A recent teardown analysis of Huawei’s latest flagship phone, the Pura 70 Pro, has revealed a notable increase in Chinese-made components, underlining China’s strides toward technological autonomy, Reuters news report said.
The examination conducted by online tech repair company iFixit and consultancy TechSearch International for Reuters has shed light on the inner workings of the device, revealing a NAND memory chip likely packaged by Huawei’s in-house chip unit, HiSilicon, along with several other components sourced from Chinese suppliers.
The report did not reveal the specific technology contribution from Western countries, especially the United States. Intel and Qualcomm are the some of the main suppliers to Huawei.
The teardown analysis disclosed that the Pura 70 Pro is powered by an advanced processing chipset dubbed the Kirin 9010, likely a refined iteration of Huawei’s domestically produced chip used in the Mate 60 series. Shahram Mokhtari, lead teardown technician at iFixit, emphasized the heightened utilization of domestic components, underscoring the broader narrative of self-reliance within China’s tech industry.
While the Pura 70 Pro incorporates a DRAM chip from South Korea’s SK Hynix, the NAND flash memory chip is likely packaged by Huawei’s HiSilicon unit, with each NAND die boasting a 1 terabit capacity, comparable to leading flash memory producers. The manufacturer of the wafer remains unidentified, hinting at Huawei’s potential involvement in its production.
Regarding the processor, iFixit and TechSearch’s analysis suggests incremental improvements in Huawei’s chip manufacturing capabilities since the Mate 60 series, with the Pura 70 Pro employing a processor akin to its predecessor, produced by Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) using a 7-nanometer manufacturing process. This continuity underscores the ongoing evolution of Chinese chip manufacturing, despite previous concerns about the impact of U.S. sanctions.
While the analysis indicates a degree of stagnation in Huawei’s chip advancements, industry experts caution against underestimating the company’s resilience, especially with expectations of SMIC transitioning to a 5-nanometer manufacturing node in the near future.
Huawei emerges as third OS for smartphones
Huawei, according to a research report from Canalys, has shipped 11.7 million units of smartphones in China grabbing 17 percent share in Q1 2024 in the local market.
Huawei has emerged as the third OS for smartphones and other edge computing devices due to the expansion of the HarmonyOS ecosystem, breaking the dominance of Android and Apple iOS in Mainland China.
Canalys Senior Analyst Toby Zhu in April said: “Huawei released the nova 12 series in December, which features Harmony 4.0, expanding the Kirin chipset to more product lines. Huawei upgraded the P series to Pura 70, featuring an innovative pop-out camera lens.”
“A key strategy for Huawei in 2024 is to focus on building AI capabilities for smart devices, leveraging its deep R&D capabilities in AI infrastructure and solutions for industry and enterprise customers.”