Will you trade in or stop buying Huawei phones now?

By Daniel Bader
published

It hasn't been a great week for Huawei. The company is embroiled in a pretty messy situation: it's been placed on an Entity List, making it illegal for U.S. companies to transact with it, be it hardware or software. This has forced Google to stop providing Android updates and security patches, though existing devices have received a three-month reprieve. It's also forced ARM, the maker technology that goes into Huawei's Kirin chips, to cease all sharing of information with the company.

The ban, issued as an executive order issued by U.S. President Trump and followed up with the aforementioned Entity List by the Department of Commerce, focuses its attention on Huawei's networking equipment, which was essentially banned for use in the U.S. prior to this invocation but is now very banned, but it's had a knock-on effect with the rest of Huawei's businesses.

Huawei is the number two smartphone maker in the world by volume, and according to IDC was the only phone maker to record any significant market share growth in Q1 2019.

Even though the ban hasn't stopped Huawei from launching new phones — its subsidiary Honor just announced the Honor 20 series yesterday — it will definitely affect future phone releases, especially if they can't be certified for use with Google software, an increasingly essential part of releasing an Android phone out of China.

Ars Technica has a pretty in-depth overview of how Huawei will fare without U.S. hardware and software suppliers, and the answer is that from a hardware independent perspective it's pretty good (though the ARM trouble is going to be an issue). Software-wise, things are less clear. Huawei doesn't need Google's closed-source parts of Android to build its own forked version of the operating system, which it has reportedly been working on for years as a contingency for this very moment, but it's also not clear whether even using the Android Open Source Project libraries would be a contravention of the ban itself. XDA-Developers has a great overview of this, too.

All this comes at a time when Huawei is releasing the best phones it's ever made. The P30 Pro is one of my personal favorite phones or 2019 so far, as was the Mate 20 Pro in 2018. Honor, too, is releasing products of exceptional value, and HiSilicon's Kirin 980 SoC was one of the semiconductor highlights of last year, too.

So here's the question:

Are you going to stop buying Huawei phones? Or if you have one, will you be trading it in for a different brand? Why or why not?

Let's discuss (amicably, please!) in the comments below!

Oh, and if you're interested in selling your Huawei phone, or buying one at a huge discount, we've rounded up some great places you can do so.

Daniel Bader
Daniel Bader

Daniel Bader was a former Android Central Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor for iMore and Windows Central. 

