Huawei Mate 40 series outside China may use a MediaTek chip

Over the past few months, there have been multiple reports regarding Huawei’s latest flagship smartphones. The Huawei Mate 40 Series will probably arrive in September but there are some uncertainties regarding this device. Whenever Huawei releases a new flagship Kirin chip, the Mate series debuts it in Q4 of the same year while the P Series also uses it in Q1 of the next year. This means that the 5nm Kirin 1020 or 1000 will be used in the Huawei Mate 40 series as well as the Huawei P50 series. Nevertheless, there are some uncertainties.

There are reportedly only 8 million processors there and Mate’s sales are often over 10 million units.

— Teme (特米)😷 (@RODENT950) July 17, 2020

In view of the latest U.S. ban, TSMC can no longer work on Huawei Kirin chips. Obviously, its current order with TSMC will be delivered. However, Huawei needs to be careful with this chip because it may not have alternatives. In view of this, Huawei will probably adopt Samsung’s method. According to reports from popular Huawei/Honor leakster, Teme (@RODENT950), the Kirin 5nm flagship chip may be exclusive to China. This means that only the Chinese version of the Huawei Mate 40 series will use this chip. We all know that Samsung has been using this strategy for years with its Exynos and Qualcomm chips. Thus, this is nothing new. However, who will be Kirin’s companion?

In all likelihood, it is Mediatek, Admittedly, there have been rumors that Huawei would buy SD865+ processors from Qualcomm too but i don't trust those very much.

— Teme (特米)😷 (@RODENT950) July 17, 2020

Will Huawei use MediaTek or Qualcomm?

Teme believes that Huawei will go for a MediaTek chip against the rumor of an SD865+. Well, Qualcomm is American thus a business transaction between Qualcomm and Huawei is possible but unlikely. This leaves MediaTek as the most probable option. However, which MediaTek chip will Huawei use? Looking at MediaTek’s chip lineup, the Dimensity 1000+ is its best for now. This chip is obviously not on par with the Kirin 1020 or 1000 because it uses TSMC’s 7nm process. For now, it got to be the Dimensity 1000+ except MediaTek launches a new flagship chip.

According to Teme, Huawei needs at least 10 million units for the Huawei Mate 40 series. However, the company has only 8 million units. This means that its supply is not even enough for the Huawei Mate 40 series not to talk of the Huawei P50 series. In any case, Huawei’s sales outside China is not as blistering as it used to be. It will probably concentrate its effort in China and adjoining markets.

What do you think about this new strategy from Huawei? Will it solve its problems? Will you love to see the Kirin/MediaTek relationship or the Kirin/Snapdragon relationship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.