Huawei keeps mum on secret 5G Mate 60 Pro phone at product launch


  • Chinese telecom giant Huawei did not reveal any details about its new phone or report an advanced chip breakthrough during a high-profile launch event.
  • Instead, the company launched two new electric cars – its first sedan and a high-end SUV – and launched new wireless earbuds, among other products.
  • Many online viewers of the launch event seemed disappointed and left several comments asking for details about the phone.

Customers will experience the new Mate 60 Pro smartphone at a Huawei-branded store in Shanghai, China on September 5, 2023.

Nurfoto | Nurfoto | getty images

BEIJING – Chinese telecommunications and smartphone giant Huawei did not reveal any details about its new phone or report an advanced chip breakthrough during a high-profile launch event on Monday.

Instead, the company launched two new electric cars – its first sedan and a high-end SUV – and launched new wireless earbuds, among other products. Huawei has partnered with an auto manufacturer to sell cars under the Aito brand.

The earbuds are priced at around 1,499 yuan ($205), and include Huawei’s Kirin A2 chip, the company said.

The product releases were part of Huawei’s fall season launch event, which was livestreamed in Mandarin on Monday afternoon.

The absence of the phone disappointed many Internet fans, despite its host Richard Yu indicating early in the event that the company would not reveal further details. Yu is the executive director and CEO of Huawei’s consumer business group, and head of car-related operations.

Nevertheless, many viewers, especially on the Bilibili video platform, left comments asking for details about the phone.

Huawei’s glitzy product launch — at times drawing nationalistic enthusiasm among audiences online and in person — began with an orchestral and choral performance of a song in Chinese called “My Dream.” It also included a brief speech from Hong Kong celebrity Andy Lau surrounding the launch of Huawei’s luxury watch designs.

But the attempt to project a good mood about Huawei and China’s technological capabilities resulted in no concrete announcements at the high-profile event.

The company on Monday released a new version of its smart watch, a new tablet that it claims is lighter and thinner than an iPad and a stylus that connects to the tablet using Huawei’s Bluetooth-like NearLink technology.

Huawei’s silence on its new phones came to light as deliveries of Apple’s iPhone 15 began in China on Friday.

About a month ago, Huawei quietly released its latest smartphone – the Mate 60 Pro – which reviews indicate offers 5G-related download speeds thanks to its advanced semiconductor chip.

The launch of the phone indicates that Huawei is able to use high-tech processes despite US sanctions.

TechInsights analysis revealed that the Kirin 9000s chip inside Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro features a processor that was manufactured using an advanced 7 nanometer process by Chinese chip-making giant Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation.

Previously, that 7nm process required an EUV lithography machine from Dutch company ASML, which it has also begun restricting sales to in China. It is unclear whether the latest chip production involved older machines or alternative procurement processes.

When asked about TechInsights’ findings, Huawei was not available for comment.

Huawei’s consumer business revenue has halved under the pressure of US sanctions, which have cut the company off from critical smartphone technology such as semiconductors and Google software.

The Trump administration began restricting Huawei’s access to technology in 2019.

The US has said the Chinese telecom giant is a national security threat due to its alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party and the country’s military. Huawei has repeatedly denied the existence of any such risks.

This year, Huawei said it hopes to launch its major consumer products again on a “normal” schedule.

— CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal contributed to this report.

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