[Report] Patriotic Consumption Opens Chinese Wallets... "Do You Have New Huawei Products?"

Growing Interest in Huawei's Latest Smartphones
Sold Out on Online Platforms
Will 'Semiconductor Rise' Accelerate Amid US Sanctions Evasion?

"Do you have the new Huawei product (Mate 60 Pro)?" "Sorry, we don't have it right now. We will guide you to the display model first."

On the afternoon of the 4th, at the Huawei store located in Sanlitun, Beijing, China, visitors continued to come looking for stock of the latest smartphone model, the Mate 60 Pro. Other branches inside large shopping malls in Wangjing showed similar situations. Despite it being a weekday Monday, the stores were quite crowded with people wanting to experience China's 'technological rise.'

Exterior view of the Huawei store located in Sanlitun, Beijing, China. (Photo by Kim Hyunjung)

Huawei store located in Wangjing, Beijing, China. (Photo by Kim Hyunjung)

The latest smartphone model, Mate 60 Pro, which Huawei released without prior notice on the 29th, is receiving a hot response locally. This is a kind of 'contrary movement' appearing amid growing concerns that sluggish durable goods sales will cause China's economic growth rate to fall short of expectations. The anticipation is not only for the model itself but also seen as an expression of Chinese people's cheers and support against U.S. sanctions on China.

Long lines of inquiries even on Monday
Sold out on online platforms like Taobao and JD.com

Although exact sales figures have not been disclosed yet, the market reaction observed on site was intense. On the afternoon of the 4th, Huawei stores in Sanlitun and Wangjing, Beijing, were completely out of stock. An employee at the Sanlitun store said, "Sales started on the 3rd, and most were sold out over the weekend," adding, "Only reservations are possible now." An office worker named Zhao Jun, met at the store, said, "The price is quite expensive, comparable to Apple's iPhone," but also said, "The processing speed and performance are not inferior," expressing an intention to purchase.

Specification guide for Mate 60 Pro displayed at Huawei store in Sanlitun, Beijing, China. (Photo by Kim Hyunjung)

The price of the Mate 60 Pro, based on the specification of 12GB RAM and 512GB internal memory, is about 6,999 yuan (approximately 1.28 million KRW). Although it is a somewhat high-priced model, the product continued to sell out rapidly on online platforms such as Taobao and JD.com.

After the first sale on the previous day at 6:08 PM and the second sale resumed at 10:08 AM on this day, by 2 PM it was marked as out of stock. Local media reported that during the first sale, the product was sold out within one minute both in stores and online shopping malls. Huawei plans to start the third sale at 6:08 PM on the 4th.

However, whether this level of interest and popularity will continue remains uncertain. A visitor met in Wangjing commented, "I don't think the design can be called sophisticated," and added, "The price feels much more expensive than I expected." Also, the company has not specifically disclosed how much inventory was set for each sales round, including the initial batch. If the quantity was set low, the sell-out streak might not be that surprising.

Equipped with 7nm chip made by China's SMIC
Will China's semiconductor rise accelerate amid U.S. pressure?

On the 3rd, visitors lined up in front of the flagship store located in Shenzhen, China, where Huawei's headquarters are situated. (Photo by Huawei)

According to global IT specialized media and major foreign outlets such as The Washington Post (WP), the performance of the Mate 60 Pro is evaluated to have caught up with or surpassed existing latest 5G smartphone models. Notably, it supports satellite calls, allowing calls without relying on mobile networks.

Chinese state broadcaster CGTN reported that this new product is the first Huawei device to be equipped with a 'high-end processor' after U.S. sanctions, and that the chip was manufactured by China's SMIC. WP reported that it appears to use a 7-nanometer process semiconductor produced domestically in China. Chinese state media Global Times (GT) also relayed industry analysts' explanations, speculating that this smartphone (Mate 60 Pro) uses a Chinese-made 5G support chip.

So far, Huawei has not directly confirmed whether this product supports 5G communication. Huawei and its chip design subsidiary HiSilicon were placed on the U.S. government's trade blacklist in 2019, making 5G integration impossible after the Mate X2 released in February 2021. Subsequent products, including the Mate X3 released last March, supported only 4G.

GT stated, "Experts predict that this strong comeback could be a turning point for Huawei's smartphone business," and evaluated, "It may also aim to gain an advantage in competition with Apple, which will pre-release the iPhone 15 on the 12th."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.