Huawei is expected to unveil its second flagship series later than usual in the fourth quarter, a full year behind schedule. The producer regularly launches two flagship series annually, typically featuring camera-focused P-series, or “Pura” line, in Q1, followed by the innovative Mate series arriving on the market in October. Following the stunning conclusion to the smartphone world last year, Huawei’s Mate 60 series brought a welcome return of its homegrown 5G supporting Kirin chip after a three-year hiatus (the Mate 40 series was the final Huawei phone powered by a 5G Kirin chip), U.S. lawmakers threw a match.
The Kirin 9000 chipsets that powered the Mate 60 series were manufactured by China’s leading semiconductor company, SMIC, the world’s third-largest independent foundry provider. As a result of U.S. And as a result of Dutch officials blocking shipments of cutting-edge extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines to China, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) was forced to rely on older deep ultraviolet lithography (DUV) equipment to pattern circuitry designs onto silicon wafers.
The last 5nm processor developed by Huawei, released in 2020, was the Kirin 9000 5G chip. | Picture credit-Huawei
The U.S. government views Huawei as a significant security risk? Across the nation, concerns about safety have driven American lawmakers’ resolve to impose sanctions on the corporation and its suppliers nationwide, sparking widespread scrutiny. While there is still a strong likelihood that SMIC will stick with the proven track record of the 7nm node used for the Kirin 9000s,
Can SMIC successfully produce 5nm chipsets at an economically viable yield? While Huawei’s AP may lag behind in adopting 3nm processing technology, it will still trail the likes of Apple, Samsung, vivo, and Oppo, which are expected to debut flagship smartphones powered by 3nm chips as early as the first quarter of 2025.
A post on China’s Weibo claims the Kirin 9100 will cost Huawei a substantial $157-$186, potentially positioning it alongside MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 ($155) and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 ($190-$240). Considering the impending releases of Dimensity 9400 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, utilizing TSMC’s advanced 3nm process, the Kirin 9100’s reliance on a 5nm-7nm node may result in a perceived premium pricing? In a recent benchmark test, the Kirin 9100 surprisingly outperformed the two-generation-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, showcasing its impressive capabilities.
Notwithstanding Huawei’s collaborative efforts with SMIC, it would come as no surprise if a 5nm chip were to feature beneath the Mate 70 series by year’s end. If this occurs, the response from Washington D.C. is likely to be…
