Hi there,
The installation of gms right now is unstable or tricky. For example using Chatpartner+Ice Box+Island is the most stable as it gets, but it has its own drawbacks(you can see info about the methods in the other threads). I don't know if we will get a clean permanent solution. I hope we get.
So let's assume you don't get gms, because you don't want to mess with the current unstable solutions. The drawbacks from my point of view are:
- no PlayStore -> So you don't get your paid apps. Also you can't get all apps from the Huawei store, because some of them are missing. Some partial solution: Use ApkPure or some other app store to get your apps.
- no Youtube -> Youtube requires gms. Solution: use Youtube Vanced;
- no Google Maps -> It requires gms. Solution: use Waze;
- no Google Drive/Photos -> It requires gms. Solution: use Microsoft OneDrive or any other cloud;
- no Contact Sync -> It requires gms. Solution: export contacts from Google and import them.(here I decided again to go with Microsoft so I sync my future new contacts in a cloud after all)
- no Gmail -> It requires gms. Solution: use Outlook app or any other email app like Nine. You can add you gmail account there.
Some people suggested to use the google apps through a browser and put shortcuts on your home screen, but this is not a replacement for the actual apps in my oppinion.
Bottom line:
- If you don't want any hassle and you want everything everywhere working then get P30 Pro;
- If you want to try the available workarounds for google apps and you won't get overwhelmed or irritated when some errors occur and you have to tinker again then get the Mate 30 Pro;
- If you want to detach from google ecosystem and try some new apps then get the Mate 30 Pro(just make sure you thought of all apps that you need and found a comfortable replacement);
- For the P40 Pro I can't speak;
I have one of the workarounds of GMS on my phone and the apps are working. However I am trying to move away a bit from gms, because I want to be free to try new tech and use all my apps. I am a heavy Google user paying for subscriptions for some services so I am dependent on their apps. However with this phone I realized that Google is closing their services forcing users to have certain hardware which I dislike. This is why I will make an attempt to use alternatives(mostly I will use Microsoft products) so I can buy whatever phone I like and use it seamlessly.
I hope this helps!