Chinese tech giant Huawei has launched its highly anticipated Mate 70 smartphone series, solidifying its return to the premium smartphone market and showcasing its Android-free HarmonyOS NEXT operating system. The unveiling comes as U.S.-China tensions escalate, with Washington reportedly planning stricter export controls on Chinese chip companies.
The Mate 70 series, introduced during an event in Shenzhen on Tuesday, is positioned as Huawei’s most advanced flagship to date. Prices for the Mate 70 start at 5,499 yuan ($758), undercutting the base model of Apple’s iPhone 16, which sells for 5,999 yuan in China.
“This is the most powerful Mate phone ever,” said Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, during the launch event.
The Mate 70 series marks the first commercial rollout of HarmonyOS NEXT, an operating system developed entirely without Android code. This milestone is part of Huawei’s strategy to eliminate reliance on U.S. technology, a move necessitated by sanctions that have cut it off from Google services since 2019.
According to Yu, the new operating system boosts performance by 40% compared to previous models. However, Huawei is offering users a choice: devices can run either HarmonyOS 4.3, which maintains Android compatibility, or the new HarmonyOS NEXT 5.0. All Huawei smartphones and tablets launching in 2025 will fully transition to the Android-free HarmonyOS NEXT.
Huawei revealed plans to expand its ecosystem, with over 15,000 applications already onboarded and a target of 100,000 apps in the coming months.
The Mate 70 series introduces innovative features, including the industry’s first satellite paging system and Huawei’s Kirin 9100 chipset, reportedly manufactured by China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC). While Huawei has not confirmed details about the chipset, teardown analyses suggest it reflects China’s growing semiconductor capabilities despite Western export restrictions.
The phone also boasts a 6.78-inch curved display, an improved processor, and a robust battery life to complement its high-end hardware. The advanced Kirin chip may, however, be limited to higher-end models due to production challenges.
The launch of the Mate 70 series comes as Huawei regains significant ground in the Chinese smartphone market. In the third quarter of 2024, Huawei was ranked as China’s second-largest smartphone vendor, shipping over 10 million units for the fourth consecutive quarter, according to research firm Canalys. This marks a stark turnaround from the second quarter of 2022 when shipments dwindled to just 4.1 million units.
Patriotic sentiment around Huawei’s technological resilience has fueled its resurgence, with analysts expecting Mate 70 shipments to surpass 10 million units, according to Counterpoint Research.
The launch also coincides with reports that the U.S. is preparing to add 200 Chinese chip companies to a trade blacklist, further restricting access to U.S. suppliers. Huawei’s efforts to localise production and build self-reliance could help it weather these challenges while intensifying competition with rivals such as Apple.
As Huawei continues its technological push, Richard Yu emphasised the company’s mission to remain at the forefront of innovation. “With the Mate 70, we’re showcasing the future of what smartphones can achieve—independent, powerful, and designed for the next era of technology,” Yu said.
