Huawei Technologies has launched its Mate 70 smartphone series, marking a dramatic step forward in its comeback to premium smartphones while breaking free from U.S. technology reliance.
The Mate 70, starting at approximately $730, is positioned as a high-end rival to Apple’s iPhone, delivering cutting-edge features and a fully independent operating system.
Unveiled on Tuesday in Shenzhen, the Mate 70 arrives as the U.S. considers tightening export controls, potentially blacklisting 200 Chinese chip firms. Despite this, Huawei is doubling down on its tech independence.
“The Mate 70 is the most powerful Mate phone ever,” said Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group. It introduces a satellite paging system, an upgraded processor, and the HarmonyOS Next operating system, boosting performance by 40%.
HarmonyOS Next represents a clean departure from Android, underscoring Huawei’s software independence since U.S. sanctions barred its access to Google services in 2019. The company has secured 15,000 apps for its HarmonyOS ecosystem, with plans to expand to 100,000.
Teardowns reveal the Mate 70 leverages Kirin 9100 chipsets, produced by SMIC, showcasing China’s growing semiconductor capabilities despite U.S. restrictions. Huawei has not confirmed these advancements, typically leaving such revelations to third-party analyses.
Fuelled by patriotic sentiment, Huawei has reclaimed its position as China’s second-largest smartphone vendor. In Q3 2024, shipments exceeded 10 million units for the fourth consecutive quarter, a significant rebound from 4.1 million units in Q2 2022.
With the Mate 70 series projected to surpass 10 million shipments, Huawei’s resurgence reflects its resilience and ambition to dominate the world’s largest smartphone market.