--- title: "Huawei Preparing Starlight Sub-brand: What Is Known About Smartphones with Kirin Chips and Active Cooling" description: "Huawei is preparing the Starlight (Xingmang) sub-brand for online sales with Kirin chips and active cooling. The brand will occupy the niche between budget and mid-range smartphones, competing with Redmi and Realme. There is no official confirmation yet." date: 2026-10-18T10:27:21.910Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/huawei-starlight-new-smartphone-sub-brand tags: [huawei, starlight, smartphones, harmonyos, kirin] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Huawei Preparing Starlight Sub-brand: What Is Known About Smartphones with Kirin Chips and Active Cooling ![Person holding a smartphone displaying the word Starlight on a glowing red screen in the dark](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/18/huawei-starlight-novyi-subbrend-smartfonov/huawei-starlight-novyi-subbrend-smartfonov-1.webp) ## Key Points - Huawei is preparing the Starlight (Xingmang) sub-brand with primarily online sales and a focus on an affordable price-to-performance ratio. - Several models are in development, including a smartphone with active cooling via a fan; Kirin 8th and 9th series chips are being considered. - The new brand will bridge the gap between budget Enjoy and mid-range devices, competing with Redmi, iQOO, and Realme. - Starlight could expand the HarmonyOS audience, with HarmonyOS 6/7 devices exceeding 90 million; there is no official launch confirmation. According to insiders, Huawei is preparing to launch a new smartphone sub-brand called Starlight, known in the Chinese market as Xingmang. Devices in this line are expected to be sold primarily through online channels and are focused on an affordable price-to-performance ratio. This is reported by several technology publications citing insider Digital Chat Station. No official confirmation from Huawei itself has been received at the time of publication. ### What Is Known About the Starlight Line According to available information, several models are currently in development. Among them is a smartphone with active cooling implemented via a built-in fan — a solution previously more typical of gaming devices. The hardware base is expected to feature proprietary Kirin 8th and 9th series system-on-chips, indicating a mid-range to upper-mid-range positioning for the devices. ### Where Starlight Fits in Huawei's Portfolio Today, Huawei develops several main product lines: Mate and Pura target the premium segment, Nova focuses on design and camera capabilities, and Enjoy occupies the budget niche. The new Starlight brand is seemingly designed to fill the gap between affordable devices and performance mid-range smartphones actively contested by Redmi, iQOO, and Realme. This strategy resembles Honor's early development model, which initially started as Huawei's affordable online-only brand before later evolving into an independent company. ### Connection to the HarmonyOS Ecosystem The launch of Starlight could also help Huawei expand the audience for its proprietary operating system. According to reports, the number of devices running HarmonyOS 6 and HarmonyOS 7 has exceeded 90 million, and the catalog of native applications continues to grow. More affordable smartphones can attract new users and increase developer interest in the platform, which will strengthen the company's ecosystem in the long run. ### Project Status and Prospects Currently, the official launch of Starlight has not been confirmed, and all details are based on leaks and insider reports. The success of the potential sub-brand will depend on final pricing, device availability, and consumer reaction. If Huawei manages to offer competitive specifications at an affordable price, Starlight could become a prominent player in the mid-budget smartphone market and strengthen the company's position in a segment currently dominated by Chinese competitors. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Huawei готовит новый бренд смартфонов Starlight](https://www.ixbt.com/news/2026/10/18/huawei-gotovit-novyi-brend-smartfonov-starlight.html) - Original source: Starlight/Xingmang sub-brand, online sales, fan-cooled models, Kirin 8/9, analogy with Honor, 90 million HarmonyOS 6/7 devices, lack of official confirmation. - [Huawei готовит новый бренд смартфонов Starlight](https://runet.news/news/84327) - Retelling of IXBT News data; matches on key facts (Xingmang, online, fan, Kirin 8/9, competition with Redmi/iQOO/Realme, HarmonyOS). - [Huawei бросает вызов Redmi и realme: что известно о новом бренде Starlight](https://root-nation.com/ru/news/it-news/ru-huawei-starlight-sub-brand/) - Confirms Kirin chips, active cooling, online sales, and affordable prices. - [Huawei готовит конкурента Redmi и realme под новым брендом Starlight](https://the-geek.ru/news/huawei-gotovit-konkurenta-redmi-i-realme-pod-novym-brendom-starlight) - Points to the leak source — insider Digital Chat Station; confirms Xingmang, online sales, and the mid-price segment. ## FAQ ### What is Starlight and how is it connected to Huawei? Starlight (known as Xingmang in China) is, according to insiders, a new Huawei smartphone sub-brand whose devices will be sold primarily online and focused on an affordable price-to-performance ratio. ### What specifications are expected for Starlight smartphones? According to reports, several models are in development, including a smartphone with active cooling via a built-in fan. Proprietary Kirin 8th and 9th series system-on-chips are being considered as the hardware foundation. ### Has Huawei officially confirmed the launch of Starlight? No, no official confirmation has been received from Huawei at the time of publication. All details are based on leaks and insider reports.