Huawei is expected to announce a brand-new sub-brand called either Starlight (in the West) or Xingmang (on its home turf). Among the first releases of these, according to rumours out of China, could be the Starlight O1 Pro. If true, the phone will be an alternative version of Huawei’s wide-bodied Pura X View smartphone.
That one has yet to launch here. When it does, it would be nice to also have an alternative version to fiddle with at the same time. According to leaks on China’s Weibo, one of which comes from Digital Chat Station, the new sub-brand won’t pull too many punches.
Under the Starlight
This does mean that the new lineup won’t start as a value proposition — at least, not predominantly. The Digital Chat Station information suggests a 5:3 6.39in display, one of Huawei’s Kirin 9-series chipsets found in its best phones, and RAM/storage options up to 16GB/1TB. That’s unlikely to land the 01 Pro in any mid-range or budget categories. The display sounds very similar to the one found in the Pura X View, Huawei’s wider candybar design.
A different leak suggests more conventional specs, capped at 12GB/521GB for RAM and storage. The camera arrangement for the phone’s rear will differ from the X View’s configuration. That’ll help set it apart, but it could also indicate that Huawei will be a bit more sparing with its best camera tech for this launch.
Initially, Xingmang/Starlight was expected to be official before the end of October. Unless Huawei plans to work over the weekend, that’s not going to happen. Instead, the rumoured reveal and launch for China is now expected to occur in early November.
