Hesitant about buying a Huawei? Five Android alternatives, from Samsung to LG
- Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, OnePlus and Oppo all offer superb phones for those wanting an Android but put off Huawei after Google’s recent announcement
- The OnePlus 7 Pro in particular is a stunning device with a game-changing 90Hz screen and a price well below the Huawei P30 Pro
In an overcrowded smartphone market that is seeing a slowdown in sales, Huawei bucked the trend by seeing its 2019 first quarter sales grow – by 50.3 per cent, according to tech analyst firm IDC – while Apple and Samsung saw their global numbers slump. But just as Huawei looked likely to become the number one phone brand in the world by units sold, it has been dealt a major blow by the US government: an executive order restricting US companies from doing business with Huawei.
Huawei phones run on Google’s ubiquitous Android operating system, and with Google confirming it will comply with US orders, this means future Huawei phones will not be able to run a fully supported version of Android. Existing Huawei devices may also stop getting new Android updates.
Shipping handsets without Google’s infrastructure is no big deal in China – in fact, it’s the norm – but internationally, few, if anyone, would buy a smartphone that cannot run basic apps and services. It is not an overstatement to say Huawei’s global phone business will be killed if this issue doesn’t get resolved.
For those who had been planning on buying a Huawei phone, we suggest delaying until this matter is over. Until then, here are five worthy alternative smartphone options.
Oppo Reno 10X Zoom Edition