A slew of new smartphones from China’s Huawei Technologies Co. has attracted global attention for the technology they contain, suggesting the company has successfully overcome U.S. sanctions and could reemerge as a rival to Apple.
In late August, the company unveiled the Mate 60 and Mate 60 Pro, and on Friday unveiled two more smartphones, the new foldable Mate X5 and the Mate 60 Pro+. The price of the Mate 60 starts at 5,999 yuan (nearly Rs 67,800), the same price as Apple’s iPhone 14 in China.
Here are some key facts about Huawei’s new phones and their suppliers, and what they mean for the world’s largest smartphone market:
What is capable of the Mate 60 series?
Huawei has largely touted the smartphone’s ability to support satellite communications, allowing users to make calls or send messages even in areas without a mobile signal or internet, such as in mountains or at sea.
The company hasn’t disclosed details of the chips used, but analyst firm TechInsights found that the phone uses a new Kirin 9000s chip made in China by SMIC.
Speed tests shared by buyers on Chinese social media showed the Mate 60 Pro’s download speeds outpaced top 5G phones.
Chinese buyers compared the phones to Apple’s latest iPhone 14 and commented online that their specs, such as storage and memory, were comparable. Huawei’s event also comes days before Apple is expected to unveil the new iPhone 15 on September 12.
Who are the suppliers of Mate 60?
Huawei has not officially announced the supplier of the mobile phone components, but in addition to SMIC, TechInsights also said that DRAM and NAND components of South Korea’s SK Hynix were found in the mobile phone.
SK Hynix said it had stopped doing business with Huawei since the U.S. imposed restrictions on the company in 2019, and said it was investigating.
TechInsights also said the Mate 60 Pro contains more Chinese-made chip components than previous models.
Lists of possible Chinese suppliers have circulated widely online, with shares of companies dubbed possible candidates soaring on the speculation.
Most of them are Huawei’s existing suppliers. For example, shares in Dongguan Qiying Technology, a mold maker, jumped 10 percent in the days following Huawei’s launch. It did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Suzhou-based display maker Visionox Technology told Reuters it is a supplier for the new Mate 60 series. The company’s shares have risen 15 percent since the Aug. 29 launch of the new smartphone.
What does this mean for Apple in the Chinese smartphone market?
Huawei, once the world’s largest smartphone company by sales, has seen its market share slip steadily after the U.S. slashed the chipmaking tools necessary to make its most advanced phone models. The company can only sell limited batches of 5G models using chips it has in stock.
The company’s market share in China, the world’s largest smartphone market, has fallen to 11% so far this year, compared with 27% in 2020, partly due to the sale of its cheap Honor brand, which it said was a bid to gain market share. . Make sure it survives.
U.S. restrictions have made Apple a major maker of high-end smartphones in China. During the same period, Apple’s market share in China rose from 11 percent to 19 percent, according to research firm Counterpoint.
Analysts said the Mate 60 could mark Huawei’s comeback as a rival, with state media and internet users hailing the launch as a blow to the United States and driven by patriotic fervor amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing. Huawei’s sales.
Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities, said he expects shipments of the Mate 60 Pro to range between 55,000 and 6 million units in the second half of this year, a 20% increase from previously planned shipments.
Ming-Chi Kuo said that the cumulative shipments of the Mate 60 Pro will reach at least 12 million units 12 months after its launch.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
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