Huawei's Hush-hush: Unleashing the Ultimate Mate 60 Pro - A Game Changer Ready to Rival Tesla!

Sign up for CNN's Meanwhile in China newsletter to gain insight into the country's rapid growth and its global implications. Huawei's Mate 60 Pro smartphone, which has attracted a substantial following, particularly among US officials, has become a significant emblem of the ongoing technological competition between the United States and China.

Huawei's consumer chief, Richard Yu, unveiled a range of new products, including a tablet, smartwatch, earphones, and a potential competitor to Tesla (TSLA) on Monday. However, he refrained from providing specifics about the flagship device that has prompted calls for increased sanctions against the Chinese tech and mobile giant from Washington.

For years, the United States has been attempting to restrict Huawei's access to cutting-edge semiconductors, making the release of its 5G phone in August a surprise to Western observers.

The launch event became the talk of the town on the Chinese social network Weibo, generating an impressive six billion views and 1.6 million posts. Concurrently, a hashtag labeled "#HuaweiConferenceWithoutMentioningMobilePhones" trended on Weibo, accumulating a staggering 24.5 million views.

"Are you seriously saying that they won't discuss the phone at all?" one user expressed on the social network.

"Where is the phone?" said another.

Huawei quietly started selling the Mate 60 Pro in August, without a formal launch event or sharing full technical specifications.

A Huawei Technologies Co. store is seen in Beijing, China on January 29, 2019. On this day, a pedestrian is captured talking on the phone while passing by the store. The U.S. Justice Department has recently charged Huawei and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, with various criminal offenses, including bank fraud, violating sanctions on Iran, and stealing robotic technology. Huawei vehemently denies these accusations and rejects the criminal claims made against Meng, who is the daughter of the company's founder, Ren Zhengfei. She was arrested in Canada in December of the previous year.

Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

US says it has no evidence that Huawei can make advanced smartphones 'at scale'

Yu mentioned during his presentation that the company was putting in extra effort to promptly manufacture devices in the Mate 60 series, aiming to enable a larger audience to purchase and utilize their products. However, he further stated that these devices would not be unveiled today.

Huawei captured viewers' attention with the introduction of their exclusive product line, Ultimate Design, which was presented by the renowned Hong Kong singer and actor, Andy Lau. This exquisite collection features a high-end smartphone and a cutting-edge smartwatch. While specific specifications were withheld, the company disclosed that the smartwatch is crafted from genuine gold bars, resulting in a significant price point of 21,999 Chinese yuan ($3,009).

Elephant in the room

Ben Sin, an independent tech reviewer, said he was "baffled" as to why Huawei did not discuss its smartphones.

The company's silence regarding the chip in the Mate 60 Pro is seen as an act of defiance, as it is well aware of the consumer demand for more information, according to the expert. In light of analysts' assessments, which indicate the presence of a 5G chip in the handset, it seems that Huawei may have successfully circumvented the restrictions imposed by American export controls.

After facing US export restrictions in 2019, Huawei, previously the world's second-largest smartphone manufacturer, has been making efforts to regain its position in China's smartphone market. Unfortunately, the company's challenges led to the sale of its budget mobile brand, Honor, resulting in a weakened state.

A Huawei store in Beijing on September 22, 2023

Andrea Verdelli/Bloomberg/Getty Images

But it is starting to find its way back.

According to Counterpoint Research, the firm experienced a 58% increase in smartphone sales in China during the second quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. Over this time, their market share in China rose from 6.9% to 11.3%. Ivan Lam, a senior analyst at Counterpoint, stated that Huawei's strong presence and brand recognition among affluent Chinese consumers were the key factors contributing to their success. Lam further predicted that Huawei's market share in China will continue to grow in 2024.

Huawei's latest smartphone is a game-changer for the company and has the potential to rival Apple's market dominance in China, Lam stated.

According to Counterpoint, the Shenzhen-based company has experienced a significant increase in sales for its Mate 60 series, with weekly unit sales nearly tripling to 225,000.

Taking aim at Tesla

Yu unveiled several other innovative products, commencing with the most up-to-date edition of its MatePad Pro, hailed as the world's slimmest and lightest tablet in its category. Emphasizing its extensive development process spanning a decade, he showcased the remarkable device.

In addition, the company unveiled a new smart TV, wireless earphones and other gadgets.

Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Huawei Technologies Co., delivers a keynote address at the MWC Shanghai event in Shanghai, China, on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. This event in Shanghai is inspired by a larger annual industry show held in Barcelona. The photo was taken by Qilai Shen from Bloomberg.

Huawei aims to fully embrace AI for the next decade, while also challenging Tesla with its upcoming release of the Luxeed S7 sedan in November. The company claims that this car will surpass Tesla's Model S in every aspect.

The Aito M9, an SUV, is scheduled for release by the company in December. In addition, Huawei has collaborated with Chinese automakers to manufacture the two electric vehicles that were previously mentioned. Yu also disclosed that Huawei is prepared to introduce an updated operating system called HarmonyOS NEXT.

The system will include "native applications," Yu said, without elaborating.

Speculation has mounted that Huawei may be building an operating system that wont be compatible with any Android apps.

Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.