Credit: Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
- The HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro has a 5G chipset inside. This shouldn’t be possible with the current sanctions on the company.
- Now, a government official has said there’s no evidence HUAWEI can scale production of this chip.
- Some Republicans in the US think the country should end all technology exports to HUAWEI.
A few weeks ago, HUAWEI took the world by surprise when it launched the new Mate 60 Pro (and, shortly after, the Mate 60 Pro Plus). While the launch of a new flagship Android phone wasn’t surprising, the chipset inside was. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), a China-based firm, built this Kirin chip. The chip has 5G support and a 7nm build.
By all accounts, HUAWEI should not have been able to do this. Thanks to the so-called HUAWEI ban, the company shouldn’t be able to access the technology needed to produce such a chip. That means the company has either had a significant breakthrough in chipset design or has violated international trade sanctions.