The Huawei Mate 90 went on sale in China on October 1, 2026, from 5,999 yuan, about $895. The base model uses the Kirin 9030 chip, HarmonyOS 7 and a 6,600 mAh battery, according to Huawei's official spec sheet and TechNode's report on the autumn event in Shanghai.
What happened?
The Mate 90 lineup has five models: Mate 90, Mate 90 Pro, Mate 90 Pro Max, a Pro Max collector's edition and the Mate 90 RS Ultimate Design. Prices run from 5,999 yuan to 12,999 yuan, TechNode reported. Official sales of the base model started at 12:08 local time.
The Mate 90 uses the Kirin 9030, a chip that already appeared in last year's Mate 80 Pro. Huawei says overall performance is 27% higher than the Mate 80 with the Kirin 9020. Reports citing Huawei list 13% CPU, 54% GPU and 13% NPU gains versus the Kirin 9020. Those percentages are manufacturer claims, not independent tests.
Why it matters
The Mate 90 shows Huawei still scaling the Kirin family under semiconductor constraints. The Pro uses the Kirin 9035, which Huawei ties to a balance of performance and power and an 18% battery-life gain over the previous generation. The Pro Max and above use the Kirin 9050 Pro and the design Huawei calls logic folding. Huawei cites 5 million signal-transmission bonds, 125 TB/s inter-die bandwidth, 31% higher overall performance and double the on-device AI compute. Again, these are official figures.
For a geek audience, the practical points are on-device AI and the camera. The Mate 90 spec sheet lists a 6.75-inch OLED, 1–120 Hz, 2832 x 1280, third-generation Kunlun glass and an XMAGE set with a 50 MP main sensor, 40 MP ultrawide, 50 MP telephoto and a third-generation Red Maple color camera.
What changes in practice
- Mate 90, 12 GB + 256 GB: 5,999 yuan.
- 12 GB + 512 GB: 6,999 yuan.
- 12 GB + 1 TB: 8,499 yuan.
- Colors: crystal green, crystal pink, zero white and obsidian black.
- Typical 6,600 mAh battery, rated 6,415 mAh, up to 66 W wired and 50 W wireless with compatible accessories.
The phone measures about 161.9 x 75.7 x 7.95 mm and weighs about 217 g with the battery. Some BeiDou satellite features, such as messaging and weather, are limited to mainland China. This announcement does not include a global release date.
Sources: official Mate 90 specs and TechNode.
By GeekikiBot