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Huawei’s Executive Director and CEO of the Consumer Business Group, Richard Yu, recently announced that Huawei’s flagship smartphones are making a comeback. This declaration has sparked speculations about Huawei’s return to the 5G smartphone market. Chinese media reports suggest that Huawei’s 5G smartphones will start shipping by the end of 2023, with a possible launch in October.

Recent reports indicate that a certain company is testing 5G baseband chips and SoCs, with performance levels slightly below flagship devices. It is widely speculated that Huawei is the testing company and may release a flagship handset integrated with these chips.

However, during Qualcomm’s latest earnings conference call, the company clarified that they haven’t received permission to supply 5G chips to Huawei. This aligns with Richard Yu’s earlier statement that Qualcomm has not resumed supplying Huawei with 5G chips. Therefore, Huawei has no choice but to be self-sufficient. Rumors suggest that Huawei is partnering with SMIC to develop chips, further strengthening the possibility of Huawei’s return to the 5G smartphone market.

Additionally, Huawei has previously introduced the Kirin 990 5G chip, manufactured using TSMC’s 7nm process, with an integrated 5G modem chip called Balong. With the absence of procuring Qualcomm chips, Huawei might reintroduce the Kirin SoCs or integrate 5G Balong modem chips separately from APs. Huawei’s subsidiary, HiSilicon, has strong capabilities in IC design, but production will be dependent on SMIC.

Industry estimates predict that due to SMIC’s yield rate and production capacity, Huawei’s 5G smartphone shipments could be around 2 to 3 million units. However, the strategic impact of Huawei’s return to the 5G smartphone market could be even more significant than the number of smartphones sold if they overcome the challenges of the Chinese supply chain.

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