Before the US trade ban in 2019, Honor was reckoned as a dominating sub-brand of Huawei. After the US implemented the ban, Honor and Huawei phones skipped on Google Play services, which eventually led to a decline in sales. Honor recently split with Huawei to keep itself afloat and many expected the company to get back access to all the US-based technologies. That also means Google services and apps coming back to Honor phones, possibly starting with the V40 series.
Speculations suggest that Google Play services could be the reason behind Honor delaying the launch of the V40 5G. The phone was originally supposed to launch on January 18 but the company pushed the date, citing issues with the venue and equipment. The phone is now launching on January 22 and many believe the delay was done to accommodate support for Google Play services. After all, Honor would want to reinstate its presence in all global markets.
Honor V40 could get Google Play services back
As of now, this is just speculation and Honor hasn’t confirmed anything on this. Honor has just teased the devices with an official poster, showcasing a premium new design language that’s different from Huawei phones we saw lately. The addition of Google Play services could be a big deal for both the brands as well as consumers. Prior to the ban, Honor was making some highly competitive Android smartphones. Also Read - How to move WhatsApp group chats to Signal
So far, all Huawei and Honor phones have been shipping with Huawei Mobile Services (HMS), with a dedicated Huawei AppGallery for downloading apps. Consumers had access to a variety of apps and services, excluding the ones from Google. Basic apps like YouTube and Gmail had to be accessed via web browsers. That said, the phones were using Android as their base operating system.
With the ban not easing on Huawei, it might ditch Android completely and move over to its own Harmony OS. Last year, Huawei promised better system-level integration with Harmony OS devices as well as a smartphone experience that matches that of Android and iOS.
As for the Honor V40, this phone is expected to use the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipset. This phone. It will have a 6.7-inch OLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz and curved edges. The main rear camera will use a 50-megapixel sensor. It will also feature a 66W fast wired charging system and a 55W fast wireless charging system.
