I want to break free: Huawei’s Android-intolerant Mate 70 gets my thumbs up

If Huawei was a person, I'm sure that in the last year and a half, it has successfully grown a thick mustache, and it has a shiny black leather skirt on, and a pink tank top. Plus, there's a raven-black wig on top that compliments the mustache. Now, imagine how this Huawei "person" holds a vacuum cleaner in hand and cleans the house, singing:



You didn't even need the quote above to be sure that's a Queen reference, but anyway.

Huawei is indeed trying to break free – from the US of A, from Android, from sanctions, from anything that is holding it down – and it seems that it's succeeding so far.

Mere days ago, the Chinese giant announced the Huawei Mate 70 series: a clean-cut divorce from Android and the USA.

Yup, you read that correctly: there's a non-iOS phone out there that doesn't support Android apps.

Wait, what?

Huawei has unveiled its Mate 70 series, marking a significant departure from US technology in both hardware and software. The lineup includes four models:

• Mate 70
• Mate 70 Pro
• Mate 70 Pro+
• Mate 70 RS

I'm not going to discuss these in too much detail; they come with distinctive designs with large camera islands and varied display options, ranging from 6.7 to 6.9-inch OLED screens with adaptive refresh rates. Powered potentially by the Kirin 9100 chip manufactured by SMIC on a 6nm process, the devices boast impressive camera systems with advanced sensor technologies, including a unique spectral imaging sensor for color accuracy.

The most important thing is the transition to HarmonyOS NEXT, Huawei's proprietary operating system completely independent of Android. This move reflects Huawei's response to US sanctions, enabling the company to create a self-sufficient ecosystem with around 15,000 local apps. Their goal is to have 100,000 apps in the next six to twelve months, though.

The aforementioned models are not available internationally, but that's irrelevant. The point is that the Mate 70 series demonstrates Huawei's resilience.

A technological Declaration of Independence

I'm not going to sit here and lie to you that I'll rush to get the Huawei Mate 70, because I won't. I'm not buying it.

However, I can't deny that Huawei's latest Mate 70 series emerges as more than just a smartphone lineup; to me, it's more of a statement of technological sovereignty. Born from years of US sanctions that sought to limit the company's global reach, these devices (Mate 70, the Pura 70 line, and last year's Mate 60 Pro, the first 5G-capable phone in three years) represent a remarkable journey of resilience and innovation.

Okay, so the chipset is being limited to a 6nm manufacturing process – compared to competitors' more advanced 3nm chips – Huawei has focused on delivering meaningful innovation. The Mate 70 series boasts impressive specifications like substantial battery capacities, ultra-fast charging, and sophisticated camera technologies.

The Mate 70 series is not off to a particularly strong start, compared to last year's Mate 60 line. That doesn't bother me, to be frank. It's not an epic fail for Huawei. You know the old saying about trying and failing… and how failing it's better than not trying at all.

Showing respect where respect is due

It's a whole new world and I love it.

I'm standing here at Android castle. At the other side of the hill, it's the iOS castle. It doesn't really matter which team you're cheering for at the end of the day, since our iPhones and Androids can do pretty much the same things. Well, generally speaking.

In fact, they start to look (and feel) more and more the same.

Not cool.

That's why I cannot not respect Huawei's courage to go its own way and ditch Android. Of course, my disappointment will be immeasurable and my day will be ruined if it turns out that Huawei is simply copying Android at every turn.

Did you hear that, Huawei? Put that vacuum cleaner down, take the wig off and hear me out.