Honor 50 Pro wows with 100W charging — oh, and Google apps are back
The Honor 50 series made its debut in China today (June 16), and while the phone maker was eager to talk about the many cameras that come on the Honor 50 and Honor 50 Pro, it’s the software on board the new phones that’s going to command the most attention.
Both the Honor 50 and Honor 50 Pro include Google apps, which had been missing from recent handsets released by the Chinese phone maker. The absence of Google apps was keenly felt, so their return makes the Honor 50 phones more attractive options for Android users.
Honor confirmed the return of Google apps in a statement to Tom’s Guide. Honor’s phones “will undergo Google’s Play Protect certified security review and compatibility testing process to ensure they are ready to run apps from Google and the Google Play Store,” a spokesperson said. “Honor devices will therefore have the option to have Google Mobile Services preinstalled on compatible devices, in accordance with Google’s licensing and governance models.”
Honor lost the ability to use Google apps on its phones because it had been a subsidiary of Huawei, the Chinese phone maker that ran afoul of the U.S. government. Huawei continues to find itself on a government blacklist that prevents U.S. companies from doing business the Chinese firm. That includes Google, which means Huawei couldn’t use Google apps on its phones; Huawei has even gone so far as to launch its own mobile OS.
Huawei spun off Honor into a standalone business last November, largely as a result of U.S. sanctions. Now that it’s on its own, Honor can once again do business with Google, and the software on the Honor 50 reflects that.
Honor phones used to hit the U.S. — I remember reviewing the Honor 8 five years ago — though the devices have bypassed this country in recent years. Huawei’s troubles with the U.S. government were only part of the reason, as it’s hard for phone makers to break into the U.S. without first lining up a carrier partner. So we’re unlikely to see either the Honor 50 or Honor 50 Pro buck that trend.
