On a Monday in early September, Huawei unveiled a phone that unfolds twice from handset to tablet, the Mate XT2, priced from roughly $3,000 and due on shelves on September 12. It arrives as a reminder that the great premium devices of this age are made under the pressure of rising costs and rival ambitions, and that a company barred from one of the world's largest markets still holds its ground in another. Whether that ground holds will be revealed in the coming days, as competitors step forward and buyers decide what a folding screen is worth.
Huawei Unveils Mate XT2 Foldables Priced Near $3,000 as Rivals Xiaomi and Apple Close In
A phone that folds twice, priced near $3,000, with rivals arriving the same week
Mark
Why does this launch matter beyond being a new gadget?
Mimi
Huawei is defending a lead. It has 22.6% of China's smartphone market and 68% of foldable shipments there, and on the same week Xiaomi and Apple are both showing new products.
Mark
And the price is steep.
Mimi
Starting at 19,999 yuan, about $2,980, up to 24,999 yuan. Richard Yu blamed sharply higher memory costs and the expense of new technology.
Luke
Worth noting that the 42% performance gain comes from Huawei's own tests. Nobody independent has verified it yet.
Mark
What about the chip?
Mimi
The Kirin 9050 Pro uses a design called LogicFolding, part of the Tau Scaling Law principle from May, which Huawei frames as a way past U.S. restrictions.
Luke
Frames is the key word. The report says Huawei says it uses less power for more computing. That's a company claim, not a measured result.
Mark
Is Apple's foldable confirmed?
Luke
No. The report says expectations are high, nothing more. And the market share figures come from IDC and Smart Analytics Global, so they're those firms' estimates.
Mimi
The one firm fact on the table is the date: sales start September 12, and we'll see how buyers respond.
O Pulso
- Huawei's new triple-unfolding phone lands at up to 24,999 yuan, testing how far shoppers will stretch for a premium foldable.
- Soaring memory costs squeeze margins, and executives admit the price pressure is enormous.
- Xiaomi's rival foldable arrives the same day, and its shares slipped 3% as investors weighed the competition.
- Apple's iPhone event on Wednesday, with a foldable widely expected, looms as the next real test of Huawei's lead.
- Sales open September 12, and Huawei's 22.6% share of China's market and 68% of folding shipments hang on whether the price holds.
On a Monday in early September, Huawei unveiled a phone that unfolds twice from handset to tablet, the Mate XT2, priced from roughly $3,000 and due on shelves on September 12. It arrives as a reminder that the great premium devices of this age are made under the pressure of rising costs and rival ambitions, and that a company barred from one of the world's largest markets still holds its ground in another. Whether that ground holds will be revealed in the coming days, as competitors step forward and buyers decide what a folding screen is worth.
Huawei stepped onto the stage on Monday with a phone that opens out twice, unfolding from a handset into something close to a tablet. The Mate XT2 is the company's newest flagship foldable, and it arrived on the same day its two most important rivals were preparing their own launches.
The price is the first thing people notice. The series begins at 19,999 yuan, roughly $2,980, and the top model reaches 24,999 yuan. Huawei executive Richard Yu acknowledged that pricing is a real struggle, since memory costs have climbed sharply and the company packed in a great deal of new technology. The cost pressure, he said, has been enormous.
At the heart of the phone is the Kirin 9050 Pro chip, which Huawei says delivers more computing power while using less electricity. By the company's own tests, overall performance is 42% better than the previous series. The phones also carry a redesigned hinge, stronger water resistance, better cameras, and a screen that hides its contents from nearby onlookers.
The rivals are close behind. Xiaomi's foldable appeared later that day, and its shares fell 3% in afternoon trading. Apple's iPhone event follows on Wednesday, with a foldable widely expected. Huawei occupies an unusual position: it is the only major brand selling a tri-fold phone, yet Washington has barred it from the American market.
The stakes are clear in the numbers. IDC places Huawei at the top of China's smartphone market in the second quarter with 22.6%, ahead of Apple at 18.1%. In folding phones, Smart Analytics Global puts Huawei at 68% of shipments. The Mate XT2 reaches buyers on September 12, and the coming days will show whether a near-$3,000 price can hold against rivals closing in.
Huawei put a new phone on stage on Monday that opens out twice, unfolding from a handset into a tablet-sized screen. The Mate XT2 series is the company's latest flagship foldable, and it arrived on a day when two of its biggest rivals were also preparing to show their own products.
The price is the first thing to register. The series starts at 19,999 yuan, about $2,980, and the most expensive version costs 24,999 yuan, or $3,725. Sales begin on September 12. Huawei Executive Director Richard Yu told a press conference that pricing is a real challenge at the moment because memory costs have risen sharply. He said the company adopted a lot of new technology and that the cost pressure has been enormous.
At the core of the phones is a new chip, the Kirin 9050 Pro. Huawei says its design delivers more computing power while drawing less electricity. The design architecture is called LogicFolding, and it belongs to a principle Huawei calls the Tau Scaling Law, which the company unveiled in May as a way to work around U.S. restrictions on its access to advanced technology.
Beyond the chip, the phones carry a redesigned folding mechanism, improved water resistance and upgraded cameras. They also include a screen feature that stops people nearby from seeing what is displayed. Based on the company's own tests, Huawei says overall performance is 42% better than the previous series.
The competition is arriving fast. Xiaomi launches a rival foldable later on Monday, and Apple unveils its latest iPhone series on Wednesday, with expectations high that it will show a foldable phone as well. Shares in Xiaomi fell 3% in afternoon trade after Huawei's announcement.
Huawei currently holds a distinctive position: it is the only major brand selling a so-called tri-fold phone. It is also barred from selling in the United States, where Washington has deemed the company a national security risk.
The market numbers explain why the company is defending ground. According to the consultancy IDC, Huawei led China's smartphone market in the second quarter with a 22.6% share, ahead of Apple at 18.1%. Xiaomi held 12.4%. In folding phones its lead is wider still: Smart Analytics Global, a U.S.-based research company, puts Huawei at 68% of China's folding-phone shipments in the same quarter.
The next test comes within days. Xiaomi's foldable arrives today, Apple's event follows on Wednesday, and the Mate XT2 reaches buyers on September 12, which will show whether a price near $3,000 holds up against rivals closing in.
Citações Notáveis
Pricing right now is a real challenge, because memory costs have risen sharply; the cost pressure has been enormous.— Richard Yu, Huawei Executive Director
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Leia o original em Reuters ↗
Economy & Finance