It's Official: US Missing Out On World's "Best" Phones

If you're living in the United States and you want access to the best smartphones in the world, you're going to have an issue. The "best" smartphone in the world is of course a subjective name for the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, but the comparisons are already out there. Some of the biggest names in gadget reviews have already called the phone one of if not THE best smartphone on the market today. But the phone won't be released in the United States.

For the first time ever, the United States might not have the most powerful smartphone in the world available to the average consumer. Sure, there'll still be devices available through 3rd-party sellers – we live in a global marketplace after all – but no carriers or retailers here in the USA will have the Huawei Mate 20 Pro for sale. Given Huawei's position as Number 2 smartphone maker worldwide, surely the phone will be available through the internet, by some means or another.

A comment from Huawei came yesterday confirming that the company would not sell their newest and most feature-packed phone inside the USA. "We are not planning to sell the Mate 20 Series in the US," said a Huawei spokeperson. "While international variants of the Mate 20 Series may be available on some US online retail sites, we encourage individuals to carefully read the details about the warranty and network compatibility before purchasing."

This is not the start of this trend. This situation's been developing for years, and is coming to a head here near the end of 2018. Back in June, the company Vivo released a smartphone with a near-100% full frontside display, without a notch of any sort. That phone isn't available in the USA. Back then I suggested that this was a sign that "China's phones are faster to fun than Samsung and Apple."

The United States might just be shooting itself in the foot with worry that China-based companies like Huawei and ZTE are spying on US citizens. Huawei also faced bans in Canada back in 2012 and Australia's 5G network in June of 2018.

Can we trust Huawei to make a friendly phone? In August of 2018, the United States government banned government use of Huawei and ZTE hardware. Our security agencies suggest that while we've got a choice – we might just want to steer clear.

According to T3, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is "one of, if not the, best smartphones ever made." The Verge said this phone was "the best phone America can't get."

Our giant Huawei Mate 20 Pro first impressions and hands on includes the following: "Huawei isn't exactly popular with the US government right now; the knock-on effect there has been a general reluctance among carriers to partner with the phone-maker. You can have the best device in the world, but you also need people to be able to buy it."