Huawei Takes a Leap Toward Tech Independence with Mate 70 Smartphone

The Mate 70 smartphone series was introduced on Tuesday by Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies. This marks a clear departure from U.S. technology and strengthens Huawei’s premium smartphone return. The series also showcases Huawei’s own operating system.

Following the devastating impact of U.S. export restrictions on Huawei’s business, the company is largely seen to have made a triumphant return to high-end smartphone combat with Apple with the debut of the Mate 70 series in August of last year.

Reuters reported on Saturday that the launch of the product coincides with rumors that the United States may unveil new export limits this week. These controls could restrict access to U.S. suppliers for up to 200 Chinese semiconductor companies, who might be included in a trade blacklist.

Richard Yu, head of the consumer business group at Huawei, called the phone “the most powerful Mate phone ever” during a launch ceremony in Shenzhen, the company’s hometown, which was broadcast live online and in-store.

According to Yu, the starting price of the Mate 70 will be 5,499 yuan ($758). In China, the most affordable iPhone 16 model is priced at 5,999 yuan.

The Mate 70 boasts a paging system using satellite, an upgraded processor, and the company’s own operating system, HarmonyOS Next, which enhances performance by 40% when compared to earlier models, according to Yu.

Since the United States restricted Huawei’s access to Google services in 2019, the company has been actively working towards software independence, and the Mate 70 series marks the first big commercial release of HarmonyOS NEXT.

This year, Huawei started public testing of HarmonyOS NEXT, which is a radical departure from Android. Previous versions of Harmony OS kept Android compatibility, but this new version is completely separate.

Huawei said last week that its HarmonyOS ecosystem already has over 15,000 applications, with hopes to increase that number to 100,000 in the next several months.

Superior Chip

Both the Mate 60 and the Pura 70 series, which were released in April, contain advanced chips made by SMIC, according to teardown assessments. This shows that the country’s semiconductor skills are improving, even though Western countries restrict exports.

But Huawei (HWT.UL) hasn’t verified it. Usually, it keeps its chip innovations under wraps during product launch ceremonies, and teardown companies are the ones that usually find out about them afterward.

A source familiar with the matter has revealed that top Chinese contract chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (0981.HK), opened a new tab (SMIC) to make Huawei’s Kirin 9100 chipset. However, due to production challenges, this chipset may only be available in higher-end Mate 70 models. Huawei didn’t answer right away when asked for a comment on the chip.

Huawei’s Strong Recovery in China Fuels Competition with Apple

In China, the biggest smartphone market in the world, Huawei has been able to propel its market recovery due to the patriotic energy surrounding its technological accomplishment. This has also strengthened competition with other competitors, such as Apple (AAPL.O), creator of the iPhone (opens a new tab).

Research firm Canalys placed Huawei as the No. 2 smartphone vendor in China in the third quarter of 2024. The company maintained its lead with deliveries exceeding 10 million units for the fourth straight quarter.

This represents a considerable improvement from the 4.1 million units supplied in the second quarter of 2022. Counterpoint, a research organization, has predicted that shipments of the Mate 70 series will surpass 10 million.