Huawei Reportedly Preparing New Budget Phone Line Named Starlight

Huawei is reportedly developing a new online-focused affordable smartphone brand called Starlight to target the mid-range market.

NationPulse Desk

Oct 19, 2026 · 2:48 PM 2 min read

Key takeaways

Huawei is reportedly creating a new affordable online smartphone brand named Starlight, or Xingmang in Chinese.

Tipster Digital Chat Station reported that devices are in development, including a model with an active cooling fan.

The new phones are expected to feature Huawei in-house Kirin 8-series or Kirin 9-series chips.

HarmonyOS ranks as the world third-largest operating system, with HarmonyOS 6 and HarmonyOS 7 surpassing 90 million devices.

Huawei is reportedly preparing to introduce a fresh smartphone sub-brand known as Starlight, or Xingmang in Chinese, designed as a budget-friendly, internet-focused choice.

An insider named Digital Chat Station states that multiple devices are already being built, with at least one featuring a built-in cooling fan. These handsets are likewise anticipated to feature Huawei's proprietary Kirin 8-series or Kirin 9-series processors.

Starlight Could Target the Online Mid-Range Market

At present, Huawei maintains four primary mobile device series.

While the Mate and Pura families handle high-end options, the Nova collection appeals to customers focused on style and photography through physical retail stores. Meanwhile, the Enjoy collection caters to budget buyers.

A performance-driven, internet-exclusive mid-range portfolio is currently missing from Huawei's offerings.

Starlight is positioned to address that void by challenging competitors like Redmi, iQOO and Realme. It may additionally challenge Honor, which previously functioned as Huawei's affordable online label before splitting into a separate company.

Starlight Could Help Expand HarmonyOS

Introducing a lower-priced mobile series would provide Huawei another channel to distribute its Kirin processors to a broader public.

Employing less expensive processors should maintain low retail costs, whereas increased phone shipments could raise the count of users on standard HarmonyOS and offer software creators a wider public for their programs.

Huawei already boasts a large community using its software ecosystem. Devices operating on HarmonyOS 6 and HarmonyOS 7 have reportedly exceeded 90 million units, alongside a growing selection of native applications.

Data from the report indicates that HarmonyOS stands as the third-biggest operating system globally.

Should Huawei release Starlight, the new label might support this expansion by introducing budget devices. Greater user numbers might additionally draw more software creators to the platform, though success relies on retail costs, stock availability and consumer response.

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