The Huawei Technologies logo was displayed at the Viva Technology conference, an event focused on innovation and startups, held at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, on June 15, 2022. Reuters
Chinese tech giant Huawei has officially launched its Mate 70 smartphone series, marking a significant step in its comeback to the premium smartphone market. The release, which took place in Shenzhen on Tuesday, highlights Huawei’s focus on regaining ground in high-end devices, particularly in competition with brands like Apple. The Mate 70 showcases Huawei’s latest technological advancements and introduces a major software shift as the company distances itself from U.S. technology.
Richard Yu, the chairman of Huawei's consumer business group, described the Mate 70 as “the most powerful Mate phone ever.” The phone starts at 5,499 yuan (approximately $758), slightly undercutting Apple’s base iPhone model, which sells for 5,999 yuan in China. Among its standout features, the Mate 70 includes a satellite paging system, an upgraded processor, and runs on Huawei's own HarmonyOS NEXT operating system, delivering 40% better performance compared to previous models.
The launch comes as Huawei braces for potentially stricter U.S. export controls, with reports suggesting that up to 200 Chinese chip companies may be added to a trade blacklist soon. This development could further limit Chinese firms’ access to U.S. suppliers, intensifying the challenges Huawei already faces due to ongoing trade restrictions.
The Mate 70 is the first device to commercially feature HarmonyOS NEXT, Huawei’s Android-free operating system. This is a critical move for the company as it works to achieve software independence after losing access to Google services in 2019. HarmonyOS NEXT has been in testing since earlier this year and represents a complete break from Android, unlike its earlier versions, which still incorporated Android code.
As part of its software ecosystem expansion, Huawei announced it had already secured over 15,000 applications for HarmonyOS, with plans to reach 100,000 apps soon. However, to ease the transition for users and developers, the Mate 70 series offers both HarmonyOS 4.3, which maintains Android compatibility, and HarmonyOS NEXT 5.0. Starting next year, all new Huawei phones and tablets will exclusively run the Android-free HarmonyOS NEXT.
The Mate 70 series also underscores Huawei’s advances in chip technology, despite Western export restrictions. Teardown analyses of Huawei’s devices, including the Mate 60 series and Pura 70 series, have revealed that they utilize advanced chipsets manufactured by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), China’s leading chipmaker. While Huawei has not officially confirmed these details, industry experts speculate that these advanced Kirin 9100 chipsets are likely featured in higher-end versions of the Mate 70.
Huawei’s innovations and resilience have fueled its resurgence in the Chinese smartphone market. The company was ranked as China’s second-largest smartphone vendor in the third quarter of 2024, delivering over 10 million units for the fourth consecutive quarter. This marks a remarkable recovery from the second quarter of 2022, when it shipped just 4.1 million units. Research firms predict that shipments of the Mate 70 series could surpass 10 million units, reflecting growing consumer interest and national pride in Huawei’s technological achievements.
