On October 16, 2017, Huawei took the stage in Munich, Germany, to unveil the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro, positioning them as the world's first truly AI-powered smartphones. This date marked a pivotal moment for the company, as it directly challenged the flagship offerings from Apple and Samsung not just on hardware specifications, but on a new frontier: on-device artificial intelligence. The launch event centered heavily on the capabilities of its new, in-house Kirin 970 processor, which featured a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU). This wasn't just another product release; it was Huawei's bold declaration of its ambition to lead the mobile industry in intelligent computing, shifting the focus from connected devices to intelligent ones.
What it is
The Huawei Mate 10 series consisted of two distinct models. The standard Mate 10 featured a 5.9-inch 16:9 LCD display with a front-facing fingerprint scanner, while the premium Mate 10 Pro offered a 6-inch 18:9 OLED display with a rear-mounted scanner and IP67 water resistance. Both were powered by the revolutionary Kirin 970 chipset. A key feature was the dual-camera system, co-engineered with Leica, combining a 12MP RGB sensor with a 20MP monochrome sensor, both boasting a wide f/1.6 aperture for excellent low-light performance. The phones packed a massive 4000mAh battery with Huawei's SuperCharge technology and ran on Android 8.0 Oreo with the EMUI 8.0 skin, which integrated AI for performance optimization. Their 'glass sandwich' design was distinguished by a reflective horizontal stripe across the camera module.
How it came to be
Following the commercial success of its predecessors, Huawei's development of the Mate 10 series was driven by a strategic imperative to innovate beyond incremental hardware upgrades. The company invested heavily in its HiSilicon division to create the Kirin 970, with the core engineering goal of integrating AI processing directly onto the chip. This was a calculated move to differentiate from competitors who largely relied on cloud-based AI. The target audience remained business professionals and 'prosumers' who demanded top-tier performance, exceptional battery life, and a powerful camera. By embedding the NPU, Huawei aimed to deliver a faster, more responsive, and more private user experience, particularly for AI-driven features like the camera's real-time scene recognition.
How many it sold
The Huawei Mate 10 series achieved significant commercial success, shipping over 10 million units globally within about a year of its launch. The devices were particularly popular in Europe, the Middle East, and its home market of China, where they solidified Huawei's position as a premium brand capable of competing with Samsung and Apple. However, the series' global sales potential was dramatically curtailed in the United States. A highly anticipated launch deal with carrier AT&T was abruptly cancelled at the last minute due to mounting political pressure from the U.S. government. This event marked a major turning point, effectively closing the lucrative U.S. carrier market to Huawei and limiting the Mate 10's overall global footprint despite widespread critical acclaim.
Why it resonated
The Mate 10 Pro resonated with consumers because it delivered a comprehensive flagship experience with standout features. Its AI-powered camera was a primary draw, intelligently identifying scenes and objects in real-time to automatically apply optimal settings, making it easy for anyone to take professional-looking photos. The phone's exceptional battery life, courtesy of the large 4000mAh cell and AI power management, was a major selling point that consistently outperformed rivals. The premium build quality, vibrant OLED display on the Pro model, and the inclusion of a desktop mode (PC Mode) via a simple USB-C to HDMI cable added layers of versatility that appealed to power users. It offered a compelling, feature-rich alternative to the established duopoly of Apple and Samsung.
Impact today
The most enduring legacy of the Huawei Mate 10 series is its role in popularizing on-device AI processing. The introduction of the NPU in the Kirin 970 set a new industry benchmark, prompting competitors like Apple and Qualcomm to accelerate the integration of dedicated neural engines into their own chipsets. This shift from cloud-dependent to on-device AI has had a profound impact, enabling faster, more secure, and more sophisticated applications in computational photography, real-time translation, and system optimization that are standard in smartphones today. The Mate 10 Pro cemented Huawei's reputation as a leader in mobile imaging and hardware innovation, representing a peak in its global influence before geopolitical challenges reshaped its trajectory.
Historical content researched and generated by Gemini 2.5 Pro.