Huawei Sells 1 Million Non-Android Phones in Just 10 Minutes

Huawei has taken the smartphone market by storm with its latest flagship, the Mate 70, recording over 1 million pre-orders in just the first few dozen minutes of opening deposits. What makes this feat even more remarkable is that the Mate 70 doesn’t run on Android but on Huawei’s self-developed HarmonyOS NEXT – a testament to the company’s confidence and determination amidst US trade sanctions.

HarmonyOS NEXT, unveiled at Huawei’s developer conference earlier this year, is a significant leap from the first version released in 2019. While previous iterations were based on Android, HarmonyOS NEXT is independently developed and not derived from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).

One of the biggest concerns with HarmonyOS NEXT was the support for native apps. Since it’s no longer Android-based, the library of native apps is not as extensive. However, Huawei assures that over 15,000 native apps are now supported by their new operating system. The company also revealed an annual investment of more than 6 billion yuan (approximately 20 trillion VND) to foster developer innovation within the ecosystem.

Huawei is set to officially launch the Mate 70 series at an event on November 26. On November 18, the Chinese tech giant opened pre-orders, and within just over 10 minutes on Vmall, Huawei’s e-commerce platform, the number of orders had surpassed 1 million.

Across Huawei stores in China, long lines formed as eager customers queued up to pre-order the Mate 70. Those who placed orders in-store are expected to receive their devices earlier than those who ordered online.

One excited customer shared on Weibo: “Even though it’s not officially on sale yet, there are already a lot of people waiting. Everyone is very excited.” A Huawei store stated that they received over 300,000 pre-orders within the first few minutes.

The Mate 70 faces competition not only from domestic rivals like Xiaomi and Vivo but also from Apple’s latest iPhone 16, which has been popular in China due to aggressive promotions during the 11/11 shopping festival. According to Counterpoint Research, iPhone 16 sales in the first three weeks were 20% higher than those of the iPhone 15 during the same period last year.

However, Huawei remains confident, buoyed by the success of the previous Mate 60 series, which sold an estimated 10 million units in the ten months following its launch. This strong foundation sets high expectations for the Mate 70.

Huawei is expected to release four different versions of the Mate 70, including the standard, Pro, Pro+, and Ultimate Design models. The two highest-end versions will boast superior specifications, especially the Ultimate Design edition, which will feature an exclusive back design, elevating its premium look and price tag.

In addition to its unique operating system, the Mate 70 series is rumored to be powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 9100 chip, manufactured on the 6nm process by SMIC. This is another significant achievement for both Huawei and China’s semiconductor industry.

Huawei will officially unveil the Mate 70 series at 2:30 pm on November 26 (China time).