According to Liberty Times, citing Wccftech, while initial expectations suggested that Huawei’s new Mate 70 smartphone would feature a next-generation flagship SoC, like the Kirin 9100, recent rumors indicate that Huawei may instead equip the standard Mate 70 model with a different Kirin chip. Only the high-end models, such as the Pro, Pro+, and RS Ultimate, are likely to receive the advanced Kirin 9100 chip.

Wccftech reports that this decision highlights Huawei’s ongoing challenges with chip yield rates, which have limited its ability to produce the new high-performance chips at scale. Consequently, Huawei has been compelled to reserve these advanced chips for higher-priced models.

Leaked information previously indicated that the Kirin 9100 is manufactured by SMIC using a 6nm process, according to Wccftech. However, since SMIC is limited to using older DUV equipment, production costs remain high, and yields are still constrained, preventing Huawei from producing these chipsets in large quantities. As a result, Huawei can only use this chip in a limited number of high-end models, as the report noted.

As for the standard version of the Mate 70, the report indicated that it may feature a different Kirin chip that’s slightly less powerful than the high-end processor. Some speculate that the standard model might adopt the previous generation Kirin 9000s or 9010, and at this stage it is still uncertain whether the Kirin 9100 will appear in the top-tier versions of the Mate 70 series, as the report from Liberty Times pointed out.

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(Photo credit: Huawei)

According to a report from Wccftech, Huawei’s Kirin 9100 processor is scheduled to be unveiled later this year, rumored to be manufactured using SMIC’s 5nm process. Its performance is reported to surpass that of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and it will be featured in the entire Mate 70 series of smartphones.

The same report cited industry sources, suggesting that SMIC has successfully produced 5nm chips using DUV lithography instead of EUV, which is typically required for 5nm production. The high cost and low yield of DUV make it a challenging feat for most manufacturers. Fortunately, this breakthrough could help Huawei narrow the performance gap in its processors.

Reportedly, the Kirin 9100 is rumored to outperform the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 overall and offer interface smoothness comparable to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Huawei’s software optimization is anticipated to contribute significantly, as the company plans to launch HarmonyOS NEXT this year, completely moving away from the Google Android framework.

The report notd that switching to HarmonyOS NEXT has advantages, including memory usage that is three times more efficient than Android, and stringent resource consumption management. The new system can also be installed on older Huawei smartphones with previous-generation Kirin processors. Thanks to the 5nm process, the Kirin 9100 will also have improved energy efficiency. However, the actual performance will need to be verified once Huawei releases more detailed information.

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(Photo credit: Huawei)