Introduction
In 2019, Huawei was on the verge of becoming the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer when it was placed on the Commerce Department’s entity list, prohibiting it from obtaining supplies from a once-thriving U.S. supply chain. This also prevented Huawei from using the Google Mobile Services version of Android, leading to the development of its own HarmonyOS operating system.
The New Export Rule
One year after being placed on the entity list, the U.S. Commerce Department imposed a new export rule that prevents foundries using American technology from shipping cutting-edge silicon to Huawei. Although Huawei was given permission to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoCs, they have been modified not to work with 5G networks. For the upcoming Enjoy 60 mid-ranger, Huawei will use a three-year-old Kirin 710A chip to power it.
Replacement of Parts
According to Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, the company had to replace 13,000 parts in its products that it could not obtain due to the U.S. trade sanctions. These parts were replaced by substitutes purchased domestically, and Huawei redesigned 4,000 circuit boards used in its products. Despite the sanctions, Huawei continues to invest in research & development, having spent $23.8 billion on R&D in the previous year.
Upcoming Huawei Launch
Huawei is set to unveil its latest flagship series, the P60 line, the foldable Mate X3, and the mid-range Enjoy 60 on March 23rd.
Design Sketch of Huawei P60 Pro
There has been an alleged design sketch of the upcoming Huawei P60 Pro that reveals a Dynamic Island notification system on the top of the display. Reuters has been unable to independently verify Ren’s remarks, which the Shanghai Jiao Tong University claims were made on February 24th in front of technology experts.
