Huawei Technologies has made significant strides in narrowing the performance gap between its smartphone processors and those produced by Apple, according to a recent analysis by research firm Bernstein. The Chinese company’s latest chip, the Kirin 9050 Pro, unveiled earlier this month, demonstrated notable improvements but still trails behind Apple’s most cutting-edge technology.
The Kirin 9050 Pro is reported to be manufactured using Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation’s (SMIC) advanced “N+2” or “N+3” process, corresponding to a 7-nanometre class node. This production method relies on deep-ultraviolet lithography, as China remains restricted from accessing the extreme-ultraviolet technology used by Apple and others because of U.S. sanctions. Despite these limitations, the Kirin 9050 Pro outperformed Apple’s A17 Pro in Geekbench 6 multicore tests—a benchmark that measures processing efficiency across multiple CPU cores. The A17 Pro, released in 2023, was the first mass-produced 3nm smartphone processor.
However, the Kirin 9050 Pro lags by approximately 30 percent in performance when compared to Apple’s latest A20 Pro chip, which is built on an even more advanced 2nm process. Bernstein’s report also noted that the Kirin’s single-core performance aligns more closely with processors manufactured using TSMC’s older 4nm technology.
A key factor behind Huawei’s progress is its proprietary Tau Scaling Law framework, introduced earlier this year to circumvent the challenges posed by transistor miniaturization limits. Central to the framework is LogicFolding, a novel chip design technique that vertically stacks logic and leverages dense inter-layer connections to reduce signal travel distances without solely depending on shrinking transistor sizes. This approach significantly increased transistor density and, in practical terms, contributed to performance gains.
Benchmark comparisons between the Kirin 9050 Pro and its predecessor, the Kirin 9030 Pro, showed a 20 percent uplift in multicore performance, a 39 percent rise in graphics capabilities, and a 150 percent increase in neural processing throughput. Huawei’s internal testing also indicated substantial improvements in power efficiency at similar performance levels.
Beyond smartphone processors, Huawei plans to apply the Tau Scaling Law framework to its upcoming Ascend artificial intelligence chips, with models such as the Ascend 970 and 980 scheduled for release in 2028 and 2029. This strategy reflects Huawei’s broader response to U.S. restrictions that have cut off the company's access to TSMC’s most advanced manufacturing nodes. By focusing on architectural innovation, advanced packaging, and system-level engineering, Huawei aims to extract greater performance from less advanced fabrication processes.
The Kirin 9050 Pro, featuring LogicFolding for the first time in a commercial product, debuted in the company’s Mate XT 2 tri-fold smartphone, providing an early indication of whether Huawei’s alternative design philosophy can effectively bridge the technology gap imposed by geopolitical constraints.