SHENZHEN, China, Sept 20 (Askume) – Huawei and Apple’s latest smartphones go on sale in China on Friday, with the Chinese tech company’s much-anticipated $2,800 tri-folding phone costing more than twice as much as the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Excess.
However, analysts have warned that many Huawei Mate XT buyers could walk away empty-handed due to supply chain disruptions.
Analysts say Mate’s launchNew iPhone 16 criticized in China for lack of artificial intelligence features .
Huawei launched the Mate XT this month to much fanfare , with executive director Richard Yu saying the company had “turned science fiction into reality” with a device that folds like an accordion door on three sides.
Although consumers are not required to “pre-order,” pre-orders have exceeded 6.5 million units so far, according to consulting firm IDC, nearly double the roughly 3.9 million foldable smartphones shipped worldwide in the second quarter of this year.
Amber Liu, an analyst at research firm Canalys, said that while the Mate XT symbolizes Huawei’s innovation in the high-end market, its sales will likely lag behind those of its bi-folding predecessor, the Mate X5, which still retails at 11,500 yuan ($1,630), with 2.2 million units sold in the second quarter.
Liu said although both are Huawei’s high-end foldable flagships, the Mate XT and Mate X5 differ in value proposition, specifications and price.
“Replicating the size of the Mate X5 would be challenging, but the Mate XT marks a major breakthrough and evolution on all of these counts.”
Lori Chang, senior analyst at Isaiah Research, said the Mate XT is equipped with the same Kirin 9010 5G processor as the Pura 70 smartphone series launched in April , which is believed to perform well in fighting US technology sanctions.
Zhang said production issues remain an issue, and with high production costs across the supply chain, Huawei may only produce 500,000 units initially.
Based on recent investigations, he said that key parts of the Huawei Mate XT, including the panel, cover glass, and hinges, may have production issues.
“It will be a challenge to fully meet the pre-order numbers at this point,” said Will Wong, a senior researcher at consulting firm IDC. “However, this is not a bad thing because it can create a huge hunger marketing effect of sorts.”
(1 USD = 7.0625 RMB)
