Chinese tech giant, Huawei Technologies, has launched its latest innovation, the $2,800 tri-fold Mate XT smartphone, as it aims to further solidify its dominance in China’s smartphone market and challenge Apple’s iPhone 16.
The Mate XT, which can be folded in three directions, was introduced during a launch event in Shenzhen on Tuesday, 10th September, just hours after Apple unveiled its AI-enhanced iPhone 16.
The Mate XT has already generated significant interest, with over 4 million pre-orders placed without requiring a deposit, according to Huawei’s website. To put this into perspective, the global market for foldable phones reached approximately 4 million units in the second quarter of 2024, as reported by IDC.
“Today, we bring you a product that everyone can think of but couldn’t create. Our team has been working tirelessly for five years to make this a reality,” said Huawei’s executive director, Richard Yu, at the launch. “We are once again rewriting industry history, turning science fiction into reality, and leading a new era for folding devices.”
The Mate XT is equipped with an AI assistant that offers text summarisation, translation, and editing features, alongside AI-powered image editing. These advanced capabilities are supported by Huawei’s in-house Kylin chips. The phone, which comes in red and black colours, boasts a 10.2-inch display and is touted as the world’s slimmest foldable smartphone at just 3.6mm thick. It also includes a detachable keyboard that can fit in a pocket.
Starting at $2,800 for the 256GB model, with higher memory options priced higher, the Mate XT marks Huawei’s latest bid to reclaim its place in the high-end smartphone segment. The company made a comeback in 2023 by releasing the Mate 60 Pro, powered by a domestically produced chip, despite U.S. sanctions that severed its access to the global chip supply chain.
The Mate XT’s price is more than double that of Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max, and with its production expected to be limited, analysts see the phone as more of a statement about Huawei’s technological prowess than a significant sales driver.
Huawei already leads the foldable phone market, having surpassed Samsung earlier this year to become the largest vendor of foldable phones globally. In the second quarter, Huawei accounted for 27.5% of the global foldable smartphone market, compared to Samsung’s 16.4%. In China, Huawei held a dominant 42% market share, ahead of rivals Vivo and Honor, a former Huawei subsidiary.
