When speaking about any Huawei mobile phones these days, one can’t escape the fact that they’re severely compromised. 

On one hand, they’ve got the best smartphone cameras around. On the other, they can’t load up any Google Mobile Services, so it’s adieu to things like Google Play Store, YouTube, and Gmail. 

An absolute shame, considering that the P40 Pro+ would have been the best-in-class phone if not for all its Google hangups. Not for lack of trying though — Huawei and Google are simply casualties in an international trade war, and like lovers split by cross-border conflict, both do want to reunite with each other one day. 

Alas, the time for unity has yet to arrive and things actually look bleaker by the day. In the meantime, Huawei has tried to fill the Google-shaped hole in its heart by literally throwing a lot of money at the problem. The company has pledged $1 billion to build its own operating system called HarmonyOS and attract developers worldwide to get onboard its ecosystem. 

Though developers are progressively making apps for Huawei’s AppGallery (its own take on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store), the pace is painfully glacial. While Singapore users appreciate having some essential utility apps like DBS Digibank, Parking SG, Tada, and a handful of local news readers, many others remain very much missing. 

Fine, Huawei said. Now, all Huawei devices have Petal Search, a widget that lets users search for popular apps that aren’t available from the AppGallery (such as Netflix or Instagram) by grabbing download links from third-party sources like APK Pure and Aptoide. 

Still, it ain’t enough. Most of us are heavily reliant on Google apps for virtually everything, including calendars, online documents, cloud storage, and account sign-ins.

No native YouTube app. No tracking and syncing health data with Google Fit. No ability to restore old WhatsApp messages. No syncing of calendar appointments. No Chrome browser bookmarks. No Google Docs, Sheets, or Drive. No Google Analytics. No Slack. No Google Home. No Google Maps. No Grab. No SingPass. 

To be fair, there are workarounds and alternative apps, but it reaches a certain point where you question if all the efforts are worth the trouble of being an early-adopter. 

Nearly nonpareil 

The P40 Pro+ represents the very best mobile device Huawei has to offer, a culmination of everything the Chinese company has learned over the years in the industry.

There’s a gorgeous high-res OLED display with a decent 90Hz refresh rate; a 5G-capable Kirin 990 chip; 8GB of RAM; a hefty 4,200mAH battery that lasts all day; fast charging; and a stunning ceramic body that’s simultaneously tougher and prettier than glass-backed phones. 

With regards to the camera capabilities of the P40 Pro+, nothing comes close, not even the mighty Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra or the computational wizardry of the Google Pixel 4.

The phone’s main camera — 50MP, mind you — is the epitome of “point-and-shoot”, in which you absolutely have nothing to worry about when snapping a picture. Every single image taken comes out extraordinarily sharp and crisp, with Huawei software doing all the colours and clarity justice whatever the lighting conditions (thanks to that massive 1/1.28-inch sensor). 

Things enter the so-good-that-it’s-scary realm when you play with the zoom features of the P40 Pro+. With a combination of the 3x optical zoom camera and a 10x optical telephoto periscope camera, very little escapes its sights. Just look at how crystal clear this view of a dormitory is from my flat. 

Need more proof of how scary it is? Take a gander at this clip. 

Huawei’s hardware is the absolute best, that’s for sure, which adds to the agony of the phone’s software limitations. Without any Google apps and services, the P40 Pro+ still remains a niche product, an artefact that’s only owned by the small population of enthusiasts and diehards. 

The case for sideloading 

Before I enter this section properly, I first have to make the disclaimer that sideloading is not something that’s recommended (or authorised) by us or by Huawei — in fact, the company would very much want its users to stay in its own ecosystem with Huawei Mobile Services. 

But yes, sideloading (the means of installing an application package downloaded from a computer or unofficial sites onto a phone) can let a P40 Pro+ run Google apps and services, essentially turning it into the best Android phone in the world. 

Hacking Huawei devices to be capable of running Google Mobile Services isn’t a new concept, neither is it illegal nor a warranty-voiding act. If anything goes wrong during the process, a simple factory reset will fix it. 

Again, only do it if you’re confident of your techie skills because it involves some trial and error, several installations of packages in a strict order, and a lot of patience if things don’t go as well as it should.

Right now, there are two solid methods of getting Google Mobile Services into your Huawei devices, courtesy of YouTubers TechMagnet and Redskull. Just remember to back up all your data first and perform a factory reset on your phone or tablet before starting the sideloading process. 

Once all that is done and dusted, what you’ll end up with is the closest resemblance to the best phone in the world — a device that looks good, feels great, and is not encumbered by the absence of your favourite apps. Now, I can enjoy YouTube natively on the gorgeous screen without relying on browser shortcuts, have access to my VSCO subscription, download files off Google Drive, and share images with my Google Photos account. 

Some caveats though. Setting up multiple Google accounts will require you to go through the sideloading process again, and some apps (like Slack or Google Fit) just can’t run at all on Huawei devices. Still, a smaller sacrifice to make instead of going entirely cold turkey off Google, and personally, worth it for the best camera system ever on a smartphone. 

But all good things can’t last forever, so there’s always a slim chance that everything could come undone somehow when either Google or Huawei forces a software update. For now, though, things are looking real good for my P40 Pro+, and it could too for you if you’re willing to take the leap. 

ilyas@asiaone.com

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