Tech war: Huawei surprises again with low-key presales of top-of-the-line Mate 60 Pro+ as US-blacklisted firm stays mum over ‘breakthrough’ 5G mobile chip

Huawei Technologies has pulled another surprise in the smartphone industry by quietly releasing the higher-end version of its Mate 60 Pro handset for sale on the mainland, while remaining silent on the controversy over the 5G device’s advanced chip amid threats of new sanctions from Washington.

Shenzhen-based Huawei, which launched a low-key presales campaign for the Mate 60 Pro last week, on Friday started offering online the Mate 60 Pro+ handset for a 1,000 yuan (US$136) down payment and expected delivery no later than October 9. This top-of-the-line Mate handset has 4 gigabytes more memory than the Pro version, which sells for 6,999 yuan, and offers a 1-terabyte maximum storage option, same as Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The new 5G smartphone model from Huawei, which last released 5G handsets under its Mate 40 series in October 2020 before the Mate 60 Pro, is likely to heat up scrutiny on the company and suspected chip supplier Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), as both firms are under the US trade blacklist.

“Huawei’s new phone is expected to add to the already fraught distrust between the US and China,” said Arisa Liu, a semiconductor research director at the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. She predicted the US to become more guarded against China in the foreseeable future, with Washington’s decoupling or “de-risking” efforts expected to continue.