57 Comments
  • If it isn't all resolved in a few months and it's clear there won't be any firmare updates on my Mate 20 Pro or Mate 10 Pro and they don't provide an alternative OS of their own then I'll jump ship again. I've had phones on every OS and almost every manufacturer anyway so it's no biggy. I certainly won't be going back to Apple as they're almost definitely behind this furore right now anyway
  • Actually if China retaliates with ban on their own Apple can loose almost 30% of their profit by loosing Chinese market share and have issues with iPhone manufacturing. Some people in China have already started selling their iPhones to support Huawei. This whole situation benefits mostly Samsung.
  • That's quite possible. Also Apple employees about 1 million workers there so that could have a devasting effect over there unless Huawei is willing to hire them. Chinese media is owned by the government there so they promote alot more propaganda of China is so good, innocent and how the U.S is trying to prevent their rise and blah blah blah than compared to over here. I'm sure alot of Chinese ppl don't realize how much their government and companies steals to get where they re at.
  • You really must be delusional if you really think Apple is behind this! Apple "U.S government please ban Huwaei bec they re taking away our market share", lol. This is all bec U.S doesn't trust their carriers, companies and allies from using Huawei's next 5G networking equipment and or any equipment. The fact they have close ties and were funded by the Chinese government why wouldn't they spy if there government /military asked them. They dont owe any country /government anything except for their own government. Given the facts on how much cyber attacks on foreign companies specifically on U.S companies come from China and how much has already been stolen to get them where they are I wouldn't trust using their products. Especially with their networking equipment where all the information would be flowing. This wont prevent cyber attacks but at least would protect from any cyber espionage advantages the Chinese government could have if Huawei's 5G moblie networking or any other networking equipment is being used.
  • Frankly the current problem Huawei is facing here is because Trump is using them as leverage to get back at the Chinese government because he's not getting everything he wants in current negotiations. There is no evidence whatsoever of Huawei doing anything wrong, or being a proxy of the Chinese government. It's all smoke and mirrors. If there were any proof of these "security" allegations, it would be all over the media. Trump is pandering to American companies upset that Huawei has a leg up in 5G development. Huawei is only guilty of making great products.
  • If all this started bec of the negotiations I'm glad it did. China has gotten a free ride for far too long with all the theft and forcing IP transfers to American companies wanting to do business there. Blame also goes to those U.S companies. Of course Huwaei has done wrong. They re not so innocent as you make them out to be. Just from the few instances that they ve been caught is more than enough proof of them going out of their way to steal competitors trade secrets. And that's just from the known instances where they were actually caught. There is enough proof as it's already been widely known for a very long time way bef this all started that China along with a few other countries are security threat /concern. Specifically China which has been way more aggressive and consistent with it's cyber attacks /espionage specifically on trying to acquire IP /trade secrets from U.S companies in areas where they are behind or dont exist. Since the U.S doesn't have a local Telecom producer thats makes that type of technology in that market like that of Nokia, Ericsson so yes China /Huawei do have a leg up in 5G over the U.S. They fail behind bec of no vision for the future in that area allowing that technology to fall behind, get bought up and etc. Now they are concerned about
    Huawei /China controlling and being the dominate leader in that technology. Again, if the U.S were to let Huawei's 5G equipment in you dont think the Chinese government /military would take full advantage of that for even more cyber espionage? How US went from telecoms leader to 5G also-ran without challenger to China’s Huawei
    https://www.scmp.com/tech/enterprises/article/3004325/how-us-went-teleco... How China acquires ‘the crown jewels’ of U.S. technology
    https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/22/china-us-tech-companies-cfius-...
  • Can we please see some kind of concrete proof. Not some assumptions like the media constantly tells us. Thing is this government in particular has been nothing but liars, they either blame someone in what they do themselves or they present some accusations without any kind of proof. CIA, FBI, NSA (who spy all the time, both their own citizens, allies and other people)
  • Who besides the media is going to tell you anything? It's all media. Not all of them are the enemy. Far from it.
  • Here's another one. Plenty of more articles where that came from with examples of how Chinese companies steal American innovation to go ahead. https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/24/18277168/xpeng-china-tesla-apple-trad...
  • Yawn yawn yawn yawn yaaaaaaaawn
  • Your constant comments on something you have no idea about all because you like there shiny phone is tiresome.
