On September 10, Huawei announced the world's first consumer foldable smartphone called Mate XT. The product is currently only available in China with prices starting at around $2,809 (VND 69.3 million).
The Huawei Mate XT began accepting pre-orders on September 7 and is expected to start selling in stores in China on September 20. That's also when the iPhone 16 series will officially go on sale in a number of countries around the world, including China. According to Huawei's website , the number of pre-orders for the Mate XT as of noon on September 10 (local time) reached more than 3.5 million people and has now increased to more than 4 million immediately after the launch event.
According to Huawei, the Mate XT comes with many artificial intelligence (AI) features, such as text translation and cloud-based content creation. “We have spent five years working towards this goal,” said Huawei CEO Richard Yu.
The Mate XT comes in red and black, with three storage options ranging from $2,809 to $3,371. When unfolded, the device is just 3.6mm thick with a 10.2-inch display, including a 1.9mm thick battery. The phone can display content on one, two, or three screens. It also works with a foldable keyboard.
At the time of launch, Huawei did not mention any chip developments in the Mate XT, but it is likely to be a Kirin variant developed by Huawei. It is unlikely that this chip can be compared to the A18 that Apple has just equipped with the iPhone 16 series, which is manufactured on a 3nm process and is significantly faster than the iPhone 12.
As is known, Huawei has been on the US Department of Commerce's restricted list since 2019. In August 2023, Huawei quietly launched the Mate 60 Pro, which, according to TechInsights analysis, has a chip manufactured using a 7nm process by Chinese chipmaker SMIC.
The launch of the Mate XT is seen as Huawei's way of taking direct aim at Apple's iPhone 16. The iPhone maker dropped out of the top five smartphone makers in China in the second quarter of 2024, according to Canalys, marking the first time Chinese companies have held the top five spots in the country. Huawei ranked fourth in market share with 10.6 million smartphones shipped. Huawei has previously sold foldable smartphones, something Apple has yet to expand into this new category.
The Mate XT is expected to bring technological breakthroughs, especially the ability to record videos with continuous zoom. However, the expected price will not be cheap, possibly even higher than its predecessor Mate X3, which already has a selling price of no less than 1,800 USD.
Huawei will officially launch the Mate XT on September 10, just one day after Apple's iPhone 16 launch event. This is considered a strategic move by Huawei to attract the attention of the technology world and compete directly with the "giant" Apple.
Previously, Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Yu Chengdong also hinted at the launch of the Mate XT in September. This official launch event along with the new teaser video confirmed previous rumors about the world's first tri-fold smartphone.