Huawei unveils latest line of smartphones

Huawei unveiled its Mate 80 series smartphones and the new, foldable Mate X7, featuring its latest Kirin 9030 processors and updated HarmonyOS 6 operating system, in a move analysts say underscored the company's ambitions to gain a bigger share in China's premium handset market.

The company's Mate series has long been Huawei's flagship for showcasing high-end technology. The new Mate 80 series features a high clarity display, an outdoor expedition mode, offline emergency communication, and a more advanced imaging system.

But the market's focus has been centered on the Kirin processor upgrade and the evolution of HarmonyOS.

Richard Yu, Huawei's executive director and head of its consumer business, said that the new models benefit from vertically integrated hardware, software, and chip design. He cited performance gains of more than 40 percent for the Mate 80 Pro Max, Mate 80 RS, and the Mate X7 compared with last year's versions. 

Beyond hardware, Huawei's sales recovery hinges on the expansion of HarmonyOS, its fully self-developed operating system. Huawei and its partners have created about 300,000 apps and services over the past year. 

Yu said more than 27 million devices now run HarmonyOS 5 or 6, with the installed base expanding by about 100,000 units each day.

chengyu@chinadaily.com.cn