Huawei’s Mystery Phone Rallies China in Fight Against US Curbs
The surprise launch of a sophisticated $900-plus Huawei Technologies Co. smartphone has captivated China's technology industry, inspiring hopes that the country's biggest firms can overcome US sanctions seemingly designed to thwart their ascendancy.
The slim-bezeled Mate 60 Pro, which appeared this week for sale on online malls with little fanfare, ignited buzz among Chinese online users who saw in the gadget Huawei's resurgence after years of fighting American curbs on software and circuitry. Many posted screenshots and videos of the gadget's fast wireless performance, triggering speculation Huawei had managed to achieve 5G capabilities.
Investors bought in. On Wednesday, shares in more than a dozen Chinese chip designers, gearmakers and Huawei suppliers surged between 8% and 20%. The rally grew out of hopes that Huawei had somehow managed to design, manufacture and deploy a 5G chip capable of matching some of the best America has to offer, despite a lack of access to advanced chipmaking at players including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
Bloomberg News wasn't able to verify the authenticity of those reports. The Chinese telecom regulator's website didn't show registration details for the model, as required of all wireless smartphones sold in the country.
But the torrent of online reports only gained momentum, in part because of Huawei's unique status as Chinese national champion and American bugbear. On Wednesday, it topped the list of trending topics on Weibo, China's X-like equivalent. The very idea appeared to endorse the “whole nation” narrative Beijing has espoused, where a nationwide effort can produce breakthroughs to counter the US.
The Mate 60 Pro is powered by a Kirin processor designed by Huawei's chip
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