BEIJING, Sept 11 (Reuters) – Huawei’s latest tri-foldable smartphone has sparked national pride in China, with social media buzzing about its perceived ability to surpass Apple’s innovations despite U.S. sanctions. However, many are hesitant due to its $2,800 price tag.
The Chinese tech giant Huawei launched its Mate XT, the world’s first tri-foldable phone, on Tuesday, just hours after Apple revealed its AI-enhanced iPhone 16 lineup.
Both the Mate XT and iPhone 16 are set to launch on September 20. However, the Mate XT will likely be available exclusively in China.
Weibo User: ‘Times Are Changing, U.S. Sanctions Ineffective
A video claiming to show Apple store employees in China visiting a Huawei store to watch the Huawei product launch became the second most trending topic on Weibo for 13 hours, amassing 91 million views and over 6,600 comments.
The Mate XT launch comes after Huawei’s return to the premium 5G smartphone market last year with the Mate 60 series, and this year with its high-end Pura series phones, which feature domestically produced semiconductors.
All these devices have been hailed in China as a victory over U.S. sanctions, which have blocked Huawei from accessing advanced U.S. Huawei’s Tri-Fold chips and technology since 2019.
Washington views Huawei as a national security threat, a claim the company denies. U.S. sanctions have expanded to include export bans on advanced U.S. chips to all Chinese companies, with the aim of limiting technological advancements in China’s military capabilities.
Huawei supporters pointed out that Apple has not yet revealed an AI partner in China for its iPhone 16 series. Additionally, Apple’s AI software, Apple Intelligence, will not be available in Chinese until next year.
Despite nationalistic pride, the Mate XT’s starting price of 19,999 yuan has faced widespread criticism for being too expensive for ordinary consumers. Many view it as insensitive given the current economic slowdown, as many people are struggling with financial insecurity.
Advanced Versions of Mate XT Priced Up to 23,999 Yuan ($3,300)
A Weibo poll on the Mate XT revealed that only 966 out of approximately 9,200 respondents intended to buy it. Over 4,700 cited the price as a deterrent, Huawei’s Tri-Fold while another 3,500 were not considering a purchase at this time.
A person named Xu, a loyal Huawei customer at a Beijing store, said, ‘No matter how much I like the product, the price just seems crazy to me.’