Best Huawei phone 2022: Which Huawei handset is right for you?-SmartPhoneSku

Posted on April 15,2022 April 15,2022 by Ricardo Doolittle

Huawei was riding wave after wave of success in the late 2010s, becoming the UK’s third favourite smartphone manufacturer, sitting just behind Apple and Samsung with its range of top-quality, competitively priced handsets.

However, the 2019 US trade ban on Huawei continues to make its smartphones incompatible with Google apps, including Gmail, Google Maps and the Play Store. This move basically forced Huawei to launch its phones without key apps and services, so if you’ve previously owned a Huawei handset, the user experience may differ slightly from how you remember it.

Still, that doesn’t mean you should ignore Huawei altogether. With top-end hardware and componentry, it continues to offer some top-notch alternatives – especially if you want a camera that will be the envy of all your friends. Huawei’s handsets sometimes retail at a cheaper price compared to their Apple and Samsung equivalents, too.

If all this talk of different operating systems and trade bans is getting to your head, then have a read through our buying guide and we’ll walk you through the recent happenings with Huawei. Following that, you’ll find a list of our top picks made by the Chinese brand; from the excellent P-series flagships and the high-end Mate line to new folding flagships, Huawei has it all.

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How to choose the best Huawei for you

What does the US trade ban mean for Huawei smartphones?

Since May 2019, Huawei has been banned from doing business with any organisation operating in the United States, meaning it had to revamp how it did business – including how it produced smartphones. Since Google is an American company, this meant a lot of core features, including Gmail, YouTube and, crucially, the Google Play store, were no longer available to Huawei on new products.

Luckily for Huawei, Android software itself – while heavily affiliated and commercially sponsored by Google – is open source, meaning any person or company can do what they want with it. This means that Huawei could continue to use it on its smartphones, albeit without core Google features.

All this means that since May 2019, any phone launched by Huawei has been without Google-owned services and products in its devices. Instead of the Google Play store, new Huawei phones have an ever-growing Huawei AppGallery, as well as alternative apps that play similar roles to Google’s versions. In addition, Huawei has now created its own operating system to replace Android on its smartphones: Harmony OS. As this software is heavily based on Android, it’s a pretty similar experience overall. While customers in China will find Harmony OS 2.0 pre-installed on new handsets, the rest of the world and UK buyers will get EMUI 12.

Without limitless Android software, there is no guarantee of regular OS upgrades or security updates on Huawei devices, which is something to be mindful of before purchasing. However, the company has promised that there will be continuous software improvements, and we found that within a week of receiving the P50 Pro for review, for instance, there were a couple of OTA updates available.

Many older handsets won’t miss out on these software changes either, after Huawei announced a list of 100 different Huawei Android phone models that would be compatible with a Harmony OS upgrade in the first part of 2022 with EMUI 12. A full list of eligible smartphones can be found in the image below.

What if I want Google apps on my smartphone?

For many, this Google-free life is a little impractical if all your emails, files and calendar dates are synced with the corporation’s services, so forgoing the full-fat Android experience simply isn’t an option.

But for those who miss the old Huawei, there’s some good news. All Huawei phones that originally shipped with Google Play Services – those released before the end of 2019 – can still access Google apps, services and security updates. So, you can still get a quality Huawei phone that uses your favourite apps, such as the 2019 flagship P30 Pro, and in all likelihood for a lot less money than it originally sold for.

Purchasing an older model phone might not be palatable to the biggest of tech enthusiasts, though, so buying a different manufacturer’s Android-ready phone might be a better option. If that sounds like you, don’t worry, as we’ve got you covered: read through our favourite Android smartphones to find a handset that will suit you a little better.

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How much do I need to spend?

The good news is that, with such a vast array of Huawei handsets, you can get a decent model without completely going overboard on your spending, especially if you’re after a pre-May 2019 release model. Some of the cheapest Huawei models are currently selling for around £100.

However, if you want to future-proof your investment for as long as you can by purchasing the crème de la crème of Huawei smartphones, you should expect to spend a little extra. The newest and best Huawei phones can cost over £1,000, so prepare your finances accordingly.

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