Huawei Mate 90 Launches With New Chip Design and HarmonyOS 7
Huawei introduced its Mate 90 smartphone series on Thursday, focusing on its own operating system and redesigned chip architecture to improve performance despite US restrictions on advanced semiconductor shipments.
Meanwhile, the company continues to face challenges in securing advanced chips because of limits on access to advanced semiconductor technology.
The launch will test whether Huawei can continue expanding its smartphone lineup despite restrictions that have reduced access to advanced chipmaking equipment.
Therefore, the company has developed alternative methods to improve processor performance while adapting to supply limitations.
The Mate 90 series follows the Mate 80 lineup, which arrived in November 2025. Additionally, premium versions such as the Mate 90 Pro Max use Huawei’s Kirin 9050 Pro system-on-chip, which is built with a technique called “LogicFolding.”
The LogicFolding method changes the chip’s internal wiring into a three-dimensional structure instead of a traditional flat layout. As a result, the design allows denser and faster processing, although it requires more wafers during production.
Chip development and operating system
Meanwhile, Huawei continues developing its chip technology as China’s semiconductor industry works toward more advanced manufacturing capabilities.
The company is expected to use more chips created with the LogicFolding technique in future smartphones.
Huawei did not reveal the manufacturer of the Kirin 9050 Pro. However, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), China’s leading logic foundry, is widely believed to produce Kirin chips used in Huawei’s Mate series and Ascend AI processors.
SMIC did not respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, Huawei’s newest phones run on its own Android-free HarmonyOS 7 operating system. The company says the platform supports more than 450,000 apps and services.
The Mate 90 Pro Max with 16 GB of memory and 512 GB of storage costs 9,999 yuan ($1,491), which is 2,000 yuan higher than the equivalent Mate 80 version at launch.
The standard and Pro models start at 5,999 yuan and 6,999 yuan, respectively.
Additionally, Huawei said the highest-end Mate 90 models deliver a 31% improvement in overall performance compared with the previous flagship generation.
Rising smartphone costs
Meanwhile, Chinese smartphone makers are dealing with higher memory and component costs. As a result, companies have increased prices and shifted more shipments toward premium devices.
Higher memory prices have increased handset production costs, putting additional pressure on profit margins across the smartphone industry.
