Huawei surprises with presales of its latest Mate handset, as it seeks to revive smartphone unit following US sanctions
- The new model runs on Huawei’s latest Harmony 4.0 operating system and can access its self-developed Pangu AI model
- Huawei’s flagship store in Shenzhen was the only offline site where consumers could buy the phone in person on Tuesday
Huawei Technologies has launched surprise presales of its latest Mate flagship model on its online mall as the phone and network gear giant plots a revival of its smartphone business after it was hammered by US trade sanctions.
Shenzhen-based Huawei launched its Mate 60 Pro handset, priced at 6,999 yuan (US$962) and available in four colours, around noon on Tuesday on Vmall, touting it as the world’s first smartphone to support satellite calls.
The new model runs on Huawei’s latest Harmony 4.0 operating system and can access its self-developed Pangu artificial intelligence (AI) model, according to the company. However, precise details about the processor used in the handset or network connectivity were not available on the official website.
Huawei did not comment on which chip or network standard is being incorporated in the new handset.
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Demand on the online mall appeared high, with the web page displaying a message that “there are too many people waiting” when checked earlier.