Huawei has launched its latest smartphone, the Mate 70, as the company faces the prospect of new US chip curbs. The Chinese tech giant unveiled the device at an event in Shenzhen on Tuesday. The Mate 70 is seen as a successor to the Mate 60 series released last year.
That launch marked Huawei’s comeback to high-end smartphones after US export curbs had severely impacted its business. Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, called the Mate 70 the “most powerful Mate phone ever.” He said it is the first mainstream smartphone to include a satellite paging system and has an improved processor. The phone runs on Huawei’s own HarmonyOS Next operating system.
Yu said this collectively boosts performance by 40% compared to previous models. The Mate 70 series is the first major rollout of HarmonyOS NEXT. It represents a significant step in Huawei’s push for software independence since losing access to Google services in 2019 due to US curbs.
Earlier versions of Harmony OS maintained Android compatibility. But HarmonyOS NEXT is a complete break from Android. Huawei said last week it has secured over 15,000 apps for its HarmonyOS ecosystem.
Mate 70 boosts Huawei’s market stance
It plans to expand to 100,000 apps in the coming months. Mate 70 prices will start at 5,499 yuan ($758).
In comparison, Apple’s base iPhone 16 model sells for 5,999 yuan in China. The Mate 70 is expected to use Huawei’s Kirin 9100 chipset made by Chinese chipmaker SMIC. However, production challenges may restrict the chip to higher-end models, according to a source.
Huawei’s technological breakthroughs have helped fuel patriotic sentiment and its market recovery in China. In the third quarter of 2024, Huawei was ranked as China’s No. 2 smartphone vendor.
Its deliveries exceeded 10 million units for the fourth straight quarter, a significant rebound from mid-2022. Research firm Counterpoint expects shipments of the Mate 70 series to exceed 10 million units. But the launch comes as the US is expected to announce new export controls.
Reuters reported on Saturday that up to 200 Chinese chip companies could be added to a trade blacklist as soon as this week. This would restrict their access to US suppliers.
