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Huawei Technologies has launched its highly anticipated Pura 70 series of smartphones, as the company looks to maintain its momentum after its flagship phone, the Mate 60, helped erode Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) domination of the high-end segment in China.
The Pura 70 series of smartphones starts at 5,499 yuan (around $760) and goes up to 10,999 yuan for the Ultra editions.
Huawei surprised many in August 2023 by discreetly launching its new phone, the Mate 60 Pro. The company hasn’t provided information on how powerful the chip inside is, but people have speculated that it could use a 5G-compatible chip.
The chip, believed to have been manufactured by Chinese company Semiconductor Manufacturing International (OTCQX: SIUIF), has sparked concerns in the United States and raised questions about how this was possible, without the company being able to access critical technologies. The phone also prompted an assessment by the United States to learn details of the chip inside, which was the most advanced semiconductor China has ever made.
Huawei once competed with Apple (AAPL) and Samsung (OTCPK:SSNLF) to become the world’s largest phone maker until U.S. restrictions, starting in 2019, began restricting its access to manufacturing tools. chips needed to produce its most advanced models.
However, the Chinese tech giant is gaining ground. Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone sales in China fell 24% year-over-year in the first six weeks of 2024, amid growing competition from Huawei, according to a report from Counterpoint Research Of March.
Huawei has not disclosed the Pura 70 series processor, but several online reviewers have posted videos showing the high-end models feature a Kirin 9010 chip. This is a follow-up to the locally built Kirin 9000s at inside the Mate 60 Pro, Bloomberg News reported.
Huawei Acting President Eric Xu said at a forum in Shenzhen on Wednesday that the company intends to launch a Mate 70 smartphone this year, according to a Reuters report.
