Despite Huawei's recent troubles, the company shows no signs of slowing down its operations anytime soon. Its most recent models, the P30 and P30 Pro reportedly did well even in western markets. Earlier this week, the Chinese manufacturer unveiled its latest flagship devices – the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro.

The Huawei Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro come with top-tier specifications for performance and imaging. However, Google Play services are noticeably absent in these smartphones, which is going to be a huge dealbreaker for a majority of consumers.

Shortly after the debut of the Mate 30 series, industry analysts began speculating about feasible workarounds. Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Technologies Consumer Business Group even hinted at the possibility of unlocking the bootloader. From a technical standpoint, the devices are already running on Android 10. Hence, this will allow tech-savvy owners to manually install the missing Google services to restore the missing features.

Unfortunately, excitement over the suggested solution was shortlived. Forbes reports that until the U.S. trade blacklist lifts the ban on Huawei, the option will be unavailable. Furthermore, doing so will likewise spell trouble for Google. On the other hand, if buyers are willing to overlook this flaw, an exciting and powerful smartphone awaits them. Similar to most flagship handsets from other brands, there are two variants available.

Both models of the Huawei Mate 30 are powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 990 chipset with up to 8 GB of RAM. Meanwhile, imaging is handled by Leica optics-powered cameras housed in a circular module at the back and a single front-facing sensor.

The range-topping model boasts a bigger battery at 4,500 mAh and a stunning 6.53-inch OLED Horizon that curves on each side. Additionally, the display sits under a sheet of Corning Gorilla Glass 6 for added protection against drops and scratches. In its native market in China, Huawei mobile devices ship without Google's suite of applications.

Moreover, other popular apps such as Facebook, Spotify, Instagram and Twitter are likewise blocked. As such, the absence of Google Play services will not likely affect users in the aforementioned country and its territories. Nevertheless, potential buyers of the Mate 30 in the West will find it difficult to circumvent this limitation.

No bootloader unlock option for Mate 30
Huawei clarifies that there are no plans to unlock the bootlader of the Mate 30 series until the U.S. trade ban against it is lifted. AFP / Christof STACHE