Huawei is currently a shadow of what it was between 2018 and 2019. As a result of the restrictions imposed by the US government, justified by fear of industrial espionage and by providing information to the Chinese government, it is not unreasonable to say that States United of America did everything they did to minimize the economic power of the Chinese manufacturer.
They have done it with particular intensity since May 2019, then under the Trump administration, and they did it again in early 2021, already in the Biden era. The result? Huawei was replaced in less than two years by Xiaomi, OPPO and other Chinese manufacturers. Its longstanding claim to outperform Samsung finds no expression in the Top 5 globally. Huawei is no longer relevant.
The real Huawei debacle started in May 2019
However, keep in mind that this fate was not accepted without a fight from Huawei. Quite the contrary, the Chinese manufacturer accumulated as much chip and processor inventory as it could before the restrictions were applied.
As a result of this good planning, it managed to postpone the slide in the global smartphone market by about a year, but it would eventually end up running out of components.
Currently, Huawei survives with the purchase of processors without access to the fifth generation of mobile networks. In other words, the brand can launch its devices outside of China, but without 5G connectivity. This is the current condition.
Huawei is prohibited from acquiring processors with 5G capabilities
This condition was imposed by the economic sanctions applied by the United States of America, essentially prohibiting the technology company from acquiring any technology or component related to 5G. For example, Huawei cannot use the same Snapdragon 888 (or 888+) that its rivals use on their high-end smartphones.
Therefore, if you want to buy a processor, now that it cannot produce its own chips through its HiSilicon and there is no more stock of Kirin processors, the manufacturer depends on manufacturers such as Qualcomm or MediaTek.
For example, its new Huawei P50 smartphones use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 processors, but without the 5G modem. At the same time, some batches still use the “old” Kirin 9000, mainly destined for the domestic market in China.
Huawei will continue to buy Snapdragon processors without 5G support
Today, this Sunday (5) of September, the filter Digital Chat Station revealed that this will continue to be the strategy followed by Huawei. It is, in effect, a last resort, but having no other option, you will have to surrender to circumstances.
OR filter He notes that Huawei will also buy large volumes of Qualcomm’s next high-end chipset, the so-called Snapdragon 898. However, once again, it will be a custom version, without the 5G modem, therefore limited to 4G LTE.
Once again, it points to a bleak future for this Chinese manufacturer that once not only surpassed Apple, but also, albeit for a few moments, surpassed Samsung. You are now banned from joining the “5G revolution”.
Without Android and without 5G, difficult times are ahead for Huawei
It should also be noted that in addition to the intention to buy the Snapdragon 898, Huawei is also expected to buy a good volume of Snapdragon 778G chips. The latter is one of the best high-mid-range processors available today.
Although the smartphone models where these Qualcomm processors will reside are unknown, we do know that they will arrive later this year, or during the next. Therefore, a possible new high-end Huawei Mate is envisaged, as well as new mid-range / high-end smartphones.
Does the manufacturer plan to introduce the Huawei Mate 50 or is it already thinking about the Huawei P60? However, the deprivation of 5G chips adds to an even more ominous one, that of Google services, something that immediately ostracizes it from Europe and other global markets.
Without access to Google applications and services, Huawei phones have become a product for brand enthusiasts. Without taking credit for the dedication and effort given to HarmonyOS, the market did not welcome this new operating system outside of China.
In short, there is a ray of hope for Huawei in 2022, but we have no doubts about its current place in the market. mobile. Currently, it is a card outside the deck, as difficult as it is for us to admit.