Huawei Technologies is set to launch the world’s first “triple-foldable” smartphone hours after Apple’s iPhone 16 launch on September 10, setting up a fierce competition as the Chinese tech giant increasingly grabs market share at home.
Huawei announced the event Monday in a post on microblogging platform Weibo, featuring a Z-shaped image that resembles the dual-hinge phone it is developing. Richard Yu Chengdong, president of Huawei’s consumer business group, said in a Weibo post that Huawei’s “most innovative and disruptive product” is coming.
The leader was recently spotted using the bi-fold device in public, according to photos circulating on Chinese social media.
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The launch will come shortly after Apple wraps up its “It’s Glowtime” event that it scheduled for that day, when the world’s most valuable company is expected to launch the AI-powered iPhone 16 series phones. Huawei’s competition with Apple in China has taken on new importance as the U.S.-sanctioned telecom equipment maker has seen its smartphone sales soar while iPhone sales in China have struggled comparatively.
Images of Richard Yu Chengdong, president of Huawei Technologies’ consumer business group, have been circulating online showing him using what appears to be a dual-hinge foldable smartphone. Photo: Weibo / 极客视线 alt=Images of Richard Yu Chengdong, president of Huawei Technologies’ consumer business group, have been circulating online showing him using what appears to be a dual-hinge foldable smartphone. Photo: Weibo / 极客视线>
Huawei did not reveal details about the new product in its announcement and did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
“Huawei’s strategic decision to launch its advanced tri-fold smartphone immediately after Apple’s launch demonstrates a well-thought-out and astute decision,” said Abhilash Kumar, an analyst at TechInsights, on X, formerly Twitter. “A longer gap between the two launches could have led to a substantial number of consumers committing to the iPhone 16 series, making them less likely to consider Huawei’s tri-fold device.”
In another Weibo post on Tuesday, Huawei CEO Yu revealed that the company’s upcoming device will be called the Mate XT, part of its Ultimate Design luxury product line. The Mate brand is used for a range of Huawei flagship devices, including last year’s Mate 60 Pro, which marked the start of the company’s renaissance in China due to its Chinese-made processor with a 7-nanometer chip that appeared to defy US sanctions.
Since that launch and Huawei’s Pura 70 lineup launched in April, Apple has faced increasing challenges in China, one of its most important markets.
While Apple remains the leader in the premium segment, which includes phones priced above $600, its market share fell to 58% in the quarter from 70% a year earlier, according to IDC data. Huawei’s share of the high-end market jumped to 20% in the quarter from 12% a year earlier.
Apple dropped out of the top five smartphone vendors in China in terms of shipments in the second quarter, according to market analysis firm Canalys.
According to Chinese media reports, Huawei is reportedly preparing a three-part foldable smartphone. Yu said in a live interview in July that the company has been working on “the next generation of foldable phones” for five years.
According to records from the China National Intellectual Property Administration, the Shenzhen-based company filed a patent for a dual-hinge device in 2022.
In the first quarter, Huawei overtook Samsung Electronics to become the world’s best-selling foldable smartphone brand with a 35% market share, while the South Korean brand slipped to 23% of the market, according to data from Counterpoint Research. Huawei’s sales, however, still depend mainly on China, as restrictions on access to U.S. technologies such as Google services have limited the appeal of its products abroad.
This article was originally published in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most trusted voice for reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more stories from SCMP, please explore the SCMP app or visit the Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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