SHENZHEN, China. Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies unveiled its latest innovation on Tuesday: a $2,800 tri-foldable smartphone, the Mate XT, aimed at cementing its lead in the world’s largest smartphone market and challenging Apple’s dominance. This launch comes just hours after Apple introduced its newest model, the iPhone 16.
The Mate XT, showcased during a launch event in Shenzhen, features a unique design that folds in three directions like an accordion, allowing for expanded screen space and portability. Huawei’s website reported that over 4 million pre-orders had already been placed, with no deposit required, demonstrating significant demand. This figure matches the entire global market for foldable phones in the second quarter of 2024, according to data from research firm IDC.
“Today we bring you a product that everyone can think of but could not make. Our team has been working hard for five years and has never given up,” said Richard Yu, Huawei’s executive director, during the launch. “We will once again rewrite the history of the industry, turn science fiction into reality, and lead a new era of folding devices.”
The Mate XT boasts several cutting-edge features, including an AI assistant capable of text summarization, translation, and editing. It also offers AI-enhanced image editing tools, allowing users to trim unwanted parts of photos. These AI functionalities are powered by Huawei’s in-house Kylin chips, a significant advantage given the company’s challenges with U.S. sanctions.
Available in red and black, the Mate XT comes with a 10.2-inch display and, at 3.6mm, is the world’s slimmest foldable phone. Prices start at 19,999 yuan ($2,800) for 256 GB, with versions offering higher memory priced at 21,999 yuan and 23,999 yuan.
This launch follows Apple’s iPhone 16 debut, which also features AI capabilities but has faced some criticism in China for lagging behind Huawei’s more advanced AI features. Apple has yet to announce an AI partner for the Chinese market, with its AI software, Apple Intelligence, not expected to be available in Chinese until next year.
One Weibo user questioned, “What’s the point of buying it if you can’t use AI?” Another added, “Without AI as the biggest selling point, it should be half price.” Apple’s shares dipped 1.15% in pre-market U.S. trading.
Despite once dominating China’s premium smartphone market, Apple’s ranking has slipped to sixth place. Huawei, on the other hand, has been able to overcome U.S. sanctions that blocked its access to global chip supplies, staging a comeback with the release of the Mate 60 Pro last year.
While Huawei has solidified its position as a leader in foldable smartphones, analysts believe that the Mate XT’s high price and limited production may prevent it from becoming a mass-market success. “Production constraints and the high price point mean the new phone will likely not have a huge impact in terms of shipments,” said Will Wong, a senior researcher at consultancy IDC. “But it’s telling consumers that Huawei is still the tech leader, and the potential challenge it brings to Apple may be far beyond just market share.”
Huawei currently holds 42% of China’s foldable phone market and 27.5% globally, surpassing South Korea’s Samsung, which has a 16.4% share, according to IDC.
With the global foldable smartphone market expanding 57% year-on-year in the second quarter, Huawei’s latest offering positions the company as a formidable competitor, particularly in its home market, where it continues to outpace rivals like Vivo and former subsidiary Honor.
The Mate XT and Apple’s iPhone 16 are set to go on sale on September 20, marking a crucial moment in the evolving battle between these two tech giants.
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