Huawei Technologies launched its Mate 90 smartphone series, using its Android-free HarmonyOS 7 and redesigned chip architecture to improve performance despite US restrictions on advanced semiconductor shipments. Premium models including the Mate 90 Pro Max use the Kirin 9050 Pro, a system-on-chip (integrated processor package) built with Huawei’s LogicFolding technique, which arranges internal wiring in three dimensions for denser processing but requires more wafers. Huawei consumer business chief Richard Yu said advanced chip capacity remains limited in China, with smartphone and Ascend AI processors competing for production. The company did not identify the Kirin 9050 Pro manufacturer, although Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) is widely believed to produce Huawei’s Kirin and Ascend chips. Huawei said HarmonyOS 7 supports more than 450,000 apps and services but has not disclosed Mate 90 pricing. Yu said higher memory prices have added an average of $200 to each handset’s cost, while Huawei plans to raise prices more slowly. China’s smartphone shipments fell 7% year-on-year from January through August, but Huawei’s domestic shipments increased 13%, according to International Data Corporation. Huawei also holds about 75% of China’s foldable-phone market, and sales of its Pura X Max rose 76% week-on-week after Apple announced its iPhone Duo foldable; Pura X Max shipments have exceeded 1.2 million units in China since April.