Huawei unveils $2,800 trifold phone just hours after Apple introduces the iPhone 16
Huawei announced on Tuesday that its new trifold smartphone will start at over $2,800. The Mate XT, which began accepting pre-orders on Saturday, will hit stores on September 20—coinciding with the launch of Apple’s iPhone 16 series.
Apple revealed on Monday that its iPhone 16 Pro Max will be priced at $1,199, and the iPhone 16 will start at $799. Pre-orders for these models will start this Friday, with in-store availability also set for September 20.
The new iPhone 16 series will feature Apple’s first set of Intelligence AI functionalities, available via a free software update next month. This update will be accessible to both iPhone 16 users and those with iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models.
Huawei’s Mate XT, available in red and black, offers AI features like text translation and cloud-based content generation. Richard Yu, Huawei’s executive director and chairman of the consumer business group, emphasized the company’s five-year effort to develop the device, according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin comments.
The Mate XT will be available in three storage options, priced between 19,999 yuan and 23,999 yuan ($2,809 to $3,371). The phone features a 10.2-inch screen and measures 3.6 millimeters thick when unfolded. It supports single, double, or triple screen displays and includes a foldable keyboard. The device’s battery is 1.9 millimeters thick.
As of midday Tuesday, over 3.5 million pre-orders for the Mate XT had been recorded, with the number rising above 4 million following the launch event.
In contrast, Apple introduced a new A18 chip for its latest phones, which utilizes advanced 3-nanometer technology, promising significantly faster performance compared to the iPhone 12. Huawei did not announce any new chip developments during the Mate XT launch.
Huawei has been striving to recover from setbacks caused by U.S. sanctions imposed in 2019 and further restrictions in 2022 on sales of advanced chips to Chinese firms. However, the company recently made headlines with the release of its Mate 60 Pro, which TechInsights confirmed uses a 7-nanometer chip produced by Chinese manufacturer SMIC.
Yu highlighted Huawei’s perseverance despite multiple rounds of sanctions. The company’s latest launch event provided detailed information about the Mate XT, a contrast to last year’s product launch, which offered no specifics about the Mate 60 Pro or its chip advancements.
Despite a general decline in consumer spending, Huawei’s technological achievements have boosted its sales in China. According to Canalys, Apple fell out of the top five smartphone vendors in China in the second quarter of this year, making it the first time domestic brands occupied all five spots. Huawei ranked fourth in market share with 10.6 million smartphones shipped, while Apple shipped 10 million phones in the first quarter. Both Huawei and its Chinese competitors offer folding and flip phones, a category Apple has yet to enter.
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