Huawei is launching the Mate 30 series in Singapore this week. Should you even bother?

Much has been said about the Mate 30 lineup, Huawei’s latest but not-so-greatest flagship series that can’t run Google apps and services.
Since its September launch in China and the dozens of reviews that have gone out since then, the general overview is this: the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro could have been the best smartphone on the market if not for the lack of a proper Android operating system.
What we got is an excellent, specced-out device (that shoots really well!) painfully hampered by the lack of apps that everyone has come to rely on. The lack of feasible replacements on the Huawei AppGallery (Huawei’s own store) didn’t help.
But even after all that jazz and razzmatazz, if you’re still interested in the Mate 30 series (at premium flagship prices of up to $1,298, no less), then by all means, head down to Huawei’s launch event at 313@Somerset this Saturday (Nov 16).
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The one-day roadshow event is set to kick off at 10am at the mall’s atrium on the first floor.
It’s been just a little over a month since the Chinese tech giant held a private launch of the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro phones for a select audience of hardcore enthusiasts, and honestly, we're surprised that there's enough local demand for Huawei to merit a public launch.
The question that remains right now (if you’re in the market for a brand new handset) is this: should you even bother? Personally, it’s a resounding no — a Google-less life is harder than you might realise. But! We’ll let you figure it out yourself via a list of pros and cons.
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ilyas@asiaone.com