30 Pro 5G is Huawei's flagship model. Compared to the P series, which is thin and equipped with new camera technology, the Mate series is a terminal with a larger screen and a focus on high performance. Globally, it was announced in September 2019, but it looks like it will be launched in Japan.

　The distinctive features are the 6.53-inch flex OLED display with large left and right curves and the quad camera. The edges of the display are curved 88 degrees to create a frameless look. For a 6.53-inch screen and a large screen, the fit is good when you pick it up. It has a high resolution of 1176 x 2400 pixels, and supports "DCI-P3 HDR" to achieve high saturation and high contrast.

　In addition to the ultra-wide-angle, wide-angle, and telephoto cameras, the camera is a 3D depth-of-field camera. Carry four. Both the ultra wide angle and wide angle are positioned as main cameras, and both have 40 million pixels. The sensor size is also large, with an ultra-wide angle of 1/1.54 type and a wide angle of 1/1.7 type. The P30 Pro, which has a reputation for camera performance, has been further enhanced with features such as support for ultra-slow motion shooting at 7680fps and ultra-low light sensitivity with ISO sensitivity of 51,200. On the other hand, the telephoto camera is 3x optical, which is less than the P30 Pro. In this respect, it can be said that the two models are differentiated.

　Equipped with a 5G compatible "Kirin 990 5G" processor. As mentioned at the beginning, it supports 5G as a communication method, and supports the frequencies used in 5G in both Japan and China. There are eight 5G compatible bands: "n1", "n3", "n28", "n38", "n41", "n77", "n78", and "n79". In Japan, n77 is adopted by 3 carriers other than DoCoMo. The n78 is adopted by docomo and au, but both can be used with the Mate 30 Pro 5G. It also supports n79, which can only be used by DoCoMo in Japan.

　5G will be available after a software update, but according to Huawei, it will work on the networks of three companies. We are making adjustments to do so. It can be seen that it will be released after passing the IOT (interoperability test) for 5G. Initially, 5G smartphones were thought to be handled only by the carriers themselves, but as mentioned at the beginning, the Mate 30 Pro 5G is a SIM lock-free smartphone sold by Huawei itself. Not only for carriers and manufacturers, but also for users, an unexpected “ambush” has appeared.

Huawei with GMS blocked, what are the strengths of HMS and AppGallery?

On the other hand, the Mate 30 Pro 5G does not come pre-installed with various Google apps. This is because the embargo due to US sanctions has not been lifted, and Google's GMS (Google Mobile Service) cannot be used. The Mate 30 Pro 5G is one of the terminals that uses the Android OS, but apps that use the GMS API do not work. Instead, it is equipped with "HMS (Huawei Mobile Service)" and "AppGallery" operated by Huawei to distribute compatible apps.

Huawei, which is trying to follow the "third way" following iOS and GMS Android, will also start full-scale HMS in Japan. The first is the Mate 30 Pro 5G. Some may remember that around 2013, Tizen and Firefox OS were attracting attention as a "third OS", but both plans fell through. Tizen survives as an OS for Samsung Electronics' smartwatches and TVs, but its presence is small.

　Huawei's HMS differs from these "third OS" in that it already has a user base. According to Huawei, AppGallery has more than 400 million active users. More than 170 countries and regions are provided. The Mate 30 Pro 5G also has an Android OS that is provided as open source, so there is no big difference in operability. Applications that do not use the GMS API are said to work as they are, which can be said to be a tailwind for Huawei.