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Huawei turns science fiction into reality with launch of world's first tri-fold smartphone
Chinese tech giant unveils $2,800 Mate XT hours after its US competitor Apple lifted the curtain on its own new handset built for AI
People look at Huawei's new tri-foldable smartphone Mate XT displayed in a glass case at a Huawei flagship store in Beijing on Tuesday. — Reuters
Chinese tech giant Huawei has unveiled the world's first triple-folding phone at more than three times the price of the newest iPhone, hours after its US competitor lifted the curtain on its own new handset built for AI.
The Mate XT was officially launched in a keynote presentation by Huawei executive Richard Yu at the firm's headquarters in the southern city of Shenzhenon Tuesday.
Originally designed as a premium phone for a niche audience, more than three million people registered interest in buying the Mate XT ahead of its launch.
The gadget officially goes on sale on September 20, with prices beginning at an eye-watering $2,800 — over three times more than the new iPhone 16.
Advertised in a sleek red and gold design, the phone can transform into a 10.2 inch (26 centimetre) tablet and weighs 298 grams (10.5 ounces).
"This is the world's first triple-folding phone," Yu said at the keynote.
"We have put in a huge amount of effort into solving the problems regarding mass production and product reliability," he added.
People watch the launch event of Huawei’s new Mate XT, a three-way foldable smartphone, live-streamed at a Huawei flagship store in Beijing on Tuesday. — Reuters
Its release comes a day after Apple announced its iPhone 16, built for generative artificial intelligence as it seeks to boost sales and keep up in the technology race.
"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. Today we will once again rewrite the history of the industry, turn science fiction into reality, and lead a new era of folding devices," Yu said at the launch.
The device has already received more than 4 million pre-orders, for which no deposit is required, according to the company's website. The entire global market for foldable phones was around 4 million units in the second quarter, according to research firm IDC.
Taking on Apple?
One observer said the launch of Huawei's trifold phone was unlikely to make a big dent in Apple's sales in the premium phone sector given its price and the California giant's hold in China.
"Its impact on Apple's market share is likely to be very limited" given Apple's popularity in the country, said Ethan Qi, associate director at research firm Counterpoint.
Customers shop at a Huawei's flagship store, as Huawei Pura 70 series models go on sale, in Beijing, China April 18, 2024. — Reuters
But another added that it would boost the company's "technological leadership".
"It will fortify its position as a leader in the foldable phone sector among consumers," Toby Zhu, senior analyst at Canalys, told AFP.
He also said the high price may not necessarily deter the target consumer group as "the purchasing power of China's most affluent consumers has increased despite the less favourable general economic climate".
Huawei was once the country's largest domestic smartphone maker, before it became embroiled in a tech war between Washington and Beijing.
It is now China's fourth-largest smartphone maker, shipping 10.6 million units in the last quarter, according to a recent report by research firm Canalys.
US sanctions cut off its access to American technology and crippled its smartphone business -- but it made a surprise comeback last year with smartphones powered by domestically made chips.
It is also the biggest seller of foldable phones in China, with more than half of the domestic market share in the first half of 2024.
A tech leader
Huawei already has two-way foldable phones in its lineup, and its strong sales in China helped it overtake Samsung Electronics this year as the biggest vendor of such phones globally.
But with a price tag that starts at $2,800 and limited production, the tri-fold phone is likely to become more of a symbol of Huawei's tech prowess 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.”
The foldable smartphone market grew 57 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter with 3.9 million units shipped, largely as Chinese smartphone makers pushed into overseas markets, according to IDC.
That remains just 1.3 per cent of the wider smartphone market, with 292.2 million smartphones shipped in the second quarter, IDC said.
Huawei ranked as the world's biggest foldable smartphone seller in the second quarter with a 27.5 per cent market share, ahead of South Korea's Samsung, with 16.4 per cent, according to IDC.
That share rises to 42 per cent in China's home market, ahead of Vivo and former Huawei unit Honor, which it spun off under pressure from US sanctions in 2020. — AFP and Reuters
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