iPhone 16 launch will get unexpected competition from a tri-fold Android phone

Apple’s iPhone 16 launch event falls on a Monday (September 9th) this year, which is a first for the iPhone. Apple routinely holds its mid-September iPhone keynotes on the first Tuesday or Wednesday after Labor Day. This year’s event was expected for September 10th, but Apple probably moved it to September 9th to avoid next Tuesday’s presidential debate.

That’s the thing about iPhone launch events. They’re the most important attraction in tech every year in September. Most rivals stay away from sharing the spotlight with the iPhone. But this year will be different because one Chinese smartphone vendor is ready to challenge Apple by hosting a product launch on the same day.

Huawei won’t just launch a traditional smartphone to take on the iPhone 16. It’ll unveil the world’s first commercially available tri-fold smartphone.

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We saw a different tri-fold concept just a few days ago. Tecno unveiled the Phantom Ultimate 2 tri-fold phone last week. The handset features two hinges and three display sections. When unfolded, the phone becomes a 10-inch tablet. When folded, the Phantom Ultimate 2 is thinner than the Galaxy Fold 6 that Samsung launched in mid-July.

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The problem with the Phantom Ultimate 2 is that it’s just a concept. It might work as Tecno says it does, but it won’t be sold anywhere in the world, not even in China.

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Using the Tecno Phantom Ultimate 2 tri-fold phone in laptop mode. Image source: Tecno

I told you at the time that Huawei and Xiaomi are both rumored to unveil commercial tri-fold foldabels in the near future. Huawei’s phone appeared in leaked images several weeks ago. Someone saw Huawei Chairman Richard Yu using a tri-fold foldable a few weeks ago. This could only be Huawei’s phone.

Fast-forward to early September, and well-known leaker Ice Universe shared online an invite for a Huawei press event set to take place on September 10th in China at 2:30 PM local time. As the following teaser shows, we’re probably looking at Huawei’s tri-fold handset . The leaker says as much, noting that the foldable will be unveiled at the same time as the iPhone 16 series.

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Apple’s iPhone 16 launch event is on September 9th at 10:00 AM PST. Considering the 15-hour difference between California and China, the event will stream live in China in the early hours of September 10th. Put differently, Huawei’s tri-fold foldable launch event will happen in the late hours of September 9th in California.

No matter how you look at it, it’s clear that Huawei and Apple will unveil new devices on the same day, even if several hours apart.

The tri-fold handset will not be a real iPhone 16 rival. It’ll be a niche device that’s targeting an even more limited market than traditional foldables. Rumors say the handset might cost around $4,000. Considering the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Pixel 9 Pro Fold cost almost $2,000 with tax, a tri-fold device can’t be cheap.

However, this is more of a publicity stunt from Huawei. A signal that the Chinese company is ready to compete against the world’s best smartphone vendors, including Apple.

Huawei’s mobile division took a big hit following the US sanctions a few years ago. It took the company several years to recover, but Huawei has been doing well in China recently. While Huawei’s press event primarily targets Apple, it also sends a message to Samsung and other foldable vendors.

Huawei’s regular foldable phones have been selling better than Samsung’s foldables in China so far this year. The Korean giant doesn’t have a tri-fold foldable of its own, but it’s about to unveil a thinner version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which will target Korea and China. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim should be unveiled in late September.

Huwei’s tri-fold phone has a bigger problem than the price when it comes to an international launch. Following the sanctions, Huawei phones ship without Google’s version of Android. While that’s not an issue for buyers in China, it’s certainly annoying for international Android users who might be excited about an expensive tri-fold foldable phone.

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