China’s Huawei unveils tri-fold smartphone hours after iPhone 16 reveal

Just when Apple thought it had control of the news cycle when it came to smartphones, China’s Huawei is looking to steal its thunder by releasing a tri-fold smartphone. The phone has a starting price of $2,800.

The company unveiled its Mate XT phone Tuesday, Sept. 10, during a launch ceremony in China . The announcement came just hours after Apple revealed its iPhone 16 lineup during an event in California on Monday, Sept. 9.

Though the Mate XT is not available to purchase in stores in China until Sept. 20, the same day the iPhone 16 goes on sale, the three-way folding phone already received over 4 million pre-orders . However, Huawei did not require a deposit to preorder.

Huawei has been trying to reinvent itself and how it makes its phone since the U.S. imposed sanctions in 2019 that blocked it from the global chip supply chain. However, the company made a resurgence last year when it released its Mate 60 Pro powered by a Chinese-made chip.

The Chinese tech giant is looking to battle Apple in the world’s largest smartphone market with its Mate XT. The phone is being touted as the slimmest foldable phone ever at 3.6 millimeters wide. Huawei passed Samsung earlier this year to become the world’s biggest foldable smartphone maker.

Just like the iPhone 16, the Mate XT is built with AI features like text translation and image editing functions.

However, unlike in the U.S. where Apple Intelligence will be accessible right away, Apple’s AI software will not be available in Chinese languages until next year. Apple has yet to announce an AI partner to power its 16 series in China.

As for the price tag for the Mate XT, the starting price is more than twice that for the comparable iPhone 16 Pro Max, which starts at $1,199.

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