Huawei sub-brand Osta launches wide O1 Pro smartphone
Wide-screen Osta O1 Pro appears to be first device from Huawei’s new sub-brand
According to a well-informed source, Huawei will soon release a new smartphone. That in itself is nothing new were it not for the fact that it will be launched under a new brand name. The name is English, which raises the question of whether Huawei is looking beyond China with this move.
Wide screen, not a foldable
According to Digital Chat Station, this concerns the Osta O1 Pro: a wide smartphone that is expected to be released in at least three colour options. This is not a foldable, but a "regular" smartphone with a wider body than we have become accustomed to.
Our hearts secretly skip a beat when we see new designs like this. After years of seeing the same thing, we are finally seeing brands that dare to take risks and try something new. We see these types of wide phones appearing more often, including the Huawei Pura X View earlier. But Huawei has largely retreated to China in recent years, and whether Osta will change that is the big question.
Xingmang in China, Osta for the rest?
Incidentally, Osta is known as Xingmang in China, but that name does not work as well outside of China, which is why a different one was chosen for the rest of the world. Rumours also surfaced on Weibo earlier this month that the brand is working on two phones: the O1 and the O1 Pro. Both are flagships, but they differ in size: the O1 Pro gets the wide design.
Why a sub-brand?
Why would Huawei set up a new brand for a device that strongly resembles the Pura X View? Chinese manufacturers usually start online sub-brands for a different price segment or a different target audience—see Redmi, iQOO, and Realme—and an online launch in China would fit that pattern. But Huawei has something those brands do not: a name that is burdened outside of China. A fresh brand with HarmonyOS on board is therefore a logical test case for export. We are leaning toward the latter, altho there is no leak yet that confirms it. Whether such a device could come with Google services outside of China is the next question; Huawei's own phones have had to do without them for years.
If the Osta O1 Pro does indeed resemble the Huawei Pura X View, we must take into account a 6.39-inch screen with a 16:9.5 aspect ratio.
Vivo to follow in 2027
Not only Huawei and Osta are working on such wide smartphones, Vivo is also said to be working on one. According to Digital Chat Station, Vivo intends to release its own wide, non-foldable smartphone in 2027. The screen would be under 6.5 inches, just like what Huawei is doing and what Osta may be planning.
The advantage of these types of wide smartphones is that they handle 16:9 video better without losing much screen space to black bars. Reading is also easier because more text fits on a line. There are drawbacks, too: for example, it does not fit as easily in your pocket.
