Huawei Technologies Co’s (華為) latest smartphones carry a version of the advanced made-in-China processor it revealed last year, results from an independent analysis showed.
This underscored the Chinese company’s ability to sustain production of the controversial chip.
The Pura 70 series unveiled last week sports the Kirin 9010 processor, research firm TechInsights found during a teardown of the device.
Photo: Reuters
This is a newer version of the Kirin 9000s, made by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC, 中芯) for the Mate 60 Pro, which had alarmed officials in Washington who thought a 7-nanometer chip was beyond China’s capabilities.
Huawei has enjoyed a resurgence since the debut of its Mate 60 series in August last year, riding a wave of celebration around its ability to realize sophisticated semiconductor manufacturing despite escalating US technology export curbs.
The Pura 70 series sold out within two days of its launch, market checks by Jeffries Group analysts led by Edison Lee showed.
US officials are now weighing additional sanctions intended to ring-fence the company and China’s semiconductor ambitions more broadly.
The Pura contained a Kirin 9010 manufactured by SMIC’s so-called 7-nanometer N+2 process, an enhanced version of the typical 7-nanometer manufacturing, said TechInsights, which was the first to identify the original 9000s in conjunction with Bloomberg News.
Formerly known as the P series, the Pura line has traditionally sold on the strength of their camera capabilities.
Giving domestic users a fresh option could apply further pressure on the iPhone, which is not due for an upgrade until September.
Huawei is likely to see further market share gains ahead of the June 18 sales festival, Jefferies said.
For Huawei, it is another step toward rebuilding a consumer business devastated by sanctions imposed by the administration of then-US president Donald Trump.
The company was roughly on par with Apple Inc in the Chinese market in the first quarter, underscoring the way it has eroded the iPhone maker’s domestic market share over the past months.
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