Huawei's Kirin 9100 chip performed well
In the context of the current Sino-US technology war, Huawei's self-developed Kirin 9100 flagship mobile chip is undoubtedly a bombshell. According to the news, this chip scored an astonishing 1.1 million points in the Antutu running score test, and its performance is almost comparable to Qualcomm's latest generation flagship chip Snapdragon 8 Gen2. This achievement not only demonstrates Huawei's outstanding strength in chip independent innovation, but also a powerful response to the long-term technological blockade and sanctions imposed by the US government.
Since 2019, the U.S. government has imposed a severe technology blockade on Huawei, aiming to cut off Huawei's access to U.S. chips and chip-making equipment. In this grim situation, Huawei has to increase its independent research and development efforts, and the advent of the Kirin 9100 chip can be described as the result of hard work. This chip not only has breakthroughs in CPU and GPU performance, but also has made great progress in AI computing and image processing, surpassing the previous generation of Kirin chips.
Industry insiders, the strong performance of the Kirin 9100 chip will surely bring new performance improvements to Huawei mobile phones, especially in 5G network, image shooting, game experience and other aspects will have a qualitative leap. This will undoubtedly further consolidate Huawei's leading position in the high-end mobile phone market. For the U.S. government, the emergence of the Kirin 9100 chip will undoubtedly exacerbate its anxiety about being overtaken in the chip field, and it may further increase sanctions against Huawei in the future.
The U.S. government has sanctioned Huawei
Since 2019, the U.S. government has viewed Huawei as a "security threat" and has taken the opportunity to play the "Huawei card" to contain the development of China's technological capabilities. During the Trump administration, the United States began to prohibit American companies from selling chips and other key technology products to Huawei. After the Biden administration took office, although it has eased in some areas, sanctions in core technology areas such as chips have not been relaxed.
The main reason why the U.S. government hates Huawei so much is that Huawei is a world leader in 5G communication technology, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and other fields, and is regarded as a representative of China's scientific and technological strength. The U.S. is worried that if Huawei continues to grow and develop, it will dominate the future technology competition, thus threatening the U.S. technology monopoly in these fields.
The U.S. government has spared no effort to suppress Huawei, not only cutting off Huawei's access to U.S. chips, but also encouraging other countries and companies to do business with Huawei. This has undoubtedly brought huge obstacles to Huawei's development, but it has also prompted Huawei to increase its efforts in independent innovation. The launch of the Kirin 9100 chip is the result of Huawei's self-reliance, demonstrating the determination and ability of Chinese enterprises to innovate independently in the face of severe challenges.
The U.S. government is not buying it. It has been revealed that the strong performance of the Kirin 9100 chip has made the United States "red-eyed", worried that this will further enhance Huawei's competitiveness in the global market. The U.S. may further increase sanctions on Huawei, such as prohibiting global foundries from manufacturing chips for Huawei, thereby cutting off Huawei's chip supply chain. This will undoubtedly bring greater resistance to Huawei's development.
iPhone 15 series specs and pricing increase
In stark contrast to the story of Huawei's chip innovation, Apple launched the iPhone 15 series of phones at the new product launch event. As one of the world's most talked-about new mobile phones, the iPhone 15 series has improved a lot in terms of specifications and pricing, especially the high-end Pro series, whose performance and price have broken through record highs.
According to Apple, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will use the new A17 Bionic chip for the first time, and the single-core performance will be increased by more than 20% compared to the previous generation. The two models will also be equipped with Qualcomm's new 5G baseband, which will increase the 5G network speed by more than 50% compared to the previous generation. In terms of imaging, the Pro series will also be upgraded to a quad-camera design, with the telephoto lens supporting 5x optical zoom.
And in terms of pricing, the iPhone 15 Pro starts at $1,299 and the Pro Max goes up to $1,499, which is $200 and $300 higher than the previous generation, respectively. Such a high price surprised many fruit fans, thinking that apples were "crazy price increases". Some people pointed out that the iPhone 15 series is likely to become the most expensive iPhone in history, reduced to a "beggar's machine".
The reason why Apple has raised the price of new products so significantly is mainly due to the increase in production costs. On the one hand, due to the global chip shortage, Apple needs to pay a higher price to obtain chip supply; On the other hand, the strengthening of the dollar has also increased Apple's production and operating costs. It is also believed that Apple is testing consumers' affordability and preparing for further price increases in the future.
The high price of the iPhone 15 series will undoubtedly exacerbate the "rich gap" between Apple and Android. The price of the iPhone 15 Pro has become increasingly unaffordable for most consumers, and Apple may face greater challenges in the low-to-mid-range market in the future. For Android manufacturers such as Huawei, it is an opportunity, as long as they can make enough efforts in innovation and cost performance, it is possible to attract more price-sensitive consumers.
Huawei and Apple's latest developments in mobile phone chips and new product launches reflect the current wrestling between Chinese and American tech giants in the tech industry. On the one hand, Huawei has developed the Kirin 9100 chip with excellent performance through independent innovation, demonstrating the strength of Chinese companies in the chip field. But on the other hand, the U.S. government may further increase sanctions in order to curb Huawei's development. Apple's new iPhone 15 series has been significantly improved in terms of specifications and pricing, which has sparked dissatisfaction among some consumers, who are accused of being a "beggar's machine".
Behind this Sino-US technology contest actually reflects the contradiction between technological innovation and consumer demands. On the one hand, companies need to constantly innovate to stay competitive and launch more advanced products; But on the other hand, excessively high prices can also lose consumers, especially in the current environment of high inflation. Both Huawei and Apple need to strike a good balance between innovation and cost performance in order to truly win the favor of consumers.
The development of the technology industry is inseparable from innovation, but the fruits of innovation should also be shared by ordinary consumers. We not only look forward to seeing more hardware achievements in technological innovation, but also hope that these innovations can truly benefit the public, so that technology is no longer the patent of a few.