Huawei unveils flagship foldable smartphone for China market
Beijing—struggling under US sanctions, Huawei unveiled a folding smartphone with an 8-inch (20-centimeter) wide screen Monday to show off its tech prowess but said it will be sold only in China.
The Mate X2 highlights the challenges for Huawei Technologies Ltd. after Washington cut off access to US processor chips and Google services. Last year, Huawei fell from the top-selling global smartphone brand to sixth place.
Huawei says the Mate X2, its third folding phone, has crisper visuals and better sound for movies and games. It runs on Huawei’s most advanced processor chip, the Kirin 9000.
The phone offers “a truly immersive experience,” the president of Huawei’s consumer unit, Richard Yu, said at a launch event broadcast online.
Huawei, China’s first global tech brand, was battered by being put on an export blacklist by then-president Donald J. Trump in 2019 as a security risk, an accusation the company denies. Huawei sold its budget-priced Honor smartphone brand in November to focus resources on higherend models.
The Mate X2 will start at 17,999 yuan ($2,785), according to Yu.
Monday’s launch “says a lot about how it still wants to trumpet its advances in technology, even if commercially speaking, its shipments will be severely hampered,” said Bryan Ma of IDC in an e-mail.
Executives said earlier Huawei stockpiled chips and other components in preparation for a possible US cutoff. It isn’t clear how long those supplies might last.
Huawei designed the Kirin line that powers its most advanced smartphones but relies on outside manufacturers including Taiwan’s TSMC to make them. The Trump administration stepped up sanctions last year by blocking TSMC and other global producers from using US technology to make chips for Huawei, including those designed by the company.
Chinese officials accuse Washington of abusing national security complaints to suppress rising technology competitors. Huawei denies accusations it might facilitate Chinese spying.
Without Google music and other services preinstalled, Huawei’s smartphone sales, including Honor, fell 22 percent last year to 188.5 million, according to Canalys.
Huawei’s founder, Ren Zhengfei, said February 9 he didn’t expect new US President Joe Biden to lift Trump’s sanctions but expressed confidence the company can survive. Huawei, headquartered in Shenzhen in southern
China, also is the biggest global maker of switching equipment for phone networks.
Huawei’s smartphone unit depends increasingly on its home China market, which accounts for more than 70 percent of sales, up from 50 percent in 2019.
The loss of Google services had no impact in China, where they aren’t licensed and Huawei already used local alternatives.
China’s ruling Communist Party has spent billions of dollars trying to build its own chip industry. But domestic producers lack the technology to manufacture chips for Huawei’s most advanced products.
“The bigger question is more about how long their current stockpile of components will last them,” said IDC’S Ma.
Huawei has yet to report 2020 sales and profit, but Ren, the founder, said they were better than the previous year. Huawei said revenue for the first nine months of 2020 rose 9.9 percent to 671.3 billion yuan ($100.4 billion).
VETERAN guard RJ Jazul and the thrilling Philippine Cup Game Five semifinals match between Barangay Ginebra and Meralco inside the Clark bubble will share the limelight in the virtual Philippine Basketball
Association (PBA) Press Corps Awards Night.
Jazul, the 34-year-old team captain of Phoenix Super LPG, will receive the Mr. Quality Minutes award for his immense contributions coming off the bench, while the Kings’ 83-80
victory over the Bolts in their do-or-die semifinal match will be named the Game of the Bubble by the men and women who regularly cover the PBA beat.
The two-in-one awards night that will also honor the 2019 awardees is set on March 7 at the TV5 Media Center and presented by Cignal TV.
The 5-foot-11 Jazul averaged 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 17 games during the lone conference last season. He registered a career-high 33 points he spiked with nine threepointers in the Fuel Masters’ 110-101 win over five-time champion San Miguel Beer to clinch a berth in the quarterfinals.
The Kings, seeded No. 1, also made their presence felt following their hard-earned win over the fifth-seeded Bolts in a match marked by Scottie Thompson’s clutch three-pointer at the buzzer that sent the team to best-of-seven finals.
Jazul and the Barangay Ginebra-meralco game are part of the distinct bubble awards to be handed out in the event to be shown on PBA Rush on March 8.
Also on the honor roll are CJ Perez (Scoring Champion) and the All-rookie Team (Aaron Black, Arvin Tolentino, Roosevelt Adams, Barkley Ebona and Renzo Subido).
Still to be named are the Outstanding Coach of the Bubble, Mr. Executive, President’s Award, Top Bubble D-fender, All Bubble D-fenders and a Special Citation.
The 2019 Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan Coach of the Year Leo Austria of San Miguel Beer and Danny Floro Executive of the Year PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas lead the honorees for the previous season that also include Presidential Awardee Vergel Meneses, Bulakan Mayor and one of the PBA’S 25 Greatest Players, and Defensive Player of the Year Sean Anthony of Northport.