A consumer holds a Huawei Mate 20 X at MWC Shanghai in June. Photos: Chen Qingqing/GT

Huawei is expected to release its first 5G smartphone, the Huawei Mate 20 X, on July 26 in its headquarters in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, a source close to the company confirmed with the Global Times. 

The move signals the Chinese company is leading 5G commercialization despite relentless attack from the US, and offers a boost to overall 5G industrialization, analysts said. 

Huawei Mate 20 X became the first Chinese smartphone that gained a 5G network license, the company said in June, which means Chinese consumers will soon be able to purchase it and enjoy super-fast 5G speeds. 

This Global Times reporter carried out a network speed test with the Huawei Mate 20 X, which has the 5G logo on its back, during the MWC Shanghai in June. Though the MWC venue limited network speed to ensure its overall stability, the Huawei Mate 20 X could still reach a peak download speed of about 630 Mbps, a speed at which users could download a 2G movie within in 30 seconds. 

Xiang Ligang, a veteran industry analyst, told the Global Times on Thursday that he is already a user of the Huawei Mate 20 X, which is considered the most advanced 5G smartphone available on the market thus far. 

"It supports both SA and NSA (two different 5G network architectures), and is also equipped with Huawei's self-developed chipset, Balong 5000," he said, noting that in some downtown areas in Beijing, where the 5G network has been deployed, his smartphone can access the ultrafast network. 

Huawei will launch the 5G smartphone ahead of its major rivals, empowered by its own chipset division Kirin, which will further strengthen its competitiveness in the market, analysts said. 

"The release of the Huawei Mate 20 X will also give a boost to China's 5G market, which is also the largest smartphone market; It will lead the sector toward broader consumer use of 5G technologies and shore up more opportunities for the supply chain and application sides," James Yan, Beijing-based research director at Counterpoint, told the Global Times on Thursday.