Huawei is likely to see grim sales for the flagship smartphone Mate 30 series outside China after unveiling the model on Thursday without Google services or popular apps, including YouTube or Google Maps, says IDC Thailand, an IT research firm.
"Outside China, there will be an impact on sales for sure," said Weeradej Panichwisai, senior research manager of IDC Thailand. "For the Thai market, users are accustomed to various Google-related apps, and Huawei Thailand knows this."
He said Huawei has not decided when the phone will be marketed in Thailand.
Huawei launched the flagship smartphone Mate 30 series on Thursday in Germany.
The model runs on an open-source version of Google's Android operating system without support from the US tech giant's mobile services and popular apps like YouTube and Google Maps.
There is no Google Play Store, a key gateway for users to access Android apps.
Huawei said 45,000 apps can be sought through its App Gallery, and the company is investing US$1 billion (30.5 billion baht) in the operating system in an bid to get developers to create apps.
"People are used to apps linked to a Google-based platform, and without Google services their decision to buy phones could be affected," Mr Weeradej said. "Customers may feel uncomfortable with phones that don't have the apps they are accustomed to."
Customers will find it inconvenient to seek technical ways to download Google apps by themselves, he said.
A source who works at a mobile distributor and requested anonymity echoed Mr Weeradej's comments, saying consumer confidence in Huawei products is likely to drop without the full range of Google services.
"Sales are expected to decline," the source said. "Consumers might choose other flagship models from rivals such as Samsung or Apple."
Huawei is caught in a spat between the US and China. In May, President Donald Trump barred US firms from supplying products or services to Huawei, citing national security concerns.
The US has issued temporary exemptions, which provide ways for Huawei to use Google's services in its existing devices, but the Chinese tech firm will no longer use the services in new handsets, starting with the Mate 30.
The 6.62-inch display Mate 30, which has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of ROM, costs €799 (24,364 baht). The 6.53-inch display Mate 30 Pro, with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of ROM, comes in two versions: a 5G-capable handset for €1,199 and one without 5G for €1,099.