Huawei's Wi-Fi 7 Router Hides 11 Antennas in a Cylinder — But You Can't Buy It
Huawei has launched a new Wi-Fi 7 router in China that ditches the traditional spider-leg antenna design for a clean cylinder — and packs 11 antennas inside it. The Router X1 Pro went on sale in April 2025 at 899 yuan (roughly $125), making it competitively priced on paper. For now, it's China-only, with no US or UK availability announced.
The look
The cylindrical form factor is the X1 Pro's most obvious talking point. All 11 antennas are internal, promising 360-degree coverage without the cluttered look of most routers. The design earned a 2025 German iF Design Award, which at least confirms it turns heads. On the back sit four 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports — useful if you're on a multi-gig broadband plan or running a NAS drive at home.
The claim
The X1 Pro runs on Huawei's proprietary Lingxiao SoC and supports Wi-Fi 7 with Multi-Link Operation (MLO). MLO lets compatible devices connect to the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands simultaneously, so if one band gets congested, the other picks up the slack — useful in dense apartment buildings. Huawei also bundles a Game Turbo mode, which prioritises gaming traffic and claims a 37% latency reduction for compatible devices. That figure comes from Huawei's own marketing; no independent testing has been published yet.
A built-in StarFlash gateway supports NearLink, Huawei's proprietary low-latency protocol for smart home devices — a rival to Bluetooth and standard Wi-Fi for accessories. The whole system runs on HarmonyOS, which ties it tightly to Huawei's own device ecosystem.
The reality for Western buyers
Despite the reasonable price and award-winning design, the X1 Pro faces real obstacles outside China. Huawei has a minimal consumer router presence in the US and UK, where TP-Link (Deco BE95) and ASUS already dominate the Wi-Fi 7 gaming router segment with proven reviews and broad retail availability. NearLink is a proprietary protocol with no meaningful smart home support in Western markets. And the HarmonyOS ecosystem adds little value if you don't already own Huawei devices.
There's no confirmed timeline for a US or UK launch. If you're shopping for a Wi-Fi 7 router now, the established alternatives are the safer bet — at least until Huawei shows up in a store near you.
