Huawei’s Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu: Mate 40 to Be Last Huawei Phone with Kirin Chips

Huawei‘s consumer business group CEO Richard Yu announced Aug. 7 at the 2020 China Info 100 Summit that the company will forgo Kirin chipsets after Sep. 15. The Huawei Mate 40 will be the last Huawei phone equipped with high-end Kirin chips, Chinese media AI Finance & Economics reported.

Huawei’s decision to ditch its Kirin chipset had early signs. On May 15 this year, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that Wafer manufacturers that produce chips for Huawei outside the United States need to apply for a license from the US if they use American semiconductor production equipment, otherwise they will bear the risk of being sanctioned.

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Yu said at Summit that Huawei’s mobile phone business operation this year is arduous because chips are out of stock. He added that the annual shipment volume of Huawei mobile phones may be less than last year’s 240 million units, AI Finance & Economics reported.

Despite all the challenges, Huawei will release the new generation of its Mate 40 equipped with Huawei’s Kirin chip in September this year, and Huawei’s smartwatch products will be equipped with Hongmeng OS, Chinese media Jiemian reported, citing Yu. All Huawei IoT products, including PCs, tablets, and mobile phones, will be equipped with Hongmeng OS in the future.