Huawei Mate 80 series uses improved China-made chip

The Kirin 9030, the chip that powers Huawei Technologies’ latest flagship Huawei Mate 80 series handset, has been manufactured by China’s top foundry SMIC  with an improved version of 7 nanometres, which is still behind TSMC and Samsung, Canadian research firm TechInsights said.

The Kirin 9030, used in Huawei Mate 80, is manufactured using SMIC’s N+3 process, a “scaled extension” of its previous 7-nanometer (N+2) node, TechInsights said in a report published on December 8.

“However, in absolute terms, N+3 remains substantially less scaled than industry 5 (nanometer) processes from TSMC and Samsung,” it said.

Huawei and SMIC did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.

In October, China added TechInsights, which has been publishing regularly reports on Huawei and SMIC’s chip progress, to its unreliable entity list.

About Huawei Mate 80

The Huawei Mate 80 series is the latest flagship lineup from Huawei, featuring four models: Mate 80, Mate 80 Pro, Mate 80 Pro Max, and Mate 80 RS Ultimate Design.

These phones feature impressive specifications, including a 6.75-inch (Mate 80/Pro) to 6.9-inch (Pro Max/RS Ultimate) LTPO OLED display with up to 8000 nits peak brightness. The Mate 80 is powered by the Kirin 9020 processor, while the other models use the Kirin 9030 or Kirin 9030 Pro. RAM starts at 12GB, with the Mate 80 RS Ultimate Design available in a configuration with 20GB RAM and up to 1TB storage.

The Mate 80 Pro Max and RS Ultimate Design feature a quad-camera setup including a 50MP main sensor, 40MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and dual periscope telephoto lenses with up to 6.2x optical zoom. The Mate 80 Pro Max and RS Ultimate Design have a 6000mAh battery, while the Mate 80 and Mate 80 Pro have a 5750mAh battery. The Pro, Pro Max, and RS Ultimate Design support 100W wired charging, 80W wireless charging, and 20W reverse wireless charging. The series comes with HarmonyOS 6.0 and features an IP68/IP69 water and dust resistance rating.

Pricing for the series starts at approximately $665 (4,699 Yuan) for the Mate 80 and goes up to about $1,266 (8,999 Yuan) for the Mate 80 Pro Max (16GB/1TB). The Mate 80 RS Ultimate Design (20GB/1TB) is priced at approximately $1,830 (12,999 Yuan). The series is expected to be available in Pakistan soon, with initial prices for the Mate 80 starting around Rs. 186,400.