- Honor appears to have resumed business with Qualcomm
- It is believed that the partnership does not require US regulatory approval.
- This could open the door for Honor phones powered by high-end Qualcomm chips.
Huawei sold its Honor sub-brand back in November 2020, saying it was under "tremendous pressure" to do so due to the effects of the US trade ban. Shortly after the sale, it was reported that Qualcomm and the newly independent Honor were in talks to resume their partnership.
Now, China business news (about Sina finances) reports that Honor and Qualcomm are actually working together again, citing Honor Insider. It is alleged that Qualcomm did not need government approval to work with the phone manufacturer because Honor was not on the entity list.
That partnership would be a big deal for Honor if it were true, as supplying chipsets has been one of the biggest challenges for the brand (and its former parent company). Honor under Huawei relied heavily on internal Kirin chipsets for its flagship phones, but US sanctions meant that flagship Kirin chipsets could no longer be manufactured.
More honorary reporting: The Best Honor Phones You Can Get
Qualcomm is considered to be the front runner in the high-end space, however, so this reported partnership would open the door for the newly independent honor to once again gain access to the latest flagship silicon. In other words, we expect a Snapdragon 888 Honor phone in 2021 when the reported partnership comes into being.
We have contacted both Honor and Qualcomm to confirm the news and will update the article accordingly. However, if the two companies are actually working together without the need for US approval, then Google support shouldn't be an issue for Honor either.