Huawei's new Mate series on Vmall Photo: Vmall.com

The Chinese technology company Huawei suddenly launched pre-orders on Friday morning for its new foldable screen phone, the Mate X5, as well as the new Mate 60 and Mate 60 Pro models, with consumers now being able to place early orders on Huawei's Vmall.com.

After the launch, the new phones reportedly sold out immediately as media reported. Another round of pre-orders will take place late on Friday afternoon, according to Vmall.com.  The deposit is 1,000 yuan ($136), but the prices for some models have not been disclosed yet.

While the company did not disclose specific details about the chips used, there have been speculations online that the new series utilizes the Kirin 9000S chip, featuring either 7nm or 5nm technology and stacking technology, with the operating system being HarmonyOS.

Huawei's sudden release of the new smartphones has garnered widespread attention, signaling that the company is emerging from the shadow of US tough sanctions and making significant strides in independent technology research and development (R&D).

The topic of Friday's new launch has drawn over 110 million views and received more than 12,000 comments on China's social media platform Sina Weibo, as of press time, with many netizens unable to hold their excitement as they rush to place orders.

Some believe that the Mate 60, as an actual 5G smartphone, has the potential to reshape the market landscape of high-end smartphones in China.

Washington has restricted Huawei from buying advanced 5G chips and software from US companies since 2019, which dealt a heavy blow to its high-end smartphone business and left it only able to launch limited batches of 5G models using stockpiled chips.

On May 15, 2020, the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security announced on its official website its further plans to restrict Huawei from using US technology and software in the overseas design and manufacturing of semiconductors, citing the so-called national security concerns.

Despite the continued pressure, the company still achieved a revenue of 214.5 billion yuan in 2022. Additionally, Huawei set a new record with its R&D investment, reaching 161.5 billion yuan in the same year.

During the recent US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo's visit to China, on August 29, Huawei took an unconventional approach by suddenly announcing the availability of the new Mate 60 series for sale, without making prior announcements and holding official launch events.

Huawei's major breakthrough in the 5G technology competition, despite the attempts by the US to exert pressure through various means, has captured the attention of the world.

According to foreign media reports, Huawei's 5G technology has surpassed that of major American competitors such as Intel and Cisco, among other well-known tech companies.

On August 29, Apple announced that it would be holding a press conference on September 13 (Beijing time), during which Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 15 series and a new Apple Watch. Huawei's product release is scheduled to almost coincide with Apple's, adding to the overall attention and anticipation in the field.

Global Times