It has been claimed that Huawei plans to create a new sub-brand in the smartphone market. According to information from China, the company is preparing to launch a new brand called Xingmang. It is stated that Kirin 8 series processors and HarmonyOS operating system will be used in Xingmang models, which are expected to focus on mid-segment phones in the first place. In addition, it is stated that Huawei’s XMAGE camera technology may also be included in new devices. This development, which has not yet been confirmed by the company, raises various questions about the future of Huawei’s current phone series.
Huawei had made comprehensive changes in its smartphone activities following the trade restrictions imposed by the USA. While the company lost access to Google’s Android version and Google Mobile Services, it focused on its own HarmonyOS operating system and Kirin processors. Honor, which previously operated under Huawei, was transformed into a separate company in 2020. Thus, Honor was able to continue using Google services and accessing processors from manufacturers such as Qualcomm and MediaTek. Huawei, on the other hand, focused on its own software and hardware solutions, especially for its phones in the Chinese market.
According to the information shared by Chinese leak source Dingjiao Digital and later conveyed by CNMO, Huawei’s new sub-brand will be named Xingmang. It is not yet known whether this name, which means starlight in Chinese, will also be used in international markets. However, there is no information about whether the brand will be offered for sale in countries other than China. It is possible that Huawei will use different names in different markets, as it did with the Honor brand in the past. However, there is no confirmed statement that an international name has been determined for Xingmang.
Huawei Xingmang phones may come with Kirin 8 series processors
Technical details shared in the leak show that the Xingmang brand will focus primarily on mid-segment smartphones. While it is stated that Kirin 8 series processors will be used in the new devices, it is stated that some features preferred by Huawei in its upper segment models may not be available in these phones. Hardware features that increase costs, especially satellite connectivity, are expected not to be included in Xingmang models. On the other hand, it is claimed that the company will continue to use its own XMAGE imaging technology in its new phones. Thus, Huawei can bring the software and image processing technologies it has developed in its camera experience to a wider price range.
XMAGE is known as the imaging brand developed by Huawei after the end of its collaboration with Leica in the field of cameras. The company uses this brand for its image processing algorithms, color reproduction and mobile photography technologies. The presence of XMAGE technology in Xingmang phones indicates that the devices can benefit from Huawei’s existing software knowledge on the camera side. However, using the XMAGE brand does not mean that the same camera hardware will be offered as upper segment Huawei phones. No technical details have yet been shared regarding sensor sizes, optical image stabilization, zoom capabilities and other camera components.
On the operating system side of the new phones, it is stated that HarmonyOS will be preferred. Huawei’s access to Google Mobile Services is still restricted because it is on the list of companies covered by US trade restrictions. Although the company can benefit from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), it cannot use the Google Play Store and other Google applications in licensed form on its new devices. For this reason, Huawei continues to develop the HarmonyOS ecosystem, especially in its products in China. Using the same software infrastructure for the Xingmang brand can help maintain application and service integrity with existing Huawei devices.
On the other hand, it is also said that the name Xingmang may not be limited to smartphones only. According to the leak, Huawei may consider using the new brand in different product categories. However, there is no concrete information yet about which devices will be offered for sale under the Xingmang name. It is noteworthy in this respect that Huawei used the Honor brand first for a phone model in the past and then turned it into an independent sub-brand. The first Honor phone was introduced in 2011, and the brand evolved into a broader product family in the following years.
The allegations about Xingmang also raise the question of how Huawei’s current smartphone series will be positioned. The company is expected to continue offering the Pura and Mate families in the upper segment under its own brand. The claim that Kirin 8 series processors will be used makes us think that Xingmang will appeal to a different user base than these two product families. On the other hand, the future of the Nova series positioned in the middle segment and the entry-level Enjoy models is not yet clear. It is not known whether the new brand will replace these series or be offered for sale together with them.