Huawei Delays Launch of New Flagship P50 to May

Rendering images of Huawei P50 Pro revealed by IT tipster OnLeaks

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] Chinese tech giant Huawei, which is on the U.S. government's blacklist, is reportedly delaying the release of its new flagship smartphone, the P50, until May.

On the 21st (local time), IT media outlets PhoneArena and HC cited Chinese media reports stating that the P50 series will be launched with three models, just like its predecessor, the P40 series, and the release date will be in May.

The delay is said to be related to HarmonyOS, Huawei's proprietary operating system (OS) intended to replace Google Android. PhoneArena noted, "Huawei still does not have enough confidence in an OS that can fully replace Android," adding, "It was previously expected to be released as early as the end of March."

For Huawei, which is struggling in the smartphone business due to U.S. government sanctions, the performance of the next-generation flagship P50 series is extremely important. Huawei's smartphone shipments this year are expected to be between 70 million and 80 million units, roughly half of last year's volume.

The P50 series is expected to be released in three models: P50, P50 Pro, and P50 Pro+. It has attracted attention even before launch due to the decision to equip HarmonyOS. IT media reported that Huawei plans to unveil HarmonyOS next month and install it on more than 300 million devices by the end of the year.

Earlier this month, a rendering image revealed the front and back design of the P50 Pro. The punch-hole design at the top center of the front and the curved edge display have been compared to Samsung Electronics' Galaxy series. On the back, there is a massive ultra camera module composed of two oval-shaped openings. This is the largest camera sensor module ever installed on a smartphone.