  • I agree 90%. Huawei is a risk though. They also sold equipment to Iran. They are far from an innocent bystander. But yeah, Trump is using this as leverage.
  • I believe Huawei will sort it out one way or another. This whole US ban and trade war affair sets bad precedent for industry. How can we now trust US? Who will prevent Trump banning another Chinese or EU companies if he does not like them or need laverage for some sort of deal? P30 PRO is great phone that currently have little competition when it comes to camera zoom capabilities and battery life. Politicians should not take private companies as laverage in their disputes. Especially when collateral damage affects whole world, not just US and China.
  • If carriers won't sell Huawei phones, I won't buy them. I currently own a OnePlus 6T that I bought on T-Mobile, so I know it has the proper bands to work in the US. Why would anyone import a phone (or any other gadget) when there are plenty of options available in their market?
  • The reason why I imported my Mate 20 Pro is that I really like the quality of the device, the great camera and the price/value proposition. It also has the proper bands to work perfectly on T-Mobile. Additionally, unlike some US variants of devices which have limited number of bands, it has the bands needed to work in most other countries as well.
  • We don’t get any good phones in the USA I will never buy a phone from a carrier not enough choices Apple LG Samsung Google that’s about it even OnePlus on T-Mobile you don’t get a choice of color or ram I only buy unlocked phones. It’s easy to check if the phone has the right lte bands. And as far as Huawei goes I’ve had several of there phone never had any problems I will take a wait and see approach for now as I never keep a phone for more the 6 months might be tough to resell now so I’ll stick to OPPO XIAOMI and Oneplus for now
  • Small correction. You can get the One Plus 7 Pro at T-mobile in Gray or the Nebula Blue (Almond is not out yet) They only offer the 8GB RAM option. The Nebula Blue must be ordered online as none of the stores are carry that color. I don't see that changing due to poor sales in US. I bought mine directly from One Plus which for some reason didn't charge me tax, so I got the 12GB Nebula Blue for less than the 8GB from T-moble. Even w/o wireless charging, you can't get a better phone for that price.
  • Think about your statement. No good phones in the US. Just the best of the best.
  • This isn't just about whether carriers sell the phones in the US.
    And yes, there are many many reasons why you should consider buying a phone off contract (imported) rather than on contract, if you can afford the initial outlay. Access to better phones at lower prices. It's easy to check if the phone has the correct bands for your network and country. What this is about is bigger than availability in the US. EVERYONE outside of the US using a Huawei phone is within months going to find their phone doesn't have the latest security updates, then won't have the latest software updates, then all the google services will stop working. Imagine if a decision made by the leader of India meant that in 3 months time YOUR phone suddenly was incapable of connecting to the internet.
  • Because Huawei phones are pretty darn awesome. They work great on T-Mobile in the US. and I must say they have the best cameras in a smartphone. And just because you have great option in your own market does not mean there are not better products elsewhere.
  • I won't buy any phone from a Chinese company since their government has the same rules for all of their companies not just Huawei. That means backdoors must be built into the devices and any of those companies could face the same issues Huawei is facing in the US at any time.
  • Your tinfoil hat Is too tight. It’s cutting off blood flow to your brain. Might wanna look at that.
  • A number of Chinese laws state that Chinese individuals and organisations must, if asked, co-operate with intelligence work. Tinfoil hat?
  • Not really. China is definitely a bad actor in all of this.
  • So you think the US aren't spying on everyone let alone Huawei (where they have no proof) then your being pretty niave. Every tech firm in the US has an obligation to work with the government on request just like the Chinese companies do with the Chinese government. The likes of Google and Facebook probably harvest more data worldwide than any government agency. Should the rest of the world ban Google and Facebook?
  • If it doesn't get solved I'd grab a discounted mate 30 as a really cool backup phone.
  • As phones go... I don't really need every update of android.. But no apps? That's the windows phone problem all over again (and we know what happen to them)..but then again most of the 50 apps I have installed on my Samsung (from the play store) , I Really just use the basic messages, phone calendar etc all the time.. So it would be great to get a dirt cheap p30 and just use it to surf and calls....
  • Just download the apps manually from the likes of APKmirror. Infact just use another appstore. I'd happily buy a P30 pro if they become incredibly cheap.
  • Yes that is true it you trust yourself just challenge them 💪 not bandil them weather you ban Huawei I will continue to buy it just make your own like p30
