Huawei is reportedly on track to launch the P50 series phones in the first half of next year. According to a report by Korean outlet The Elec, the Chinese behemoth has set the production schedule for its next flagships.
The company will still use the Kirin 9000 processor in its upcoming flagships, the report adds citing people with direct knowledge of the matter. Samsung Display and LG Display will supply the screens for the phones. However, the report suggests that a lot depends on the demand Huawei sees for the recently announced Mate 40 flagships.
Amid all the US sanctions and restrictions, Huawei last month announced the Mate 40 series. The devices come powered by the in-house Kirin 9000 processor. Since the company can no longer produce Kirin chipsets, they were expected to be the last phones with in-house processors. Even the CEO of the company’s consumer business group, Richard Yu earlier this year suggested that 2020 could be the last year for Kirin processors.
However, that seemingly isn’t the case as the Huawei P50 phones are also getting the Kirin 9000 chipset. This suggests that the company had a huge stockpile of the chipsets to deliver its 2021 flagships. Or perhaps it severely cut down the production volume of the Mate 40 handsets. The tightening US sanctions have threatened the survival of Huawei’s smartphone business. It isn’t expecting strong demand for its latest flagships in the global market.
Huawei P50 coming next year with Kirin 9000 chipsets
Huawei usually launches the Mate series with its latest in-house chipsets in the second half of the year. It then uses the same chipset in the following P series flagships in the first half of the next year. However, the year 2020 hasn’t been “usual” by any means, more so for Huawei. With the US sanctions severely disrupting its supply line this year, the company was expected to make some changes in that schedule and prepare for a survival mode.
But those restrictions seemingly hasn’t stopped Huawei from producing flagship smartphones on time just yet. That said, the company is starting to feel the effects of those restrictions. It recently sold the HONOR sub-brand to a consortium of over 30 agents and dealers.
Huawei has also lost access to several of its parts and components suppliers. Although the United States Department of Commerce is granting approval to some companies to resume business with Huawei, there are still some restrictions in place.
Several chipmakers, including Samsung, Qualcomm, and MediaTek have still applied for the license to supply chips to Huawei. If they get one, then the beleaguered Chinese giant may be able to continue producing flagship phones even after its Kirin 9000 chipsets run out of stock. We will now have to wait and see how 2021 shapes up for Huawei.