Huawei’s Defiance , A Teardown of the Mate 70 Pro Reveals US Sanctions Have Failed

A group of engineers opened a Huawei Mate 70 Pro+ in a Canadian lab and began snapping pictures. Every silicon layer, solder junction, and identification mark on the chip therein were all recorded. When they arrived at the processor, the Kirin 9020, which was created by Huawei’s own HiSilicon division and manufactured by China’s SMIC, they discovered that it was not the breakthrough that had been anticipated. However, it was also not insignificant. The true story lies in the tension between what Huawei has accomplished and what it has not yet been able to accomplish.

Washington considered the export restrictions imposed on Huawei to be nearly fatal for years. Beginning in 2020, the US prohibited American-equipped chipmakers from providing the Chinese corporation with cutting-edge semiconductors. The reasoning was straightforward: no processors, no flagship devices, no 5G, and no rivalry. Then, Huawei discreetly began selling the Mate 60 Pro in China in August 2023. It included a 7-nanometer chip manufactured wholly in China by SMIC using equipment that the US had not yet had a chance to outlaw. The phone’s appearance on stores coincided with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s visit to Beijing for trade negotiations. It wasn’t a subtle message.

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About a year later, the Mate 70 Pro+ was released, and the industry waited to see what would happen next. There were rumors that Huawei and SMIC had advanced to a 5nm process, which would have been shocking. After conducting the deconstruction and extensively examining the Kirin 9020, TechInsights came to a different conclusion: the same 7nm N+2 process as previously, a redesigned circuit layout, a 15% larger die size, and a performance boost of about 30% over its predecessor. Not a revolution. An improvement. According to TechInsights, the processor is “not a major redesign for the Kirin line.” This framing is important because it shifts the focus of the discussion from victory to something more complex.

It’s difficult to ignore the fact that Huawei continues to thread a very thin needle. The Kirin 9020 is functional. A working 5G smartphone is powered by it. It functions effectively enough that regular customers in Shanghai or Chengdu who purchase a high-end phone from a store that appears to be just another electronics store are unlikely to feel as though they are using a product under siege.

The camera on the phone is very good. Huawei’s new operating system, HarmonyOS Next, functions flawlessly since it was created completely without Google or Android code. The Mate 60 and Mate 70 series have been so well-liked in China’s domestic market that they have managed to recover premium market share from Apple. Washington officials have long maintained that the sanctions would prevent this from happening.

However, the disparity still exists. The iPhone 16’s A18 chip from Apple is constructed using TSMC’s 3nm technology. The Snapdragon 8 Elite from Qualcomm is likewise 3nm. According to semiconductor specialists, Huawei’s 7nm chip is around two full generations behind. Seven years ago, in 2018, TSMC produced its first 7nm chip.

Without having access to ASML’s intense UV lithography equipment, SMIC was able to duplicate that achievement, which is truly remarkable engineering under duress. However, SMIC’s tools, which are outdated DUV equipment that has been subjected to numerous exposure procedures, cause significant issues on a large scale. There are low yields. The pace of production is slow. Demand outpaces supply. Despite being the more recent model, the Mate 70 probably sold fewer copies than the Mate 60 because of this limitation.

Beijing and Washington seem to be engaged in two separate conflicts at the same time. The rivalry for smartphones is fierce, but it pales in comparison to what will happen next. AI chips, the kind of dense, resource-hungry processors that power data centers and train massive language models, are the subject of a more pressing competition.

For Chinese developers who are unable to purchase American gear, Huawei has been creating its Ascend series of AI accelerators as a domestic substitute for Nvidia’s offerings. The technology difference between 7nm and 3nm circuits translates into something with actual economic weight in that competition, where the stakes are higher. Whether Huawei and SMIC can reduce that gap quickly enough to have an impact on the AI hardware industry is still up in the air.

The Mate 70 Pro+’s dissection reveals a narrative that is neither a clear victory for Huawei nor an endorsement of US policy. It is the tale of a business that persevered, created something tangible out of difficult conditions, and is now confronted with the physical limitations of what its manufacturing partners are currently able to produce. As this develops, there is a sense that the US-China semiconductor competition will be characterized more by a gradual accumulation of marginal advancements on one side and minor limitations on the other than by spectacular discoveries. Huawei is still in operation. There is no denying that. There is now no answer to the question of whether it can continue to advance from 7nm toward anything that actually challenges the global frontier.