  • I have a MediaPad M5 now but probably would wait to see where this is all going if I were shopping for one. I'll be fine if updates stop, and will sideload apps or use an alt store to keep it going.
  • I was hoping I might be able to get a dirt cheap Mate X out of this but doubtful
  • I love my P30 Pro. Probably the best phone all around I’ve ever had. Seriously, it’s that good. But the Orange clown just killed it. No support or updates I obviously can’t keep it. Further to that. When are Huawei customers around the world getting their rebate cheque for The United States? They owe me for this phone.
  • Lol. I have the P30 Pro and I am in the US. I knew there was a chance that this might happen when I bought it and I have no problem keeping it now..
  • I really hope US backtracks on this decision due to lobbying by the US chips industry
  • I already stopped a year ago when purchasing my dad a new phone knowing this was a possibility. Rules out ZTE too. Shame because had nice budget phones.
  • You need to understand what's happening here. The problem with the ban is because if huawei bulid the infrastructure of that network with their 5G technology U.S may not have the power to insert code and continuing spying everyone in the United States and the rest of the word. A lot of Chinese firm work in the United States, sending phones and selling on their carriers, but huawei is the most find here. you have to rethink in that particular part. If huawei will be build all of infrastructure on networks outside United States, then they will don't have the the control to insert backdoors in that network. If You think that the U.S don't have backdoors on usa thech companies ? you are really naive
  • "Are you going to stop buying Huawei phones?"
    No. "Or if you have one, will you be trading it in for a different brand?' I have an Honor Play, I won't trade it for something from a different brand, maybe 3-4 years from now, but given my experience with Huawei, they'll still get the priority over the other brands. "Why or why not?" 1. I don't use Google services. Not Gmail, not YouTube, not Maps, not Drive ... 2. As for the Apps. I returned to Android after 5 years of Windows Phone, it won't really make a difference for me. Plus, finding Android apps outside the Play Store is not that hard. As long as the hardware is good and the out of the box software runs perfectly, I'm good. The way I see it, the whole thing is a cash grab by Trump. They'll lift the ban in a few months once Huawei finances a Trump hotel somewhere in Asia, just like ZTE did. In the meantime, they better pray that the cooler heads in China prevail and China doesn't retaliate. GM won't survive without China.
  • I was waiting for P30 Pro and I'm going to buy it this weekend. P30 Pro is an awesome smartphone. If Android will not be supported for P30, I'm sure Huawei will rollout its own custom-built operation system based on android free source codes.
  • They will and they won't have any Google services or Apps.
  • I don't know?
  • Posted a comment in support of Huawei with no threats, no four-letter words, nothing offensive at all. Just a blanket statement of support and bullets for my reasoning. Got blocked as a "security threat." I bet this one gets blocked as well. Tells you all you need to know about the truthfulness of this US-coordinated anti-Huawei propaganda war, and the nature of US society right now.
  • I sold my p20 pro. Although, coincidentally I sold it last Friday before all this hubbub. Got lucky
  • So far this company is being restricted on the say so of President Trump. It is incumbent on him and the US to release some details of the evidence. I do not think that it is justified trying to destroy a company simply because they are part owned by the Chinese government - this sounds like an attack on a US competitor. Asking them to prove they are innocent of spying is setting an impossible task and goes against natural justice. This appears to based on a fear that China is constantly spying against the rest of the world and if that is KNOWN to be true then surely any company operating within China since the chinese state controls most aspects of life there. What is more the US is effectively blackmailing all of their allies into the same action without offering any soid reasons for doing so
  • The current issue is linked to Huawei selling banned parts to Iran. It's not just on country and a back door, it's at least two. Not a fan of trump, actually prefer Huawei over him. Trump is using this as negotiating tactics with China and trade, because the tariffs are killing him in the public mind. The reasons are legitimate though even if the punishment is severe.
  • I'll never use anything else as long as they're available.
    Best devices ever
  • Most Android skins are crap and Huawei has one of the WORST, I won't use any Android phone that isn't stock Android/Android One.
  • Have you used a Huawei Beno then yeah???
  • Probably gonna keep hangin' in there and see where things end up... Won't get dick all for my phones anyways. Have backup devices at the ready if need be so we're covered.
  • That's the problem isn't it. I've seen the P20's are now practically worthless, can pick them up for £85 used. My P30Pro is probably headed in the same direction after me committing around £700 to it last month. Always an option to sell it now at a massive loss and switch to something like a S10+ (which would be a downgrade) or hold out with this phone in the hope that this decision gets reversed but run the risk of then being forced to sell the phone in a few months for about £50.
