Huawei
Huawei on Thursday unveiled its new P50 smartphone vary, which lacks help for super-fast 5G web because the Chinese language tech big grapples with each U.S. sanctions and a worldwide chip scarcity.
The corporate is launching two fashions: the P50 and a costlier P50 Professional. Huawei’s P sequence is especially recognized for its innovative digicam tech, and the P50 line-up builds on that with two big round digicam items.
The P50 principle digicam module has three lenses: a 50-megapixel massive sensor, a 40MP monochrome lens, and a 13MP super-wide-angle lens. The second makes use of a 64MP telephoto lens able to 3.5x optical zoom. Huawei says this lets customers zoom in 200x.
Nevertheless, neither mannequin helps 5G cellular networks, as a substitute coming with a 4G chipset from Qualcomm. It’s an indication of how commerce curbs imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration proceed to impression the agency.
Final yr, Washington launched restrictions which meant international producers utilizing U.S. expertise would want to get a license to promote semiconductors to Huawei. Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s shopper enterprise group, warned Huawei might run out of its personal high-end Kirin chips manufactured by Taiwanese agency TSMC.
In the meantime, Huawei and different smartphone makers are starting to feel the impact of a worldwide shortage in semiconductors. Chips have been briefly providing this yr, primarily on account of Covid-19-triggered manufacturing facility closures and heightened demand for electronics. Huawei has blamed the shortage on U.S. sanctions.
“Our merchandise nonetheless keeps the final word efficiency,” Yu stated Thursday. “Solely a really small drop in pace might be skilled, nearly negligible.”
“Huawei is a worldwide chief in 5G expertise and communication expertise,” he added. “Due to the 4 rounds of U.S. restrictions over the previous two years or so, 5G telephones are past our attain and we now have to go together with 4G.”
The Huawei P50 begins at a value of 4,488 Chinese language yuan ($695) whereas the P50 Professional begins at 5,988 yuan ($927).
Each P50 telephones include Huawei’s new working system, Concord OS, which the corporate launched in response to Google’s resolution to cease licensing its Android software program to the agency on account of U.S. commerce restrictions.
Yu stated Thursday that greater than 40 million Huawei customers have upgraded their telephones to HarmonyOS 2, a brand new model of its software program. Ranging from subsequent yr, Huawei prospects will be capable of improving any mannequin to HarmonyOS, he added.