Huawei launches Google-free phone, P40

Huawei drove into its post-Google era Thursday with a flagship smartphone that uses none of the Android maker’s apps now that the Chinese group has been blacklisted by United States authorities.

According to the details, The new P40 might not be the first Google-free phone launched by Huawei, but it is the first top-line phone meant to seduce early adopters and show off its technological prowess.

The sources said that the United States has expressed concern that Huawei mobile phone network equipment could contain security loopholes that allow China to spy on global communications traffic. While the company has denied the accusation, it has been effectively barred from working with US companies.

For smartphones, that means Huawei has had to forgo Google’s Android operating system and the plethora of apps available to run on it.

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Our thank you goes out to everyone that helped make our online launch possible and those that joined us in uncovering #VisionaryPhotography with #HUAWEIP40 Series!
For more P Series visit: https://t.co/QdwooYadDM pic.twitter.com/wx7sq3yvVh

— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) March 27, 2020

Huawei, which was the world’s second largest smartphone-maker last year behind Samsung with a 17 percent market share, now faces the challenge of creating an alternative that is sufficiently attractive to lure both app developers and consumers.

According to the presentation broadcast on YouTube, the P40 smartphones sold in France, Germany, and Italy will use a European search engine called Qwant instead of Google.