Mubasher: Huawei will hold back the launch of its foldable fifth-generation (5G) Mate X smartphone by three months, the latest blow to the Chinese company against a backdrop of US pressure, Reuters reported.

The Mate X, which was originally slated for a June roll-out, is set to be released globally next September, Huawei’s corporate communications head Vincent Pang told the news agency on the sidelines of a conference in Hong Kong.

The decision came as Huawei’s smartphones were blocked from updates of Google’s Android operating system (OS) after the US banned American companies from supplying the tech giant any equipment.

 Nevertheless, Pang denied that the delay has any link with the ban, noting that the company were running certification tests with various carriers, set to be completed next August.

In addition, Huawei could possibly launch its Hongmeng OS, currently tested, within six to nine months, “if the circumstances force” the smartphone manufacturer to do so, Pang said

However, “our preference will of course be Google and Android as we have been partners for many years,” Pang noted.

Hongmeng, mainly phone OS, is the version of Android, with public availability with open-source licensing, and is due to support other devices later on.

The world’s second biggest phone maker applied to trademark its Hongmeng in different countries, Reuters reported on Thursday.

The operating system came as a back-up plan after Google decided to no longer provide Android for Huawei phones after a 90-day reprieve, which expires next August.