Heifeng Lu scanned the eager faces in the crowd and understood precisely what they were there for. They wanted to see how powerful the third-generation Harmony X really was.
He didn't keep them waiting. Smiling, he raised the microphone. "Tonight, we're unveiling the third-generation Harmony X."
"I can confidently say this: the third-generation Harmony X will be the strongest Android phone of the year."
The moment his words landed, the room rippled with excitement.
"Arrogant. Beat Samsung first."
"Didn't the Harmony X2 beat the Samsung S6 last year?"
"Hmph. Last year was luck. If he beats Samsung this year, I'll buy three for my family."
"I think the Harmony X line won't be much worse than Samsung."
The audience's reactions only made it clearer. People wanted proof, not slogans.
Onstage, Heifeng kept his expression steady despite the uneven applause. Even though the Harmony X2 had topped Android rankings last year, many buyers in China still believed Samsung was stronger than all domestic brands. Speaking it out loud would cause pushback, and Heifeng was aware of that.
He also wasn't worried.
In his view, as long as the product was good enough, the loudest skeptics would eventually run out of arguments.
As he finished that opening, the giant screen behind him lit up with the lineup:
Harmony X3
Harmony X3 Pro
This time, the Harmony X series featured two models, and both mattered to Heifeng.
The Harmony X3 was designed to compete directly with Huawei and Xiaomi.
The Harmony X3 Pro was aimed at challenging Samsung.
The two phones wouldn't share identical core specs. Specific high-end components couldn't be supplied in enough volume to meet Pro-level production alone. Huaxing also wanted to cover a wider pricing range, giving buyers real options. If the company released only the Pro, the price would jump past ¥6,000 (≈ $857), and many customers would immediately look elsewhere.
A standard model priced around ¥5,000 (≈ $714) would keep more people within the Harmony X ecosystem.
There was another reason, too. The Harmony X3 Pro removed the 3.5mm headphone jack, a move some buyers would see as extreme. The Harmony X3 retained the jack, offering those customers a safer choice without removing them from the lineup.
Heifeng lifted the microphone again and launched the real presentation.
"First, let me introduce the third-generation Harmony X."
"On the front, the third-generation Harmony X uses a genuinely full, large display, an edge-to-edge screen."
This time, the phone featured a full-screen design with no punch-holes. The front camera was managed through a motorized pop-up design, which Huaxing called a "periscope" front camera.
This method delivered a larger, cleaner display experience but came with a clear risk: moving parts could fail.
Of course, Huaxing had already planned for this trade-off before starting production. Since the structural design work began last year, the company has run countless tests and evaluations. The final results showed the mechanism could withstand 800,000 actuations while maintaining stability, proving its strength and durability.
A phone's typical lifespan is about three years. Spreading 800,000 actuations over that time results in more than 700 uses per day, or over 30 per hour. Even with heavy use, this design was positioned as safe for years.
And realistically, for many buyers, the front camera was barely relevant. Most rarely used it at. If industry standards didn't require a selfie camera, Heifeng probably would have been happy to ship a "no-front-camera" device and call it a day.
"Periscope camera."
The new term flashed on the big screen behind him. In the audience, faces showed mixed reactions. Some couldn't decide whether to praise Huaxing's innovation or criticize the oddity of the design.
"Is it a throwback era now?"
"A periscope camera? Who came up with that?"
The pop-up camera immediately sparked a wave of commentary, though many viewers acknowledged the benefits. With this design, the third-generation Harmony X achieved a claimed screen-to-body ratio above 92%.
A truly complete, uninterrupted display could be an absolute pleasure to use. And for buyers who didn't care about selfies, the trade-off was easy to accept.
Heifeng continued, unaffected by the chatter. "This pop-up front camera design gives us a truly full screen."
"And on top of that, we've equipped it with an excellent display."
The mechanism was just one highlight. The real showcase was the panel itself.
As he spoke, the screen behind him switched to showing the display specs:
Huaxing 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display
2340 × 1080 resolution
115% P3 color gamut, maximum brightness rated at S
"That screen looks strong."
"Huaxing's supply chain is improving every day."
Watching competitors' reactions, it was clear they were impressed by what Huaxing had included in the third-generation Harmony X. The panel amazed them. In nearly every aspect except resolution, it even outshone the display on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.