Huawei unveils Mate X2 flagship foldable smartphone
"A truly immersive experience."
Struggling under U.S. sanctions, Huawei unveiled an 8-inch (20-centimeter)-widescreen folding smartphone on Monday to show off its tech prowess but said it would only be sold in China.
After Washington cut off access to U.S. processor chips and Google services, the Mate X2 highlights the challenges for Huawei Technologies Ltd. Huawei dropped from the top-selling global smartphone brand to sixth place last year.
For movies and games, Huawei says the Mate X2, its third folding phone, has crisper visuals and better sound. It runs on the most advanced processor chip, the Kirin 9000, from Huawei.
Richard Yu, president of Huawei's consumer unit, said at a launch event broadcast online, the phone offers "a truly immersive experience."
Huawei, the first multinational tech brand in China, was battered in 2019 by being placed on an export blacklist by then-President Donald Trump as a security risk, an allegation refuted by the firm. To concentrate resources on higher-end models, Huawei sold its budget-priced Honor smartphone brand in November.
According to Yu, the Mate X2 will launch at 17,999 Yuan ($2,785) and the expected price of the Huawei Mate X2 in Nepal is NPR 3,40,000 for the 256GB model and NPR 3,50,000 for the 512GB model.
The launch on Monday "says a lot about how it still wants to trumpet its technological advances, even if its shipments will be severely hampered commercially," said IDC's Bryan Ma in an email.
Earlier, Huawei stockpiled chips and other materials in anticipation of a potential U.S. cutoff, executives said. How long those supplies could last is not clear. Huawei developed the Kirin line that drives its most advanced smartphones but depends on external suppliers to make them, including Taiwan's TSMC.
Last year, the Trump administration stepped up sanctions by banning TSMC and other foreign suppliers from using U.S. technologies, including those developed by the firm, to manufacture chips for Huawei.
To suppress rising technological rivals, Chinese officials suspect Washington of exploiting national security complaints. Huawei denies claims that Chinese espionage may be encouraged by it.
Huawei's smartphone revenues, including Honor, dropped 22 percent last year to 188.5 million without Google music and other services preinstalled, according to Canalys.
The founder of Huawei, Ren Zhengfei, said on Feb. 9 that he did not expect the new U.S. To lift Trump's tariffs, President Joe Biden expressed confidence that the company will survive. Huawei, based in Shenzhen in southern China, is also the leading multinational producer of phone network switching devices.
The smartphone unit of Huawei is largely focused on its home market in China, which accounts for over 70 percent of revenue, up from 50 percent in 2019.
Also Read:
JEEP COMPASS FACELIFT SOON TO BE LAUNCH IN NEPAL
GULF LAUNCHES AN ADVANCED CLUBBED SCHEME WITH VITARA BREZZA DISTRIBUTION
HYUNDAI PARTNERS UK'S START-UP TO BUILD the FIRST AIRPORT FOR FLYING CARS- REVIEWS
TESLA WANTS TO START BUILDING A NEW PLANT THIS SUMMER - REVIEWS
RENAULT KIGER UNVEILED IN INDIA, WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON IN NEPAL - REVIEWS
Upasana Poudel
