PublishedSeptember 10, 2024, 15:19
NewHuawei responds with a foldable smartphone in three
The device was presented in China. Its price is high. Its availability in the West is uncertain.
The Mate MX, displayed in a store in Hangzhou. When unfolded, the device seems to transform into a tablet.
AFP
The Chinese telecom giant Huawei unveiled its new phone on Tuesday, the day after its American competitor Apple announced the iPhone 16, equipped with a generative artificial intelligence system. Its uniqueness is that it is the first in the world to be foldable in three.
This new model from Huawei, called Mate XT, was presented by Richard Yu, president of the company’s consumer division, during an online conference from its headquarters in Shenzhen (southern China).
It will go on sale on September 20 with a starting price of 19,999 yuan (over 2,500 Swiss francs), which is more than three times the price of the iPhone 16.
Even though the phone, with its red and gold design, targets a more premium clientele, more than three million people have already pre-registered to be alerted of its availability.
“Huawei has always been a leader in the foldable phone sector,” said Richard Yu during his presentation. And this new model “is the first in the world foldable in three.”
Capable of unfolding like an accordion, it reaches a width of 26 centimeters when fully extended, equivalent to a tablet, and weighs 298 grams.
“We have made a tremendous effort to solve the problems of mass production and product reliability,” Mr. Yu also assured.
This announcement comes the day after Apple’s presentation of its new line of iPhones, the first smartphones equipped with Apple Intelligence, its generative artificial intelligence (AI) system, the star technology of Silicon Valley in which the Californian group has fallen behind.
Huawei has been at the center of an intense technological rivalry between China and the United States for several years, with the latter accusing, without providing evidence, the company of being able to spy on behalf of the Chinese authorities.
Huawei categorically denies these allegations, but since 2019 sanctions from Washington have cut the company off from global supply chains for American technologies and components.
Currently, in the Chinese market, the group is the fourth largest smartphone manufacturer, with 10.6 million units sold in the second quarter of 2024, according to a recent report by Canalys.
It was previously the leader in this market and one of the top three smartphone manufacturers in the world, alongside South Korea’s Samsung and Apple.
However, Huawei remains dominant in the foldable phone niche, capturing over half of the Chinese market for this type of phone in the first half of the year.
According to some analysts, the launch of this new model could revive the group’s “technological leadership.”
“This will strengthen its position as the number one in the foldable phone sector for the general public,” estimates Toby Zhu, an expert from Canalys.
But this new phone “will probably have a very limited impact due to Apple’s strong ecosystem and greater attraction,” predicts Ethan Qi, associate director of the research firm Counterpoint.
Its high price is not necessarily going to deter its target clientele, suggests Toby Zhu: “The purchasing power of the wealthiest Chinese consumers has increased, despite the generally less favorable economic climate,” he emphasizes.
(AFP)