Sales of Huawei Technologies' latest Mate 70 smartphone series are predicted to fall short of those of its predecessor, the Mate 60, according to analysts, due to weaker processor performance amid increased supply chain risks.
The Mate 70 was launched on November 26th at an event in Shenzhen, where Huawei's consumer business president, Yu Chengdong, hailed the new line as "the most powerful Mate phones in history."
However, Mr. Yu did not mention any details about the product's processor or the reason why this new line of devices was released later than Singles' Day – the world's biggest annual shopping festival on November 11th.
The Mate 70 was displayed at Huawei's event on November 26th. (Photo: EPA)
Huawei's latest launch event highlighted the artificial intelligence (AI) features and its self-developed HarmonyOS Next operating system on the Mate 70, which the company claims delivers 40% higher performance than the Mate 60.
The new product line – including the Mate 70, Mate 70 Pro, Mate 70 Pro+, and Mate 70 RS – is equipped with the Kirin 9010 and 9020 mobile processors designed by HiSilicon, according to a report published on November 28 by Canadian semiconductor research firm TechInsights. The report states that these chips are "less efficient" than the latest processors from Qualcomm and MediaTek.
" Despite hardware improvements and new AI features, the delayed launch and modest chipset upgrades could limit the product's sales potential ," TechInsights analysts Peng Peng and Linda Sui noted in their report.
TechInsights predicts Mate 70 sales will reach 3 million units in this fourth quarter, accounting for approximately 22% of Huawei's total smartphone shipments during this period.
Customers get their hands on the Huawei Mate 70 on launch day. (Photo: EPA)
Aside from a modest chip upgrade, TechInsights' forecast suggests the Mate 70's appeal will be limited outside of China due to its Harmony OS Next not supporting Android apps. Huawei stated at launch that all smartphones and tablets released in 2025 will run on Harmony OS Next, as the company ramps up its efforts to achieve technological self-reliance.
The Mate 70 series is expected to be widely released in China on December 4th, but Huawei has not yet revealed plans for overseas sales.
According to Counterpoint Research, total shipments of the Mate 70 series are expected to exceed 10 million units throughout its product lifecycle. Meanwhile, Phone Arena estimates that the Mate 60, launched last August, sold 12-13 million units.
The smartphone industry is closely watching the launch of the Mate 70 to assess Huawei's progress in chip development. Last year, the company, which was blacklisted by the US, surprised analysts by integrating a 7-nanometer chip into the Mate 60 series.
Detailed component analysis reveals that this processor was manufactured by the Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) in Shanghai, marking a technological breakthrough despite sanctions from the US.
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