Mate 70 series: Huawei unveils its ultimate smartphones… soon without a trace of Android

A new chapter is opening at Huawei, which focuses mainly on tablets (see the MatePad Pro 12.2 recently tested on The Digitals)), watches and audio devices on the Old Continent. The brand, whose smartphone sales have picked up in China in recent months, to the point that it occupies, in the third quarter of 2024, third place among smartphone sellers in its domestic market, close behind second (according to IDC), announces its new range of high-end mobiles. It is still impossible for it to use Google services, as has been the case for a little over five years, which explains why the said terminals, namely the Mate 70, Mate 70 Pro and Mate 70 Pro+, will not be not marketed in our regions, due to lack of Play Store, Gmail and other Google Maps. But what does it matter: Huawei is now betting everything on its operating system entirely designed in-house, and no longer derived from the version open source of Android, to liven up its terminals and establish itself a little more in Asia.

Towards the adoption of HarmonyOS NEXT

The Mate 70 series is announced under HarmonyOS 4.3, but this is only a transitional step: the entire range will benefit via an update ofHarmonyOS NEXT 5.0a system presented a few weeks ago and full of AI, according to the firm's latest comments. To better attract its customers, the firm, which claims around 10,000 applications compatible with its software, is putting in place the means to attract developers and hopes to multiply the stakes tenfold in the next twelve months. However, caution is necessary: HarmonyOS NEXT deployment strategy still lacks clarityand it remains to be defined whether Huawei intends to impose the switch to its system on its users, or whether it intends to offer them the choice between its in-house version and its version derived from Android. If the Mate 70s debut under HarmonyOS 4.3, this suggests that the NEXT version of the OS still requires some refinements before its official launch on products.

Beyond these software considerations, the Mate 70s stand out, like their predecessors, as undeniable mobile flagships. 6.9-inch Oled screens for the Pro models, and 6.7-inch for the standard model, LTPO and bright (2500 cd/m²) are on the menu, integrated into IP69 certified cases, i.e. say waterproof and resistant to hot water. He who struggles to offer chips from other founders relies on a chipset mystery, which the Chinese firm's specialists identify as a new Kirin 9020 (with a 5G modem and compatibility with wifi 7), and accompanied by at least 12 GB of RAM. Each smartphone offers a triple photo module, with a 50 Mpx main sensor flanked by wide-angle optics with variable aperture (f/1.4-4), which constitutes the signature of Huawei's latest premium terminals, another 40 Mpx with an ultra wide-angle, and a final one of 48 or 12 Mpx (depending on the model) with a telephoto lens.

All smartphones benefit from batteries exceeding 5000 mAh, and even reaching 5700 mAh for the Mate 70 Pro+, charging systems up to 100 W for the Pro, and 66 W for the Mate 70 , without forgetting their compatibility with wireless charging.

The Mate 70 series is part of the high-end universe, which translates into high prices. Count on a minimum of 5499 yuan for the Mate 70 (€721 excluding tax), 6499 yuan for the Mate 70 Pro (€852 excluding tax) and 8499 yuan for the Mate 70 Pro+ (€1115 excluding tax). The wealthiest can even turn to a special edition of the devices, the Mate 70 RS Ultimate Design, priced at a whopping 11,999 yuan, or more than €1,500 excluding tax.