By Tracy Cabrera
MANILA — Huawei Technologies has unveiled its Mate 90 smartphone lineup, betting on its proprietary operating system and redesigned chip architecture to sustain the company’s position in the premium smartphone market despite continuing restrictions on advanced semiconductor technology.
Huawei Consumer Business Group chief Richard Yu said the company continues to face tight supplies of advanced chips as China’s semiconductor manufacturing capacity remains constrained.
“Advanced semiconductor capacity remains very limited in China, and Huawei’s Ascend AI chips also draw on the same capacity,” Yu said.
He added that smartphone chip production remains under pressure even as higher handset prices have contributed to slower shipment volumes across the industry.
The Mate 90 launch is being closely watched as a test of Huawei’s ability to continue upgrading its smartphones despite US restrictions that have restricted the company’s access to advanced chipmaking equipment and other cutting-edge technologies.
The new lineup succeeds the Mate 80 series, which was introduced in November 2025.
Huawei’s premium Mate 90 models, including the Mate 90 Pro Max, are powered by the company’s Kirin 9050 Pro system-on-chip. Huawei says the processor uses a new manufacturing approach it calls “Logic Folding.”
According to Yu, the technology reorganizes the chip’s internal wiring in a three-dimensional structure rather than relying on a conventional two-dimensional layout.
The approach is designed to allow more circuitry to be packed into a smaller area, potentially improving processing speed and efficiency. However, Huawei acknowledged that the technique requires more semiconductor wafers during production.
The Mate 90 series therefore represents another effort by Huawei to improve device performance through domestic technology as the company continues to operate under US trade and technology restrictions.
ia/xf
