Huawei and Xiaomi have launched flagship foldable smartphones, intensifying the battle for China's premium handset market just days before Apple's latest product launch.
Huawei's new Mate XT2 series, which folds out twice into a tablet-sized screen, features the company's Kirin 9050 Pro chip, a redesigned hinge, improved water resistance and a privacy screen that prevents nearby people from viewing the display.
The device has a roughly 10.2-inch display when unfolded and packs a nearly 6,000mAh battery while running HarmonyOS 7. The redesigned hinge aims to reduce the screen crease that has been a persistent issue for foldable devices since the format debuted in 2019.
Prices start at 19,999 yuan ($2,980), while the top-end version costs 24,999 yuan ($3,725). Sales begin on 12 September.
“Pricing right now is a real challenge, because memory costs have risen sharply. We adopted a lot of new technology, and the cost pressure has been enormous,” Huawei Executive Director Richard Yu told a press conference.
The chip inside the Mate XT2 also carries wider significance. Huawei said the new design delivers greater computing power while using less electricity, based on an architecture called LogicFolding.
The technology is part of the “Tau Scaling Law” principle the company unveiled in May as Huawei seeks to overcome U.S. restrictions on its access to advanced technology.
Xiaomi has also entered the foldable race with its most premium smartphone to date.
At a separate launch event, the company unveiled the Xiaomi 18 Fold, which uses memory supplied by China's CXMT Corp. and Xiaomi's self-developed Xring O3 processor.
The move marks another step by a major Chinese smartphone manufacturer towards greater reliance on domestic component suppliers rather than foreign chipmakers.
The Xiaomi 18 Fold also features a passport-like design that closely resembles the form widely expected for Apple's first foldable iPhone.
The timing puts both Chinese manufacturers ahead of Apple's event, scheduled for two days after their launches. Apple is expected to unveil its own foldable phone, which is expected to be called the iPhone Ultra.
Huawei is currently the only major brand to sell a tri-fold phone. The Chinese technology giant is barred from selling products in the U.S., where Washington considers the company a national security risk.
For now, Huawei's Mate XT2 remains limited to the Chinese market, with the company yet to announce plans for a global release.
But the back-to-back launches underline the intensifying competition at the top end of the smartphone market. Whatever Apple unveils on Wednesday, its Chinese rivals will have got there first - and with devices powered by their own chips.
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