2019 IFA Expo: Huawei unveils new 5G chip and smartphone line at Berlin tech show

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Europe's biggest consumer electronics show has kicked off in Germany. Thousands attended to try out new products from big companies - including Huawei. The Chinese tech giant unveiled its newest breakthrough. CGTN's Natalie Carney has more from Berlin.

For those who follow the latest in gizmos and gadgets, the announcement was expected- the latest from Chinese telecom giant Huawei was announced by CEO Richard Yu on Friday in Berlin.

RICHARD YU CEO, HUAWEI'S CONSUMER BUSINESS GROUP "Today I bring you the new generation. It's the worlds first 5G SOC - the revolution in 5G SOC, Kirin 990. It's so small, tiny size - it's the world's most powerful 5G modem inside this."

Huawei's homegrown Kirin 990 chipset with 5G capabilities is the update to last year's Kirin 980 and is set to power their cutting-edge, foldable Mate X and Mate 30 Pro.

For more power efficiency, the chip that uses so-called extreme ultraviolet lithography to boost microprocessor speeds by up to 100 times.

The Kirin 990 is also expected to improve graphics and produce clearer, crisper photos.

Attendees also got a glimpse of the P30 Pro with new design colors and Android 10, an improved addition to the P30 series launched in March this year.

RICHARD YU CEO, HUAWEI'S CONSUMER BUSINESS GROUP "You know this P30 smartphone, we set the industry benchmark for smartphone, photography and performance."

Huawei, considered the world's number two smartphone producer, has been setting industry standards for some time, but is facing political opposition.

Their latest Mate 30 series may drop the Android operating system and Google apps after the U.S. government banned U.S. companies from selling components to Huawei.

So what do attendees of this year's IFA think of Huawei's new designs.

IFA ATTENDEE "The camera is very good for me, hand feeling is very good and most of the speed is quickly, fast. I think for the selfie this phone will be better because the camera is better than the iPhone for me."

IFA ATTENDEE "They're crazy advanced and very high tech. I like them and if I had to choose a new phone it would probably be one of theirs. The competition in the market is very good, so, yeah, I think Huawei is doing very well in this race."

Competitor Samsung also announced the release of their 5G compatible Exynos 980 chipset at this years IFA which should make its debut in Samsung's upcoming new Galaxy S11, but the Kirin 990 is expected to hit the market first.

NATALIE CARNEY BERLIN "Despite security concerns in some countries over Huawei's 5G networking equipment and an all-out ban in others, the telecoms giant, is still moving ahead with new technologies. Their flagship smartphone Mate 30 with the Kirin 990 chipset is expected to be launched at this month in Munich. Natalie Carney, CGTN, at IFA in Berlin."