Chinese telecom giant Huawei has applied to register the trademark Far Ahead in the fields of transportation tools and scientific instruments, according to China’s trademark platform Tianyancha. “Far ahead” became a trending term on the Chinese internet after the surprise early release of Huawei’s Mate 60 series of smartphones in August, which came with advanced chipsets despite the Chinese tech company being a major target of US sanctions. The trademark is currently pending review.
Why it matters: Having seen its tech capabilities limited by US chip sanctions, Huawei has ridden a wave of nationalist approval in China following the release of its Mate 60 line, which came equipped with a better chip and higher processor power than many industry observers had thought possible.
Details: Yu Chengdong, CEO of Consumer Business at Huawei, has repeatedly used the phrase “far ahead” to describe the tech gap between Huawei and its competitors during product launches. Huawei fans often use the phrase as a rallying call on social media. Huawei’s detractors have also utilized this term to satirize the company’s advertising and messaging.
- Huawei’s use of the term “far ahead” first came at the launch event of its Mate 40 smartphone in 2020, according to local media outlet ThePaper. During a presentation of the Mate 40’s features, Yu used the phrase 14 times. Last year, Yu again used “far ahead” to describe the advanced satellite messaging function of the Huawei Mate 50 series, further boosting the popularity of the phrase in China.
- In August 2023, Huawei launched the Mate 60 Pro series, featuring the self-developed Kirin 9000s chip, manufactured in China by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC). Related short videos with the tag “Far Ahead” went viral on the Chinese internet. For instance, videos on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) with this tag have gained 960 million views.
- Huawei reportedly plans to ship between 60 to 70 million smartphones in 2024. Sources have told local media outlets that Huawei has placed sufficient orders from its supply chain to guarantee the fulfillment of this shipment goal for the year 2024.
- On Oct. 27, Huawei released details of its sales performance for the first three quarters of 2023. During this period, the firm achieved sales revenues of RMB 456.6 billion ($62.39 billion), representing a year-on-year increase of 2.4%, with a net profit margin of 16%. Huawei stated that these results were in line with expectations, though the company did not disclose specific figures for its various business streams during the period.
Context: Thanks to the newly launched Mate 60 series, Huawei’s domestic shipments in the third quarter increased by 37% compared to the same period last year, according to market research firm Counterpoint. Huawei’s share of China’s smartphone market has risen to 14%, making it the fifth largest company in the sector.
- On Monday, Huawei announced that downloads of its HarmonyOS 4, which was unveiled in August, had topped 100 million. One of the key updates in HarmonyOS 4 is the ability to customize the home screen, allowing users to change system fonts, colors, clock styles, and widgets according to their preferences.
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