The name of Huawei’s chipset, which was designed by semiconductor design subsidiary HiSilicon, was found prominently displayed in screenshots shared online by Pura 80 users after a system update of the handset.Information about the processors used by Huawei on 5G smartphones, including the Mate 60 Pro and Mate 70 series, was previously uncovered only via third-party teardown analyses, without any official confirmation from the Shenzhen-based company.
Privately held Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
The Kirin 9020, first seen in Huawei’s Mate 70 smartphones last year, was made by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) using the advanced 7-nanometre production process, according to a report by Canadian research firm TechInsights published in December.
Huawei Technologies’ Richard Yu Chengdong presents the Kirin 990 5G system-on-a-chip at the IFA industrial trade show in Berlin on September 6, 2019. Photo: Shutterstock