  • Nexus 6p was my first and only. Started out great, finished not so. With Huawei and their shady business tactics I will try and stay as far away from them as I can. The current situation strengthens my stance as it is too risky at the moment.
  • I wouldn't buy Huawei phones regardless of what happens with Huawei in the US as I'm an Android purist and don't like Android skins.
  • So what do you use? Have to admit all android phones come with a launcher which has to have some level of skin. And that today all the main manufacturers have very good launchers with highly unobtrusive skins to the point where it's hard to notice.
  • Man. This whole thing is so unfortunate. For everyone. Marketing and media formats our brains to see things a certain way or to shift our beliefs one way or another, any way they see fit. Apple and Samsung's dominance in the American smartphone market is just as bad as Kim Jong Un demanding specific hairdoo's on men in North Korea. Every time a new corporation tries to put their foot in the door here, the government shuts them down for whatever reason. Do you think that the majority of smartphones in our hands would be from Samsung if their HQ we're in North Korea? Personal opinion aside, how is the Android community going to flourish when development keeps getting cut off? You have to admit, Huawei's made some serious waves in the industry with their camera and storage medium. As said many times in this comment list.. Samsung and Apple are the clear winners here. Right now the only two flagship phones that the majority in the US sees is the iPhone XS and Galaxy S10. No one even talks about LG, HTC, Lenovo (Motorola) or any other manufacturer. I wanted a P30 Pro from Huawei so bad (and still do) because it's an incredible phone. Now it's that much harder to get options we want. I want top of the line camera, SD 855, 8gb of RAM or more so I can keep it for at least 2 years, 1TB storage, 5000mah battery, OLED screen, a HQ DAC for audio, a damn headphone jack for my IEM's, IP68 rating and ROOTABLE to get rid of the horrible ADS we have to suffer through. I'd pay anything for that. Anything. If I had to let China listen to me taking a crap on the toilet while reading Android Central, I'd gladly aagree.
  • I live in Europe and find this whole thing slightly... annoying. I own P20 and it is an amazing device. Obviously the UI need some rework, as it's far from let's say ONE UI or iOS. Regardless of the problems I am still thinking about buying the P30 pro. Going back to the topic of a ban I truly believe it's a bully tactics. There is no hard proof to the accusations of espionage and most Huawei phones have recent security patches making them fairly secure devices. Security watchdogs for UK, Germany, Canada and USA never managed to find anything in the system that would prove their point. I believe that every country spies on their citizens in smaller or larger fashion. It's normal to the certain point and it looks like Huawei just doesn't want to provide the backdoor for USA to allow spying, espionage or monitoring... However we decide to call it. So to sum up: I won't sell my phone and I will certainly look into buying P30 pro.
  • I got the P30 Pro last month. By a long shot the best phone i've ever used, never mind owned. Performance, battery life, build quality..and that camera! I'm genuinely using the camera for more things, not just using it the same as I used to and having a theoretical improvement in picture quality of photos I would have taken with another device. The wide angle and the super-macro are genuinely changing the way I take photos. But what now? If in just 2 months it stops getting updates, crucially security updates I can't in good conscience keep using it given it has such important stuff on there like banking. But what do I do? The phone would be near worthless at that point to sell used, nobody would want to buy it. And what would I get instead? Any other phone would be a downgrade. I could go back to OnePlus with the 7Pro, but the camera just isn't good enough and battery life is average. Also, who's to say ALL Chinese phone manufacturers will be cut off from Android by Trump's pen?
    I was hoping this might be just a storm that would blow over, all part of negotiations which would go away within a few weeks between Trump and China. But it's looking now like I've paid a lot of money for something which is now hardly worth anything used, and there isn't any good alternative to replace it with anyway.
    I'm so despondent.
  • I wonder if for the good of the platform, if Google would be able to make a coupe of entities outside of the US and licence/sell these 'other' Google companies the full rights to android and google services. That way if one country tries to limit the sale/use of android and google's services to a particular company or country on political grounds in ways that the rest of the international community doesn't reflect, then that company could source the exact same services/software/updates from one of the other companies instead. Let's say have one based in Europe and one in Asia.
    I'm not sure if it's possible, but if it is then it could really protect the platform from rogue decisions or being used as a bargaining chip in a political spat.
  • I do not own one, but I can assure you I will never buy one of there products. This state sponsored spying on American citizens has gone on long enough.