Huawei releases Mate 60 Pro+ a week after original version
Huawei Technologies unexpectedly released its Mate 60 Pro+ models on Friday morning, an upgraded version of the Mate 60 Pro that was already drawing wide attention and creating a market frenzy.
Without prior advertising or notice, Huawei announced on its official online store that it would start taking orders for the phone from 10:08am, with delivery by October 9.
The features of the upgraded phone include satellite communication as with the Mate 60 Pro, improvements to its rear camera, and increased internal storage to 1 Tigabyte, or TB.
Huawei did not provide the prices of the new Mate 60 Pro+, which will no doubt become the company's flagship model.
People wait outside of a Huawei store after the release of the Mate 60 Pro last week.
Buyers flocked to Huawei stores across China last week, trying to get their hands on the company's Mate 60 Pro that was released last week. It became the most anticipated smartphone in the Chinese market, thanks to its 5G-level capabilities and advanced chipmaking process.
Before that, most Huawei smartphones featured only 4G after the United States imposed tech sanctions on the Chinese company four years ago.
The releases raised debate and controversy among US lawmakers, some of whom indicated the sanction was not strong enough, according to media reports.
In response, China said it consistently opposed "the politicization of economic, trade and scientific and technological issues."
The United States violated the principles of free trade and the rules of international trade and commerce, and disrupted the stability of global production and supply, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sanctions, containment and suppression would not stop China's development, but would only strengthen China's determination and capacity for self-reliance and scientific and technological innovation, it said.
The release of the new phones marks a return for Huawei, a former smartphone market leader, and a meaningful breakthrough in China's chipmaking technology, industry insiders suggested.
A widely shared image says Huawei's new phone has a "panda style."
The "Panda-style" phone
The upgraded Mate model features a new design based on Chinese calligraphy, but netizens and influencers have called it a new "panda-style" design, which increased its popularity nationwide.
Also on Friday, Huawei launched the new Mate X5, a flagship model with a foldable screen. Foldable models are the fastest-growing category in the smartphone market.
In the second quarter, the Chinese smartphone market declined 2.1 percent year on year, according to researcher International Data Corp, or IDC.
Huawei returned to the No. 5 position with sales growth of 76 percent in the quarter. Popular models, such as the P60 and Mate X3, helped the company gain share in the high-end market segment of above US$600, according to IDC.
Huawei's new models are widely regarded as competitors of the coming Apple iPhone 15, which is scheduled to be released next week.
Huawei's surge and other factors may influence iPhone sales by up to 20 million units globally, said Wall Street analysts.
