Huawei showcases gold smartwatch, smart car but didn’t discuss Mate 60 smartphone
Beijing/Shanghai: Huawei Technologies on Monday showcased a series of new products from a gold smartwatch to a smart car but disappointed viewers by not revealing more details about its new Mate 60 smartphone series, prompting an outpouring of complaints online. The event, held in a stadium and watched by millions online, was expected to see Huawei break its silence on the smartphone, which has been hailed by Chinese state media as a sign the firm had overcome U.S. sanctions that since 2019 has cut its access to advanced chipmaking tools and crippled its smartphone unit.
The smartphone was launched without any fanfare last month during U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo's visit to China. Some users and analysts who bought the Mate 60 Pro say it uses a Chinese-made chip and is capable of 5G speeds.
Huawei has so far not commented on the full capabilities of the Mate 60 series, which is seen as its first major effort since the sanctions to challenge Apple's dominance in the smartphone market. Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei's consumer business group, however, did nod to the smartphone in his opening remarks when he gave a "special thanks to the whole nation for their tremendous support, especially since the (Mate 60 Pro) Pioneer Program was launched". As Yu spoke, members of the audience chanted "far, far ahead" - a phrase that has gone viral on Chinese social media since the Mate 60 Pro's launch as a take on Huawei's competitiveness.
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