The world was not ready for a flagship 5G Huawei phone, Huawei CEO Richard Yu said in an interview Tuesday at the company's launch event for the Huawei P30 and the P30 Pro in Paris
After a presentation of an hour and a half of duration, it was evident that the P30 and P30 Pro models are not 5G phones, despite the large number of 5G cell phones that were launched last month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. We even saw a 5G version of the main rival of the P30, the Samsung Galaxy S10.
5G is one of the biggest trends for mobile devices in 2019, as operators around the world begin to deploy their next generation mobile networks. 5G promises more possibilities for smart homes, autonomous vehicles and independent VR, but when it comes to phones, technology means faster and more reliable Internet connections. Although 5G networks and phones are almost with us, it is very early for technology and for now remain an exclusive domain of the first users.
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Yu does not believe that 5G is important for consumers until later this year.
"We are considering putting 5G in the next Mate series," Yu said. "This autumn we will be ready for it with the Mate series."
From an engineering perspective, there was no reason why the P30 or P30 Pro could not be a 5G phone, said Clement Wong, vice president of global product marketing for Huawei. "It's strategy," he said, also in an interview. The moment is not right, he added. He does not believe that 5G becomes something really important until next year.
Yu confirmed this. "In the European market, 5G will be mainly for next year, I guess," he said. (Due to its geopolitical problems, Huawei is not selling phones in the US and the company tends to prioritize the European market). "I understand that some people are waiting for 5G, but for most people, 4G is already good enough." Instead, people want a phone that offers the best photography possibilities, he said.
Huawei is announcing the abilities of the P30 camera as something that goes beyond the photograph that makes any phone. With four cameras on the back, it is assumed that the phone is especially good in low light conditions and capturing details from afar with its telephoto lens.
So for now, there are no Huawei 5G flagship phones. But all that may change in October, when the company usually holds its launch event for its Mate series.