Huawei, Xiaomi launch new foldable phones just before Apple event

Huawei and Xiaomi both launched new foldable smartphones for their Chinese consumers this week, both coming just days before Apple’s September 9 event. Apple is widely expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone at this event.

Huawei unveiled the Mate XT2 in China on Monday, with sales set to begin September 10. Xiaomi followed later that day with its own high-end foldable, the 18 Fold. Apple’s event is scheduled for Wednesday, meaning both Chinese manufacturers will have already unveiled their devices before Apple introduces its own phone, which is expected to be called the iPhone Ultra.

New foldable smartphones, processors say a lot

Huawei’s Mate XT2 folds twice into a tablet-sized device with a 10.2-inch display. It also features a redesigned hinge aimed at addressing the crease issue that has plagued foldable screens since the format emerged in 2019. The phone packs a roughly 6,000mAh battery and runs HarmonyOS 7.

Xiaomi’s 18 Fold is priced at around 8,999 yuan, and is powered by the company’s own custom Xring O3 processor. The premium foldable phone has a 7.6-inch folding display, a 200MP main camera and 67W wired charging.

The Mate XT2 runs Huawei’s new Kirin 9050 Pro, a chip built on the company’s own newer process. The part also marks the return of a Huawei flagship chip six years after the Mate 40 series, and Washington’s export controls were meant to stop the company from producing the chip totally.

Xiaomi has taken a very similar route with the Xring O3, which is the company’s own custom silicon processor. Two Chinese manufacturers are now shipping premium foldable phones powered by domestically designed chips.

Apple’s first attempt at twice the price

The foldable iPhone is expected to sell for more than $2,000, which is about twice the price Xiaomi charges for its device in China. Reports on the specifications point to a 7.8-inch inner display and a 5.3-inch cover screen, with no telephoto lens and Touch ID integrated into the power button instead of Face ID.

Apple has entered product categories late before and still managed to turn a profit, lagging behind rivals on large-screen phones, 5G and stylus support. The tech giant has then gone on to arrive with more polished versions each time.

However, foldable smartphones might test this strategy a whole lot more because the style of production is already seven years old, with competitors developing manufacturing expertise that Apple’s first attempt might find difficult to match easily.

Despite the high price of Apple’s foldable, Citi expects the company to still sell about 7.3 million iPhone Ultra units by the first quarter of 2027.

China is the only market for this contest

Huawei’s phones ship without Google services, which keeps them out of Europe and the United States in volume, so the Mate XT2 will be going up against Apple only within China.

Huawei led smartphone shipments in China in the second quarter of 2026, at 23% against Apple’s 18%, a jump from 18% a year earlier.

On foldables specifically, Huawei held 68% of Chinese shipments last quarter, according to Smart Analytics Global. Huawei has not announced a global release for the Mate XT2, and the smartphone has an expected price at close to 20,000 yuan, or about $2,750.

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