After more than a year of bad news, Huawei can now enjoy some better news. The Chinese manufacturer may not have to abandon the smartphone division entirely, however, even if it does not have access to international chip production. That's because the US is rumored to have just started offering licenses to allow the company to buy such components from other manufacturers, but again with certain limits. Thus, there is a possibility that next year we will see Huawei phones again, even from the high-end range.
Huawei will be able to buy components from companies that use American technologies
According to the Financial Times, the US has started to grant licenses to companies that produce processors, in order to be able to sell them to Huawei. This is where companies like Qualcomm or MediaTek could come in, which also had business relations with the Chinese smartphone manufacturer in the past. However, they can only sell chips for use in areas other than developing 5G equipment. If Huawei buys them for smartphones, tablets or computers, everything seems to be fine, however.
And that proves that the US doesn't really seem to be specifically targeting the company's smartphone business. These are the collateral casualties of the conflict over global 5G infrastructure. However, software access doesn't seem to be returning anytime soon, so we shouldn't get our hopes up for Huawei phones with access to Google services in the near future.
By the way, Huawei probably won't make such devices anymore, even if they had the option. The company has already started preparing the ground for the transition from Android to its proprietary HarmonyOS operating system, which already has some elements in common with EMUI 11, according to company representatives.
Recently Huawei received approval to buy OLED screens from Samsung, and a few weeks ago, the company received approval to produce chips on older technologies. In time, Huawei will likely recover, but the company's 5G business could be permanently affected by these moves.
And if the chipset makers get a license, it's possible that other companies like TSMC will be able to produce new Kirin processors for Huawei in the future. This information is yet to be confirmed, but an official announcement could come at any moment.
via Android Authority