Huawei’s Mate 20 flagship seen as crucial to showcase its tech prowess against rivals Samsung and Apple – South China Morning Post
What happened: China’s leading smartphone maker and 5G solution provider Huawei will soon release flagship Huawei Mate 20 series, the most expensive and up-to-date series produced by the company. A highlight of the new phones is Huawei’s very own Kirin 980 chip, a demonstration of the country’s chip production and R&D capability, and a potential bargaining chip to bring Huawei to the world’s premium phone club dominated by Apple and Samsung. Pre-orders will start at 10:08 am, October 17.
Why it’s important: The sales performance of the new Huawei Mate 20 series deserves attention, as the release closely follows Apple launch of the new phone model. In 2018, in terms of total handset shipment, Huawei already surpassed Apple as the second best (behind Samsung) company in the world, prior to Apple’s new release a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, amid Sino-US trade tension, a phone series with China’s own chip has strategic meaning: a demonstration of tech power, an announcement of non-dependence in the phone-making field, and a new test field and infrastructure building for Beijing’s upcoming 5G practices.