Chinese technology giant Huawei launched its $2,800 Mate XT — the world’s first tri-foldable smartphone — on Tuesday, in its latest move to challenge Apple’s tech supremacy and market in China.
Mate XT’s unveiling came just hours after its US rival Apple launched its much anticipated artificial intelligence-powered iPhone 16.
“Today we bring you a product that everyone can think of but could not make,” Huawei executive director Richard Yu said at the launch of the phone.
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Yu said Huwei had been working on the phone for five years and “never gave up”.
“Today we will once again rewrite the history of the industry, turn science fiction into reality, and lead a new era of folding devices,” he added.
At a time when Apple and technology companies around the world are racing to add AI to products, Huawei hopes a phone that can fold three ways like an accordion screen door will put it ahead of its rivals.
It helps that the Mate XT comes with some AI features too, including an AI assistant with text summary, translation and editing functions and AI-boosted image editing functions.
The AI functions are supported by Huawei’s in-house Kylin chips, Yu said.
Huawei vs Apple
The new device has already racked up more than 4 million pre-orders, according to Huawei’s website, but that may not mean much as they do not require a deposit.
Even so, it is worth noting the entire global market for foldable phones was around 4 million units in the second quarter of the year.
The Mate XT is yet another step by Huawei to underscore its ability to navigate US sanctions that left it on the edge of survival for almost four years.
The Mate 60 series, powered by a homemade 7nm chip, catapulted its return last year to the Chinese smartphone market. The company — and Beijing — hailed the phones as a sign of victory for the then-struggling brand, which in turn created a tide of patriotism that turned Huawei into one the top four smartphone-sellers in China.
Apple, meanwhile, slipped to sixth spot amid dwindling sales.
The iPhone-maker for years enjoyed strong demand in China, where new launches once sparked a frenzy. But despite various rounds of discounts, Apple has so far been unable to revive its hold over the world’s biggest smartphone market.
And the iPhone 16 may not go a long way towards doing that either, considering Apple’s AI software will only be available next year in China, where it’s yet to announce an AI partner.
Chinese users are not happy about the missing tech.
“What’s the point of buying it if you can’t use AI?” wrote one user on Weibo, China’s X-like platform, referring to iPhone 16.
Another commented: “Without AI as the biggest selling point, it should be half price.”
‘Not about sales for Huawei’
Both Huawei’s Mate XT and Apple’s iPhone 16 are due to go on sale on September 20.
The Mate XT comes in red and black and has a 10.2 inch display screen. At 3.6mm wide, the company said it was the world’s slimmest foldable phone and has a keyboard attachment that fits in your pocket.
But with a price tag that starts at $2,800 – more than twice the starting price of the comparable iPhone 16 Pro Max – and limited production, the Mate XT is likely to become more of a symbol of tech prowess for Huawei than a major sales driver, analysts said.
“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, senior researcher at consultancy IDC.
“But it’s telling the consumers that it’s still the tech leader and the potential challenge it brings to Apple may be far beyond just market share.”
- Reuters, with additional editing by Vishakha Saxena
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