Ahead of iPhone 15 launch, Huawei Mate 60 rises as new challenger for Apple

tech.hindustantimes.com:

A new series of smartphones launched by China's Huawei Technologies has drawn global attention for containing technology that indicates the company has managed to overcome U.S. sanctions and could come back as a rival to Apple In late August, the company unveiled the Mate 60 and Mate 60 Pro, and on Friday launched two more smartphones, the Mate X5 which is a new version of its foldable phones, and the Mate 60 Pro . The Mate 60 is priced from 5,999 yuan ($817.70), the same as Apple's iPhone 14 in China.

Here are some key things to know about Huawei's new phones, their suppliers, and what they could mean for the world's largest smartphone market:

Huawei has mainly advertised the smartphones' ability to support satellite communications which allow users to place calls or send messages even in areas where there are no mobile signals or internet, such as on mountains or at sea. It has not disclosed details of the chips used, but analysis firm TechInsights has found that the phone is powered by a new Kirin 9000s chip that was made in China by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC).

Speed tests shared by buyers on Chinese social media have suggested that the Mate 60 Pro is capable of download speeds exceeding those of top line 5G phones.

Chinese buyers comparing the phones to Apple's latest iPhone 14 have posted reviews online saying they have comparable specifications like storage and memory. Huawei's launch also comes days before Apple is expected to launch its new iPhone 15 on Sept. 12.

WHO ARE THE MATE 60'S SUPPLIERS?

Huawei has not officially named the suppliers for the phones' components, though apart from SMIC, TechInsights also said it found South Korea's SK Hynix's DRAM and NAND components in the phone.

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