A teardown of the latest Huawei P40 phone shows that RF chips from Qualcomm, Qorvo and Skyworks are inside the new phone, despite U.S. administration’s attempt to prevent U.S. companies doing business with Huawei.

Altough the Qualcomm component found in the new flagship smartphone is covered by a licence from the US commerce department, it is unclear whether Qorvo and Skyworks have a licence. Both companies id not respond to its requests for comment.

On the other hand, Micron’s NAND flash memory that was found in the previous Huawei P30 model has been replaced by Samsung’s.

A Huawei spokesperson said that the company has "always complied with any export control regulations of various countries, including the United States". The spokesperson also added that "all the product materials are obtained legally from our global partners, and we insist on working with our partners to provide consumers with high-quality products and services".

The lack of domestic RF chip technology are has been a challenge for Chinese companies.

Last week report emerged that U.S. officials from various agencies met and agreed to alter the Foreign Direct Product Rule, and to require foreign companies using U.S. semiconductor manufacturing equipment to obtain a U.S. license before supplying to Huawei. According to Reuters, it said its sources indicate the rule-change is aimed at curbing sales of chips to Huawei (and its HiSilicon unit) by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).