Huawei’s Mate 70 smartphones will run the new Android-free operating system

The Mate 70, Mate 70 Pro, Mate 70 Pro Plus and Mate 70 RS will also be offered with Huawei’s HarmonyOS 4.3, which was first launched in August 2019 as an alternative to Google’s Android operating system and is still compatible with the Android’s extensive app library. Users who decide to opt for Huawei’s new Android-free HarmonyOS Next will have less choice when it comes to the apps they can install. Huawei says it has “secured more than 15,000 applications for its HarmonyOS ecosystem, with plans to expand to 100,000 apps in the coming months,” according to Reuters. Starting next year, Huawei also says that all new phones and tablets it launches in 2025 will use HarmonyOS Next.

The base model Huawei Mate70 features a 6.7-inch display with refresh rates up to 120Hz, a 5,300mAh battery, 66W fast charging with a USB-C cable, and wireless charging at speeds up to 50W. according to Gizmochina. It includes a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS), a 12MP telephoto periscope camera with OIS, a 40MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a front-facing 13MP ultra-wide selfie camera. It starts at 5,499 yuan (about $760) for a version with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.

The Huawei Mate70 Pro includes upgrades such as Wi-Fi 7 support, satellite communications, faster charging, a larger display, a 48MP telephoto camera, and AI-powered photography features, and starts at 6,499 yuan (about $898). The Huawei Mate70 Pro Plus adds improved sensors to some of its cameras and an upgrade from the base specs to 16GB of RAM with 512GB of storage for 8,499 yuan (about $1,174). The Huawei Mate70 RS offers all the functionality of the Mate70 Pro Plus with high-quality build materials such as titanium, increasing its starting price to 11,999 yuan (approximately $1,657).

Huawei hasn’t confirmed which processors are used in the Mate 70 series, but the company has previously used chips from China’s SMIC for last year’s Mate 60 series and other smartphones.

Huawei has also announced its new Mate X6, the company’s next smartphone with a foldable screen. It features a 7.93-inch internal screen and a 6.45-inch external screen, both slightly larger than the one Huawei offered on the Mate X5. Huawei uses a mix of carbon fiber and aluminum on the X6 for improved durability, according to Android Headswhich also makes it slightly thinner: the X6 is 9.85mm thick when folded and 4.6mm thick when opened.

In addition to 8MP selfie cameras on both the internal and external screens, the X6 has a 50MP main camera on the rear, alongside a 48MP telephoto periscope camera and a 40MP ultrawide camera.

The standard model Mate A collector’s edition model will also be available that bumps the starting specs to 16GB of RAM with 512GB of storage with a larger 5,200mAh battery for 14,999 yuan (about $2.06), while also adding satellite communications capabilities. according to Huawei Central.