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The Sino-American mobile phone war escalates this week as two tech giants go head-to-head with the launch of new products.
Huawei will introduce the long-awaited Mate 40, likely the last of its phones equipped with its proprietary Kirin chips, on October 22, while Apple is expected to launch its iPhone12 series on Wednesday, The Global Times reported.
Industry players said that the competition between the top two brands is tougher amid the China-US tech battle, as Huawei’s latest series will no doubt be bought as soon as it hits the market, and many distributors will hoard the new devices.
“I used to be an Apple fan, I’m afraid Apple started to lose appeal after the iPhoneX as its updates and features let me down, especially compared to more competitive and stylish Chinese brands,” Zhao Liying, a white with Beijing-based-collar worker, told the Global Times.
“Furthermore, the image of American brands, such as Apple, has been affected by the reckless attack of the American government on the Chinese technology industry. The Trump administration is making Chinese consumers abandon Apple phones whenever we have other alternatives, ”said Zhao.
However, analysts said that since the new iPhone-12s are expected to be 5G compatible, they will have good prospects for global sales. Since the Huawei Mate 40 series will not have Google apps on board, its overseas sales may still be severely restricted, the Global Times reported.
“Huawei does not need to compete with Apple at this stage, as its features, powered by its advanced and industry-leading Kirin 9000 chips, will undoubtedly be the ‘most powerful’ mobile device,” Xiang Ligang, CEO of Information Consumption The Beijing-based Alliance told the Global Times.
Richard Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business, said that the Kirin 9000 chipset will have more powerful 5G capabilities, artificial intelligence capabilities, and more powerful CPU and GPU capabilities.
Xiang noted that with the coordination of the base stations and its telecommunications equipment, Huawei will also have a better and more stable signal than Apple, Global Times reported.
On September 15, the US government cut off some supplies of high-end chipsets to Huawei, dealing a severe blow to the company’s Kirin chips, which weigh on its high-end flagship smartphones.
Some industry representatives have speculated that Huawei could abandon its high-end smartphone business in the worst case scenario under the US government’s ban, the Global Times reported.
It is not clear how big Huawei has the reserve of chips for mobile phones and how many Mate 40 series it can offer to the market. On September 23, Huawei’s rotating chairman Guo Ping said in a media interview that the specific data was being evaluated.
“One thing is for sure, Huawei will not abandon its high-end mobile phone business,” Xiang said.
According to Chinese media reports, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chip maker, has obtained a permit from the US Department of Commerce for limited supply to Huawei.
When asked to react to the Chinese report, TSMC said the company did not comment on unfounded market speculation.
“TSMC does not have a concrete plan now as everything is uncertain before the US presidential elections, but solutions will emerge after November 3,” Xiang said.
