Huawei apparently is working on a new sub-brand for smartphones, codenamed Starlight. The brand is aimed at budget buyers who are looking for cheap smartphones. This is an indication of the company's strategy to rely more on online sales and cheaper hardware.
Prototype specs suggest high-end hardware for a low-cost online brand
That may allow customers to get an initial toehold into the ecosystem without having to pay premium prices. At least this could potentially affect the mid-range smartphones market in China.
Starlight Prototype Specifications
- Display Size: 6.39-inch
- Form Factor: Wide candybar
- Processor: Kirin 9-series
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 1TB
The first smartphone under the Starlight sub-brand is a large candybar with 6.39-inch display. It seems to be following Huawei's previous attempts for wide screen smartphones, like the Pura X View (we've written about it earlier). The wide screens look like they are meant to support bigger screens for media and productivity usage.
The prototype apparently uses a Kirin 9-series chip with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. It's a very powerful configuration for a brand that will be meant for budget buyers. We don't know what the actual final specs are going to be. However, it's not unusual for manufacturers to internally test products using high-end hardware, so this might not be the final configuration.
There is no official confirmation of Starlight brand or any specs from Huawei. The project is in the rumor phase. 1TB of storage for a budget brand is very strange. So it's possible that the prototype is overkill for what they are going for. An official confirmation is needed to confirm if the specs are actually what the end-consumer product is going to be or if they are prototypes for internal testing.
Source: GIZMOCHINA
Testing with a Kirin 9-series and 1TB of storage is standard engineering protocol. They need a stable build before downclocking for the retail unit.
If the final model keeps 16GB of RAM, how much will it actually cost? Budget brands usually strip those specs to hit a price point.
It will cost more than you think. The Kirin chip alone drives the bill of materials up regardless of the RAM or storage configuration.
I am curious if the wide candybar form factor will actually feel comfortable in one hand or if it is just a gimmick for media consumption.
The leak is likely from a pre-production unit that has not been optimized. Do not expect this performance in the final retail product.
1tb for a budget phone is wild 😅 but i doubt it reaches shelves like that