Mate 30's Munich muddle shows just how uncertain Huawei's future is

At the presentation of the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, company boss Richard Yu was not stingy with records and best values, on the contrary. The biggest camera sensors are in the new smartphone, the most blatant slow-motion shots are possible, the best face unlocking, the most comfortable features - the thing is simply perfect. But when we came to the end of the event, the Huawei's dilemma became apparent.

Richard Yu made a big circle around the elephant in room - namely the question of whether the Huawei Mate 30 will be available at all in Europe and when. Although the prices were announced in euros, there was not even an indication of the planned date for the sales launch. The Huawei boss, who seemed to be aggressive and a bit out of sorts, couldn't even bring himself to let out a "coming soon".

How uncertain the situation is for Huawei at the moment was already apparent in the morning. The manufacturer had invited dozens of journalists from European countries to a secret pre-briefing. This is usual, where the press usually receives information about the innovations before the actual launch event in order to be able to prepare articles and coverage. This time, however, the two speakers did not say a word about the Mate 30 or the current situation, but talked about China, the history of Huawei and the App StorySign, with which Huawei wants to help deaf people. All well and good, but in the end it wasted time and was completely useless information at the time.

However, if you blame Huawei for this, you are missing the point a bit. The Chinese company with over 180,000 employees has become a pawn in the trade war between the USA and China and still has to fear for its future. If no solution is found, it is quite possible that Huawei will go under in its current form - Harmony OS or no Harmony OS.

More self-confidence and openness, Huawei!

Nevertheless, I would have liked to have seen more openness in the presentation of the Mate 30. If everyone present knows where the problems lie anyway, you can also address them clearly and unambiguously. It would have been easy to say something like: "The smartphone is ready, but we don't want to offer it without Google services, so we're still looking for a solution, so the launch is delayed." Huawei could have reassured us it will do everything it can to bring the Mate 30 to Europe as soon as possible and keep the press and consumers up to date.

Dealing proactively with a crisis is a sign of strength, not weakness. Huawei has had a year-long, unprecedented ascent, I would have expected more self-confidence in such a situation. Too bad, chance wasted. I'm still looking forward to the Mate 30 Pro.