Huawei debuts even more powerful phone as controversy swirls

Huawei Technologies Co. added a new top-of-the-line model to its controversial Mate 60 smartphone family on Friday, putting the Mate 60 Pro+ on sale in mainland China.

The Shenzhen-based firm is offering the upgraded handset, equipped with satellite messaging and more memory than the Mate 60 Pro, online for a down-payment of 1,000 yuan ($140) and promised delivery no later than Oct. 9. The Pro+ adds a 1-terabyte maximum storage option and 4GB more memory than on the Pro model, which retails at 6,999 yuan. Shares of Huawei suppliers soared as much as their 10% daily limit on Chinese exchanges after its latest offering hit online stores.

The Mate 60 Pro has drawn international attention for its made-in-China applications processor and other components, a sign of the country’s progress in developing domestic tech capabilities. The upgraded Pro+ also taps into China’s Beidou satellite messaging system, a point of national pride. Long the subject of US trade sanctions, Huawei and its chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., appear to have made a major stride in improving chipmaking in China, with advanced 7-nanometer silicon powering the latest handsets. 

The US Department of Commerce, which has authored most of the sanctions imposed on Huawei and SMIC, said it’s investigating Huawei’s new semiconductor technology. Its head, Gina Raimondo, was on a visit to China when the Mate 60 Pro was abruptly put on sale — without any marketing buildup from Huawei. 

The Pro+ similarly emerged without the typical marketing and fanfare surrounding a major product launch. A brief teaser video posted to Huawei’s Weibo account showcased a device very similar to its lesser cousin, with the same outsized back-camera array.

The new devices have spurred an outpouring of nationalist sentiment on Chinese social media and were picked up by domestic news outlets that touted Huawei’s advances as a victory against sanctions.