Huawei Technologies launched its revamped Luxeed S7 electric sedan, co-developed with Chinese carmaker Chery Auto, and a new personal computer (PC) with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) support at its latest event on Thursday, but there was no mention of the highly anticipated P70 smartphone.
The new version of the Luxeed S7 – the first version of which launched in November and has since faced shipping delays – comes with functionalities that include Huawei’s self-developed advanced driver assistance system.
After solving supply shortages and relocating its factory, the car will start mass shipments, Richard Yu Chengdong, chairman of Huawei’s intelligent automotive solution business unit and chief executive of the consumer business group, said at the event.
Yu also revealed that Huawei’s Aito brand, co-developed with Chinese carmaker Seres, has received 174,000 orders for its M7 SUV in the seven months since its launch.
Customers check out the Luxeed S7 at Huawei’s flagship store in Shanghai on November 12, 2023. Photo: TNS
Huawei’s foray into electric vehicles (EVs) is one of multiple new directions the telecoms gear maker has been exploring to diversify revenue in the face of US sanctions. But it faces cutthroat competition in the China market, where it faces US-based Tesla and a number of local rivals.
The entrance of another big Chinese brand further complicates the market: Xiaomi, Huawei’s long-time smartphone rival, recently started taking orders for its maiden EV, the SU7, which turbocharged an ongoing price war with its starting price of 215,900 yuan (US$29,840).
Huawei also unveiled a new Matebook X Pro, the company’s first PC to ship with its home-grown Pangu AI model. The computer integrates models from other Chinese partners, as well, including Baidu’s Ernie and iFlytek’s Spark.
The computer runs on the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, part of the US chip giant’s latest generation of processors that include a neural processing unit for AI functionality.
However, there was no mention at the event of any new smartphone products. Huawei fans have been anticipating an announcement for the P70 series since rumours of an imminent launch spread online last week. Huawei did not respond to a request for comment on the status of the phone on Thursday.
Interest in the P70 across the industry is high, as it would be Huawei’s biggest flagship handset launch since the Mate 60 Pro, which captured attention around the world for its use of China-made semiconductors. The 7-nanometre Kirin 9000S was reportedly manufactured by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) despite US export restrictions seeking to limit China’s chip-making capabilities.
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Huawei was added to a US trade blacklist in May 2019, forcing the former smartphone leader to skip some planned product launches, severely hobbling its once-lucrative handset business. However, Huawei announced last year that it would resume launches for its flagship smartphone brands, the Mate and P series.
The Shenzhen-based company has traditionally unveiled new flagship gadgets at its major spring and fall launch events. But last August, the giant quietly released what was its first 5G handset in three years, without any advance notice. It did not introduce the Mate 60 at later events, either, maintaining strict silence on the origin of its chipset.
The phone proved immensely popular in China, where it became a patriotic symbol of overcoming US attempts to curb its geopolitical rival’s technological advance. It helped Huawei retake the No 1 spot in the domestic smartphone market in the first two weeks of this year, according to a report from research firm Counterpoint.
While the Mate series targets working professionals, the P series is aimed at younger users, with a greater focus on camera functionality. The P60 Pro, which launched in March last year, was a 4G phone running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset and Huawei’s HarmonyOS operating system.
HarmonyOS has seen accelerated native development since the company started preparing changes that will break its compatibility with Android apps. It now has more than 4,000 native apps in the ecosystem, Yu said at the Thursday event.
HarmonyOS Next, which removes core Android code, will be ready for a beta release in June, Yu added.
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