Huawei Mate 20 power confirmed as the new Kirin 980

The Huawei Mate 20 will feature the firm's new Kirin 980 chipset at its heart, after the Chinese company confirmed the fact in a press release.

The press release was sent to South African media, and Gearburn reports that it included the line "the Kirin 980 will power the Mate 20 Series."

That means that we could well see a Huawei Mate 20 Pro as well, with the wording suggesting multiple devices under the Mate 20 banner. We've also heard rumors of a Mate 20 Lite, which could see three handsets packing the brand new chipset.

However, the Huawei's 'Lite' handsets usually boast a lower power chipset to help reduce the cost, so if the Mate 20 Lite does exist it may not pack the Kirin 980.

New chips please

The Kirin 980 is the successor to the Kirin 970 found in the Huawei P20, P20 Pro, Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro, and features an octa-core setup with four A76 cores and four A55 cores.

Huawei also claims that the Kirin 980 will be the world's first, commercially available 7nm chipset - making it incredibly small, but also apparently 20% more powerful and 40% more power efficient than its predecessor.

We're expecting Huawei to launch its Mate 20 series in October, as the Mate 10 series arrived in the same month last year, but the firm is yet to send out any form of invitation to a launch event.

Via Android Authority

John McCann
Former Global Managing Editor

TechRadar's former Global Managing Editor, John has been a technology journalist for more than a decade, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He’s interviewed CEOs from some of the world’s biggest tech firms, visited their HQs, and appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC, and BBC Radio 4.

Latest in Huawei Phones
Holding the Huawei Mate XT in-hand
I thought the tri-folding Huawei Mate XT was a gimmick, but then I held it
The Huawei Mate X6 on a pink background
The Huawei Mate X6 looks like a huge step forward for foldable phone photography, and I’m annoyed that I probably won’t be able to get one
The Huawei Mate XT and PS5 Pro side-by-side
Huawei's tri-fold phone is so expensive you could buy four PS5 Pros for the same price
Huawei Mate XT
Huawei posts the first official image of the tri-fold Mate XT, and reveals storage options
Samsung's tri-folding display technology unveiled at the SID Display Week 2021 online event
Huawei finally confirms the name of its tri-fold smartphone in new teaser video
Samsung's tri-folding display technology unveiled at the SID Display Week 2021 online event
Huawei sets the date for its tri-foldable phone launch, with a 10-inch display and high price rumored
Latest in News
Mufasa is joined by another lion, a monkey and a bird in this promotional image
Mufasa: The Lion King prowls onto Disney+ as it finally gets a streaming release date
An American flag flying outside the US Capitol building against a blue sky
Sean Plankey selected as CISA director by President Trump
An Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 on a table with its retail packaging
Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU spotted in Acer gaming PC, suggesting rumors of imminent launch are correct – and that it’ll run with only 8GB of video RAM
Indiana Jones talking to a friend in a university setting with a jaunty smile on his face
New leak claims Indiana Jones and the Great Circle PS5 release will come in April
A close up of the limited edition vinyl turntable wrist watch from AndoAndoAndo
This limited-edition timepiece turns the iconic Technics SL-1200 turntable into a watch, and I want one
A close up of Gemma sitting down in Severance season 2 episode 7
'I'm like Gemma – I'm in the dark': Severance star Dichen Lachman shares disappointing filming update for the popular Apple TV+ show's third season