In late February, a smartphone store in Bangkok, Thailand, advertised that Google apps could be used on Huawei phones “without any problems.” All four of Huawei’s new phones, including the popular Mate X6 foldable smartphone, come with the Chrome browser and Gmail app pre-installed.

“Many Chinese tourists are looking to buy this,” Nikkei quoted a sales person in Thailand as saying. Google services are banned in China, but they can be used if the phone is connected to a virtual private network (VPN).

According to Nikkei , Huawei smartphone users outside of China continue to enjoy Google services thanks to third-party tools. This proves that the US sanctions are not effective for the company.

PHOTO: NIKKEI ASIA SCREENSHOT

The US began blacklisting Huawei in 2019, citing national security concerns. This means Huawei cannot do business with US partners. Its smartphones will also not be able to pre-install basic services like Google Play.

However, in reality, Huawei phones with Google apps pre-installed are still sold in many places around the world. Recently, a home electronics store in Dubai introduced Huawei devices with Google Maps installed. The store staff said that they used third-party tools to download Google services to the phones. This is the unofficial way but still ensures that everything works well.

Huawei phones with Google apps pre-installed have also been found in Hong Kong. Vendors there say that while Google apps are not included with the purchase, users can easily download them using Huawei’s own software.

In response to the US ban, Huawei has been proactively developing its own operating system called HarmonyOS Next. Last October, the company reported that its operating system had 15,000 applications and services. Versions of HarmonyOS have been installed on more than 1 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, wearables, car infotainment systems, and smart home devices.

According to market research firm IDC, Huawei was once the world's No. 1 smartphone company as of June 4, 2020. But the company's sales plummeted immediately after the US ban. In addition to not being able to pre-install Google apps, chip regulations also made it difficult for the company to release new smartphones and compete with major rivals such as Apple and Samsung. Huawei was forced to redistribute its market share, at times leaving the top 5 of the market.

But in 2024, the company suddenly returned and surprised the community by launching the Pura 70 series. This model uses a domestic Chinese chip, with speeds equivalent to top-of-the-line US chips. The company began marketing this product line mainly in emerging markets. Next, the company launched the 3-fold Mate XT, marking its strong comeback.

Recently, Huawei has taken advantage of Beijing's preferential policies to regain market share in its home country. The latest report from Counterpoint shows that Huawei led the smartphone market in January, followed by Vivo, and Xiaomi ranked third. Apple was eliminated from the top 3 in the first month of 2025.

Beyond smartphones, Huawei is also showing a strong resurgence after more than half a decade of being held back. According to research published by Light Reading, about a third of 5G cities in 32 EU (European Union) countries are still using Huawei technology. This situation does not seem to show any signs of abating from the second quarter of 2022.

Meanwhile, research firm Strand Consult predicts that by the end of the decade, Chinese companies will still have a significant presence in EU telecoms infrastructure , with Huawei's market share expected to reach around 29% in 2028, down from 36% in mid-2022 and 32% by the end of 2024.