Qualcomm can now sell (some) smartphone chips to Huawei

We mumbled for the first time last week that Qualcomm had obtained a license to ship some smartphone processors to Huawei. Unfortunately, both parties refused to comment on the report at the time asked by Android Authority.

Qualcomm has now confirmed this Reuters that it actually got the green light to sell mobile chips to the Chinese brand. There is one major restriction associated with the license, however, as the US chip maker is only allowed to sell 4G chips to the company.

“We have obtained licenses for a number of products, including some 4G products,” a Qualcomm spokesman was quoted as saying by Newswire. The representative confirmed that the 4G products are related to mobile devices, adding that Qualcomm has even more license applications for approval.

What does this mean for Huawei?

There’s no word on the specific 4G processors Qualcomm can sell to Huawei, but it could still help the Chinese brand expand its phone portfolio.

Huawei is no stranger to Qualcomm chipsets as they were used in their low-end and mid-range smartphones prior to the US trade ban. So we would expect the Chinese manufacturer to take the same approach this time around. After all, Huawei’s chip manufacturing partners like TSMC are banned from negotiating with the company, which means it will no longer be able to manufacture its own Kirin processors.

However, it’s unclear what this latest development means for the company’s flagship phones, which have been using 5G-enabled Kirin processors for a while. Huawei previously confirmed that the Mate 40 series will be the last flagship to be powered by a Kirin chipset. Chances are, the company will either have to use stocked MediaTek chips or turn to Qualcomm’s less powerful 4G chips if it plans to launch flagships in 2021.

In any case, this latest news still means that Huawei could be on the decline in 2021 as 5G networks keep popping up and phone prices dropping.

Next: Huawei Buying Guide – All You Need To Know