Huawei stays silent on secretive 5G phone at high-profile product launch

cnbc.com:

BEIJING — Chinese telecommunications and smartphone giant Huawei didn't reveal any details about its new phone or reported advanced chip breakthrough during a high-profile launch event Monday.

Instead, the company teased two new electric cars — its first sedan and a high-end SUV — and launched new wireless earbuds, among other products. Huawei partners with an auto manufacturer to sell cars under the Aito brand.

The earbuds, priced around 1,499 yuan ($205) include Huawei's Kirin A2 chip, the company said.

The product releases were part of Huawei's fall season launch event, which was livestreamed Monday afternoon in Mandarin.

The phone's absence left many internet fans disappointed, despite indications early in the event from its host Richard Yu that the company would not disclose further details. Yu is executive director and CEO of Huawei's consumer business group, and heads car-related operations.

Still, many viewers, especially on the Bilibili video platform, left comments asking for details about the phone.

Huawei's glitzy product launch — at times spilling over into nationalist fervor from the audience online and in-person — had started with an orchestral and choral performance of a song titled «My Dream» in Chinese. It also included a short speech by Hong Kong celebrity Andy Lau around Huawei's launch of a luxury watch design.

But the attempt to portray a feel-good mood about Huawei's — and China's — tech capabilities didn't result in a tangible announcement at the high-profile event.

The company on Monday released a new version of its smart watch, a new tablet it claims is lighter and thinner than the iPad and a stylus that connects with the tablet using Huawei's bluetooth-like NearLink tech.

Huawei's silence on