Huawei unveils high-performance Kirin 9050 Pro chip

GUANGZHOU -- Chinese tech giant Huawei on Monday launched the Mate XT 2 tri-fold smartphone powered by the new Kirin 9050 Pro chip, the first high-performance processor to use logic folding technology.

The Kirin 9050 Pro stacks logic units in layers within a single chip, shortening signal transmission paths, reducing latency and boosting overall performance, according to a launch event in Guangzhou.

The last time Huawei introduced a new Kirin chip at a flagship launch was at the global release of the Mate 40 smartphone six years ago. The company has continued to innovate and break new ground in recent years.

The company's research and development (R&D) spending accelerated sharply to reach 121.38 billion yuan ($17.9 billion) in the first half of 2026, marking a record high for the period and accounting for more than a quarter of revenue.

Huawei is advancing rapidly across multiple technology-intensive fields, including artificial intelligence, chips, operating systems and smart vehicles, with its sustained R&D intensity laying the groundwork for long-term technological capability.

The strategy appears to be paying off in the market. According to IDC data, Huawei's smartphone shipments grew 19.4 percent year on year in the second quarter of 2026, pushing its market share to 22.6 percent -- the top position in China.

At a time when the broader industry is under pressure, Huawei stands out as one of the few major vendors posting significant growth, analysts said.