Huawei Chief Executive Officer Richard Yu denied allegations that the Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer used slower memory chips in some variants of the P10 and the P10 Plus in an effort to save money. While speaking at the Huawei Mobile Open Media Day in Shenzhen, China, the company’s top executive stated that the difference in supply costs between UFS 2.1 memory units and slower eMMC 5.1 chips isn’t high, adding that the phone maker’s decision to equip some devices with slower memory chips was primarily made in an effort to maintain a steady component supply, which is also why the company ordered UFS 2.0 chips whose performance is between that of UFS 2.1 and eMMC 5.1 units.
Yu argued that the firm’s decision to diversify its supply chain was justified by the fact that the company was experiencing supply issues that caused a shortage of UFS 2.1 memory chips shortly after starting mass production of its smartphones, which is why some versions of the P10 and the P10 Plus ended up shipping with slower memory. If Huawei’s supply of UFS 2.1 units managed to last, the company would have never opted to include other chips into its latest pair of Android flagships, Yu said, once again reiterating that the firm’s motivations behind the controversial decision had nothing to do with (saving) money. While the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) dismissed initial reports on the matter, its CEO later admitted that was an “arrogant” response, saying that the company should have done a better job of listening to its customers.
In response to the recent ordeal, Yu personally established a “Customer Listening Taskforce” that’s currently touring the company’s stores and service centers, as well as shops of its retail partners in an effort to gather feedback from consumers. However, the Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer has yet to reveal whether customers who ended up paying for the P10 and P10 Plus with slower memory chips will be compensated in any way. As things stand right now, that scenario doesn’t seem likely, though an update on the situation might follow in the coming weeks as Huawei continues its efforts to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.