Huawei is expected to launch a new smartphone sub-brand shortly, known in its native country as Xingmang. That translates roughly to Starlight, but a new leak suggests Huawei will take a different route in English-speaking countries. The same leak also offers details of the new OSTA 01 and 01 Pro smartphones
Information shared via China’s Weibo social network does seem to back up previous details, learned back when we thought Starlight would be the international brand. The model number for at least one phone has stayed constant — that of the 01 Pro.
Explain the OSTA 01
The details of the (apparently) OSTA smartphones don’t seem to contradict what was shared by leaker Digital Chat Station. Those details from the end of October suggested a wider smartphone along the lines of Huawei’s Pura X view, at least in the case of the 01 Pro model. Camera and screen details have now been added to that.
Both the OSTA 01 and 01 Pro could feature the same camera arrangement. That’s typical of Huawei when it’s not promoting a flagship. It would be even more likely from a mid-range sub-brand. Three camera sensors are listed — a 13MP, a 50MP (most likely the main sensor), and a 12MP — for both phones. It’s not clear whether these will all live on the back or whether one of them is the front-facing camera.
The two phones would have slightly different displays. The OSTA 01 could peak at 4,000 nits of brightness. The Pro would take that up to 6,500 nits. Details of the internal haptic motors and speaker setups were also provided.
Eventual pricing for these not-Huawei smartphones was only alluded to. Some customers will be displeased with the cost, something laid at the door of (wait for it) the current drive to slam artificial intelligence inside everything.
Huawei should make everything official sometime this month. Initially, the announcement was expected at the end of October before shifting to early November. If it’s still happening on that timeline, we should know more by the end of this week.
