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Huawei unveils its 'most powerful' new device ahead of expanded US ban

Staff reporter, Taipei; Charlene Chen, DIGITIMES Asia 0

Credit: AFP

Huawei's product launch event took place on the afternoon of November 26, showcasing what it claims to be the "most powerful" Mate in history, along with the fourth iteration of Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance—"Maextro," developed in collaboration with JAC Motors. This announcement comes just before the US is expected to announce an expansion of its restrictions against China, drawing significant attention from the public and industry observers.

The Huawei Mate brand ceremony was held on the afternoon of the 26th. Richard Yu, executive director and chairman of Huawei's consumer business group, stated that this release features the most powerful Mate ever. The Mate 70 series has already begun pre-orders, which include three versions: Mate 70, Mate 70 Pro, and Mate 70 Pro+. As of November 26, pre-order numbers have surpassed 3.2 million.

According to incomplete statistics, the Huawei Mate 60 series, which entered the market in early September 2023, had total sales exceeding 14 million units by mid-November, surpassing supply chain expectations. The launch of the Mate 60 coincided with US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo's visit to China, interpreted as a demonstration of China's technological prowess directly countering the ineffectiveness of US sanctions, leaving visiting officials somewhat embarrassed.

Coincidentally, reports indicate that the US will announce an expansion of chip bans against China within this week. The timing of the Mate 70's debut seems to further highlight Huawei's resilience under intense pressure from the US.

Market sources also report that components for the Mate 70 series have started shipping, with initial stock levels higher than those of the Mate 60 series. As a flagship model from a domestic manufacturer, the introduction of Huawei's new device could drive trends toward localization in high-end smartphone parts and chips.

Key suppliers for the Mate 70's chips include SMIC, Southchip, and BES. Lens module suppliers comprise Ofilm, Luxvisions, Sunny Optical, and AAC, while display and screen module suppliers include BOE, Visionox, and Tianma.

Additionally, in terms of software, the Huawei Mate 70 series smartphones will further solidify Huawei's expansion into the commercial realm of its native HarmonyOS. Launched on October 22, Huawei's HarmonyOS NEXT is China's first domestically-developed mobile end-user operating system (OS), now recognized as the third-largest mobile operating system globally after iOS and Android, achieving the goal of self-sufficiency in local operating systems.

Market analysts believe that under Huawei's leadership in promoting localization, the native HarmonyOS will increasingly participate in China's domestic information technology innovation PC market. It is anticipated that Harmony PCs will soon accelerate their rollout, allowing the Harmony ecosystem to extend beyond smartphones into the PC domain.