Huawei Technologies has unveiled its Mate 70 smartphone series, marking a significant step in the Chinese tech giant’s comeback to the premium smartphone market. This launch comes nearly a year after the release of its Mate 60 series, which was seen as a pivotal moment for Huawei’s recovery in the face of mounting challenges due to U.S. trade restrictions (via Reuters).
As per the wire, the Mate 70 series is designed to rival high-end devices such as Apple’s iPhone, with prices starting at 5,499 yuan (£636), undercutting the base iPhone 16, which retails at 5,999 yuan (£682).
Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group, introduced the Mate 70 at an event in Shenzhen, asserting that it is “the most powerful Mate phone ever”. The new series boasts several innovations, including an improved processor and the world’s first mainstream smartphone featuring a satellite paging system, a notable leap in technology. Performance has been boosted by 40 per cent over previous models, thanks to both hardware and software improvements.
A major highlight of the Mate 70 series is its operating system, HarmonyOS NEXT. This marks a decisive move away from Android, as Huawei continues its efforts to reduce its reliance on U.S. technology.
HarmonyOS NEXT, the first major commercial rollout of this new operating system, is the Android-free version of Huawei’s software and represents a significant step towards software independence. The operating system has already attracted over 15,000 applications, with ambitions to expand this ecosystem to 100,000 apps in the coming months.
However, Huawei is not completely abandoning Android just yet. Customers can choose between HarmonyOS 4.3, which maintains Android compatibility, and the new HarmonyOS NEXT 5.0. The company is also expected to include Android as a backup solution while its ecosystem continues to grow.
In terms of hardware, the Mate 70 series features Huawei’s Kirin 9100 chipset, believed to be manufactured by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), a top Chinese contract chipmaker. Despite production challenges, Huawei is expected to use these chips in higher-end models of the Mate 70 series. However, the company has not officially confirmed the chip details, with most information emerging from teardown analyses.
Huawei’s resilience is evident in its growing market share. According to Canalys, the company ranked as China’s second-largest smartphone vendor in Q3 2024, with shipments exceeding 10 million units for the fourth consecutive quarter. The Mate 70 series is expected to surpass 10 million shipments, further solidifying Huawei’s position as a key player in the global smartphone market.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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Published: 26 Nov 2024, 07:47 PM IST
