Huawei to launch new Windows-on-ARM laptops in the U.S., despite bans

The new Windows-on-ARM laptops from Huawei should appeal to the budget-oriented users. (Source: CIO Bulletin)

Even if Huawei's CEO of consumer division himself confirmed the MateBook X launch is going to be postponed amid the U.S. - China trade wars and an earlier report was warning that Huawei could stop producing laptops altogether, the Chinese media is now claiming all the alarming reports are blowing things out of proportions, since Huawei is still ready to launch new Windows-on-ARM laptops in July.

by Bogdan Solca, 2019/06/13

Just yesterday, Huawei’s CEO of consumer division Richard Yu was announcing that the launch for the latest MateBook X laptop is most likely going to be postponed in light of the bans and the ongoing trade wars between the U.S. and China, yet the Chinese media immediately countered this news with a report that claims Huawei is still going to launch laptops in the U.S. this July.

According to Global Times, an anonymous source close to Huawei’s laptop division now claims that there will be new Windows laptops launching this July, after all, and the news regarding a possible laptop production halt appear to have been exaggerated. However, these new laptops seem to integrate ARM processors, so they probably will be budget-oriented systems, unlike the MateBook X that is designed to be a viable alternative for Apple’s MacBooks.

The Global Times report further cites Fang Jing, industry analyst at China Merchants, who believes the new ARM-powered laptops prove that “the cut-off of some technologies has very little impact on Huawei,” alluding to the fact that Huawei already secured component stocks that should last for about a year after the bans.

In all honesty, this looks to be a damage control reaction initiated by the Chinese government. It is like Huawei needs to prove that it can defy all bans and still deliver laptops, even if these are clearly not the MateBook X models we have been waiting for.