Huawei launches satellite-connected smartphone but lacks 5G

Huawei Mate 50 is the first smartphone that can connect to BeiDou satellite but only supports 4G.

On September 6, the Mate 50 series was launched in China for 4,999 yuan (VND 16.9 million) for the standard version and 6,799 yuan (VND 23 million) for the Pro version. The most advanced version Mate 50 RS is 12,999 yuan (44 million).

During the announcement, Richard Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei's consumer business group, said that the Mate 50 is the first smartphone that can connect to China's BeiDou global satellite positioning system. As a result, users send messages and their location data without the need for a cellular network.

However, Huawei's flagship smartphones are only equipped with 4G technology instead of 5G. According to SCMP , the reason is the US embargo that prevents Chinese mobile companies from accessing advanced semiconductor technology.

Richard Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei's consumer business group, during the Mate 50 launch on September 6 in China. Photo: Huawei

Huawei Mate 50 is equipped with Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip. The standard version uses a 6.7-inch OLED screen, 90 Hz refresh rate, 4,460 mAh battery. Meanwhile, the Pro version uses a 6.74-inch screen, 120 Hz refresh rate.

The main camera has a resolution of 50 megapixels, aperture f/1.4 - f/4.0, next to a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle and 64-megapixel telephoto with OIS. The telephoto uses an RYYB sensor, which can do a mixed zoom up to 200x while the actual optical zoom range is 3.5x. The Mate 50 RS Porsche Design version swaps the 64-megapixel telephoto lens for a 48-megapixel periscope lens.

Cameras on Huawei phones use Xmage optical technology developed by the company, replacing Leica's system. The relationship between the two companies ended a few months ago.

All three smartphones run the latest HarmonyOS 3 operating system.

Huawei Mate 50 trio.

The Mate 50 launch took place a day before Apple's iPhone 14 event . Previously, Huawei was a direct competitor to Apple in the Chinese market. But data for the first six months of the year released by IDC shows that the iPhone has taken a 70.5% market share in the high-end smartphone segment, while Huawei has only 9%.

Will Wong, an analyst at IDC, said: "Brand is still an important factor to help Huawei survive in the high-end segment. This is like the 'national pride' of the Chinese and many people still wonder. Hope its smartphone will continue to be maintained."

Mr. Wong assessed that the Mate 50's satellite connection equipment will be a good weapon for Huawei. "This equipment will be an attractive point, although it is only suitable for a segment of users who like to climb mountains, but more or less also opens up many contexts for future use. Above all, satellite connectivity allows. Huawei is aiming to build a strong IoT ecosystem because it can connect to smart cars even in remote rural areas," he said.

Huawei's smartphone business is still under a lot of pressure when it was put on the US embargo list since 2019. The Mate series is Huawei's flagship smartphone, launched in 2013, but last year the company did not introduce a new version due to chip exhaustion. The company had to manage to be able to launch the Mate 50 this year.

Despite being a national brand, Huawei still faces a challenging period in the domestic market. According to Counterpoint's forecast, global smartphone production in 2022 will decrease by about 3%. According to data from IDC, China's smartphone market fell 14.7% in the second quarter of 2022, with only 67.2 million handsets shipped.

Khuong Nha (according to SCMP )

US 'opens the way' for Huawei 39
Huawei launches its own operating system HarmonyOS 185
Huawei leaves the top 5 smartphone manufacturers in China 54