Huawei’s latest slim flagship lands in China
After weeks of leaks and teasers, Huawei has finally made the Mate 70 Air official in China. And just like its name suggests, this one’s all about being sleek and light (well, sort of). At only 6.6mm thin, it’s not quite as razor-thin as the Galaxy S25 Edge (5.8mm) or the iPhone Air (5.6mm), but it’s still incredibly slim considering what it packs inside.
The new Mate 70 Air is 6.6mm. | Image credit – Huawei
The phone weighs 208 grams, which is way more than the 160-ish grams of the Air and Edge, but it manages to squeeze in a huge 6,500mAh battery with 66W wired charging – that’s almost double what its thin competitors offer.
Inside, you get a large 6,500mAh silicon-carbon battery. | Image credit – Huawei
Up front, you’re getting a huge 7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 2760 × 1320 pixels. Huawei claims the panel can hit up to 4000 nits of peak brightness, and it even supports stylus input – something we don’t see too often in this category.
Color-wise, the Mate 70 Air comes in three finishes:
- Gold and silver brocade
- White feather robe
- Obsidian black
Huawei Mate 70 Air in the colors listed above. | Image credit – Huawei
It’s also IP68 certified, which is pretty much standard for flagships now. Around the back, there’s a large circular camera island housing three sensors – a 50 MP main, 12 MP telephoto, and 8 MP ultra-wide – while the front packs a 10.7MP selfie snapper.
Under the hood, Huawei offers two chip options depending on your RAM configuration. The 12 GB RAM model runs on the Kirin 9020B, while the 16 GB version steps up to the Kirin 9020A. Both can be paired with either 256 GB or 512 GB of storage.
And here’s the full price breakdown in China:
- 12 GB + 256 GB – CNY 4,199 (~$590 when directly converted)
- 12 GB + 512 GB – CNY 4,699 (~$660 when directly converted)
- 16 GB + 256 GB – CNY 4,699 (~$660 when directly converted)
- 16 GB + 512 GB – CNY 5,199 (~$730 when directly converted)
For now, it’s a China-only release, and it’ll probably stay that way. I mean, definitely don’t count on it to ever reach the US. Still, you could import one if you’re really curious, but don’t forget – there’s no Google services support and a few other software limitations you’ll have to deal with.
Huawei’s answer to the iPhone Air and Galaxy Edge
The Mate 70 Air feels like Huawei’s response to the iPhone Air and Galaxy Edge – a thin and stylish flagship that doesn’t compromise too much on performance or battery life. Huawei seems to want to prove it’s possible to make a slim device that still feels like a powerhouse.
Can Huawei’s Air take off?
This year’s thin phone trend isn’t exactly taking the world by storm. Samsung reportedly dropped plans for the next Galaxy S26 Edge, and the iPhone Air’s sales aren’t shaping up to what Apple hoped for. So Huawei might be walking into a tough market.
Still, the Mate 70 Air might have a fighting chance. It’s more affordable than the others in China, offers solid specs, and packs that huge battery. Maybe that’s exactly what Huawei needs to stand out in this new crowd.
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