The Mate 70 launch was previously rumored to be in October, but Huawei is now said to have delayed its upcoming flagship smartphone series because there is still work remaining for HarmonyOS NEXT. For those that do not know, the former Chinese giant was earlier reported to be ditching Android for good and completely transition to its in-house operating system so that it is free of any U.S. trade sanctions. Unfortunately, having the ambition to develop an elaborate custom platform is one thing, and going through with it in a few years is an entirely different scenario.
Mate 70 Kirin SoC might already have been decided, and may not be the reason for the delay
The exact launch timeline of the Mate 70 family was not mentioned by @RODENT950, as the only information posted on X was that the upcoming series had been postponed to the fourth quarter. Interestingly enough, the Mate 70’s original launch month was October, which falls in the same quarter as mentioned above, so it is possible that Huawei could be eyeing an unveiling in November or December. The rumor does not say which Kirin chipset would be used, but an earlier rumor claimed that the Kirin 9100 would leverage SMIC’s 5nm process.
However, despite the previous claims stating that Huawei had achieved a successful tape-out of its chipset on the 5nm process, an updated rumor said that the SoC would re-use the same 7nm technology but would apply the N+3 variant, resulting in higher density compared to the Kirin 9010 found in the Pura 70 lineup. Even if Huawei remains undecided over which chipset to use, the biggest hurdle would undoubtedly be its HarmonyOS NEXT platform. Remember that the U.S. announced sanctions on Huawei in 2019, systematically introducing trade bans that would restrict the firm’s business activities.
Mate 70 is postponed to Q4, Harmony OS 5 needs more time pic.twitter.com/ARZS5YCyH4
— Teme (特米)𝕏|🇫🇮🇨🇳 (@RODENT950) July 23, 2024
Initiating a resurgence and developing a custom operating system in around five years is nothing short of miraculous, but one major hurdle that stands in the way of Huawei’s success is an expanded app ecosystem. HarmonyOS NEXT was previously estimated to have added 4,000 apps to its list, with the goal now being to raise that figure to 500,000. Naturally, the results will not materialize overnight, so let us wait and monitor Huawei’s progress to see if it can overcome any obstacles and officially launch the Mate 70 range later this year.
News Source: @RODENT950
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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