Huawei Mate 60 Pro Defies US Sanctions With Wireless Speeds As Fast As Apple

The Huawei Mate 60 has been "sold out" in China amid much enthusiasm as the handset maker is being seen as a brand that can break through US-imposed sanctions.

Huawei has used an advanced 7-nanometer (nm) Kirin 9000s chipset fabricated in China. ( Image Source :Getty )

In line with previous reports, China's tech behemoth Huawei has made a solid comeback with its newest Mate 60 line which comes with a breakthrough proprietary chip, after years of US sanctions. The Huawei Mate 60 has been "sold out" in China amid much enthusiasm as the handset maker is being seen as a brand that can break through US-imposed sanctions, the media has reported. The new Mate series comprises the Huawei Mate 60 and an advanced Mate 60 Pro, which is said to support 5G.

In a big blow to US sanctions, Huawei has used an advanced 7-nanometer (nm) Kirin 9000s chipset fabricated in China by the country's leading homegrown chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), says a report by news agency Bloomberg. The wireless technology in the $900+ smartphone is as fast as Apple's latest iPhone models, which is proof of 5G technology. 

Huawei Technologies Co.’s latest smartphone clearly demonstrates wireless speeds akin to Apple Inc.’s latest iPhones in numerous tests, as more details emerge about a gadget labelled a Chinese breakthrough despite US tech sanctions, says another report by Bloomberg.

This development is in line with reports from July that said Huawei may be looking to return to the 5G smartphone industry. The smartphone giant was in the process of procuring 5G chips locally using its own advances in semiconductor design tools along with chipset-making firm SMIC.

According to analysts, Huawei is preparing a stockpile of a minimum of 15 million units of the new Mate 60 lineup, with no fewer than 7 million devices expected to be sold, says a report by South China Morning Post (SCMP). The advanced Huawei Mate 60 Pro was sold out in key online stores. The Mate 60 Pro was sold out on Huawei’s official stores on both JD.com and Taobao as of Monday, while Huawei’s Vmall was set to release a new batch for purchase in the early evening after selling out earlier batches. When a Post reporter visited Huawei’s store in Shenzhen’s Nanshan district last Tuesday, shortly after the Mate 60 series opened for sale, around 25 customers had already lined up to buy the handsets, the SCMP report added.

The new phones were released online last week but Huawei didn’t detail key specifications such as the SoC design or the wireless connection speeds.

The US and Europe have deemed that Huawei poses a threat to their national security, which the company has denied. The US had imposed sanctions on Chinese firms since 2019 and the Joe Biden administration is looking to cut off Huawei from all American suppliers such as chip-making giants Intel and Qualcomm.