In a bold move to capture the spotlight in the competitive smartphone market, Huawei unveiled its groundbreaking Mate XT trifold phone on September 10, 2024, just hours after Apple debuted its latest iPhone 16.
The Mate XT, which starts at an eye-watering $2,800, is touted as the world's first commercially available trifold smartphone, featuring a unique three-panel system that folds accordion-style.
The launch event took place in Shenzhen, China, where Huawei's executive director Richard Yu emphasized the company's commitment to innovation. "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," Yu stated.
The Mate XT boasts a 10.2-inch display when fully unfolded and is the slimmest foldable phone on the market at just 3.6mm wide. It also features a keyboard attachment that fits in your pocket, making it a versatile device for both work and play.
The Mate XT has already garnered significant attention, with over 4 million pre-orders in China alone. Analysts, however, caution that its high price point and limited production may restrict its impact on the global market.
Despite this, Huawei leads the global foldable smartphone market with a 27.5% share, ahead of Samsung's 16.4%.
The new phone comes equipped with advanced AI features supported by Huawei's in-house Kylin chips. These include text summary, translation, and editing functions, as well as AI-boosted image editing capabilities.
The camera setup is equally impressive, featuring a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 12-megapixel periscope camera, capable of 5.5x optical zoom and 50x digital zoom.
Meanwhile, Apple's iPhone 16, which ranges in price from $800 to $1,200, will be available in stores starting September 20, with pre-orders beginning on September 13.
The iPhone 16 introduces several upgrades over its predecessor, including support for macro photography and spatial photos and videos. However, it has faced criticism for its lack of immediate AI features in China, where Apple's AI software, Apple Intelligence, will only be available in Chinese languages next year.
As both tech giants vie for dominance, Huawei's Mate XT stands out not just for its innovative design but also for its symbolic significance in showcasing the company's technological prowess amidst ongoing U.S. sanctions. While the Mate XT may not become a major sales driver due to its high cost, it undeniably sets a new benchmark in the foldable smartphone market.
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