Huawei has explained the reason behind one of the strangest decisions of its new top of the range, the P50: the lack of 5G connectivity.
When the was introduced at the end of July, it lived up to expectations with a premium design, high-performance components, and a set of cameras that may once again become the benchmark, just like its predecessors. Everything is fine, except for one detail: this will be a mobile phone that is only compatible with 4G networks.
At the time, it already seemed very strange to us, for many reasons. All the new mobile phones announced this year, costing more than €200, are compatible with the new 5G networks; For manufacturers, it is relatively easy to provide this support thanks to the new chips from Qualcomm and Mediatek. And second, that Huawei’s flagship mobile does not have 5G is shocking, considering the company’s large investment in this technology, offering antennas, routers and systems to countries around the world.
Last Friday, Huawei presented its financial results, and explained this and other decisions, as published in . In the first half of 2021, Huawei reported revenue of 320.4 billion yuan, with a net profit of 9.8%; That represents a drop of almost 30% compared to the previous year, but it was within the forecasts. The main culprit behind this fall is the consumer division, which has obtained 50% lower income compared to last year; on the contrary, the business division has grown by 18% and has saved the results in part.
Everything is due, as was foreseeable, to the drop in sales of smartphones. In the West, Huawei has disappeared from the top of the sales lists, surpassed by other Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Realme; and the worst thing is that history repeats itself in their own country. To the supply problems suffered by the entire sector, we must add the special circumstances of Huawei, due to the US blocking trade agreements with its companies.
That is also the reason why the Huawei P50 will arrive “cast”. Although Huawei has managed to use the new Snapdragon 888 as a processor, along with its Kirin 9000, you will not be able to use its 5G capabilities. The CEO of the consumer unit, Yu Chengdong, has confirmed in the presentation of the results that the US sanctions restrict the 5G capabilities of their mobiles, resulting in the use of 5G chips that can only use 4G.
Anyone else would have already thrown in the towel, but Huawei seems even optimistic, and they plan to solve this problem in 2022, although it remains to be seen if a software update that adds 5G to the P50 will be possible. And despite all these problems, they promise to continue launching these range tops every year as they have done so far and “stay market leaders” in the coming years.
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