Speaking to Business Insider, a Huawei spokesperson said both phones wouldn’t be available from US carriers. They did add that international variants of the handsets may be available from certain US retail sites but warned buyers to check network compatibility…
Speaking to Business Insider, a Huawei spokesperson said both phones wouldn’t be available from US carriers. They did add that international variants of the handsets may be available from certain US retail sites but warned buyers to check network compatibility first. The Mate 20 series uses GSM, which is used by AT&T and T-Mobile but not the other big carriers.
Another disadvantage of buying a European or Asian version of the Mate 20 from an online retailer is the price, with the Mate 20 Pro starting at $1215.
The news doesn’t come as a huge surprise, given the problems Huawei has faced in the US throughout 2018. At the start of the year, both AT&T and Verizon dropped out of deals to distribute its handsets, reportedly due to political pressure.
In February, six US intelligence chiefs warned against using Huawei and ZTE phones. Bosses from agencies including the CIA, FBI, and NSA said using a device from one of the companies could put you at risk of having personal data accessed or stolen—a result of their alleged close ties with the Chinese government.
August then brought news that President Trump had signed a defense bill prohibiting the US government from using Huawei and ZTE tech.
Despite the restrictions and price, it’s expected that plenty of US-based Android fans will buy the Mate 20 Pro. It’s the first Android phone to ship with a 7nm chip (Kirin 980), has a triple rear camera, reverse wireless charging, a massive 6.4-inch OLED screen (3120 x 1440), 3D face unlock, and 4,200 mAh battery.
