Huawei Mate 60 Pro uses ‘old’ SK Hynix memory modules

Huawei uses older SK Hynix memory modules in the Mate 60 Pro. This is stated by analysis agency TechInsights after it was discovered last week that the Mate 60 Pro contains SK Hynix memory chips. The modules probably come from old stock.

TechInsights believes that they are UD310 176-layer 4D NAND flash memory modules. These modules from SK Hynix have reportedly been on the market for several years and can also be found in the Huawei Mate X3 and P60 Pro. The analysis agency suspects that the Chinese company has been able to tap into an old stock.

TechInsights was able to obtain a Mate 60 Pro in early September and disassembled the device at the request of Bloomberg so that they could determine which parts Huawei had put in it. The teardown revealed that the Mate 60 Pro has SK Hynix memory modules. SK Hynix, a South Korean memory manufacturer, was suspected of circumventing US economic sanctions against Chinese companies the company denied those allegations strongly and started investigating Huawei’s use of its chips.

Huawei announced the Mate 60 and Mate 60 Pro at the end of August. The Chinese company did not want to provide information about the SoC in the phones, but it was reportedly its own Kirin SoC with support for 5G. It later turned out that the chipset was made by the Chinese chipmaker SMIC and that on an N+2 7nm process, a second generation 7nm process.

Last year, the US introduced far-reaching export restrictions on advanced chips and chip production equipment to China. Companies that want to export such chips or machines to Chinese companies must now apply for a permit. SMIC, among others, was put on a blacklist, effectively blocking the export of such machines to that company.

Huawei Mate 60 and Mate 60 Pro