Huawei launches new foldable smartphone as competition with Xiaomi, Apple heats up

Business Recorder reported that Huawei unveiled an updated version of its flagship foldable smartphone on Monday, aiming to defend its lead in China's premium handset market against Apple and Xiaomi, which are also launching products. The new Mate XT2 folds twice to open into a tablet-sized display and runs on the Kirin 9050 Pro chip. Huawei says the processor offers more computing power while drawing less electricity, a design it presents as a way to work around US curbs on advanced technology.

Other upgrades include a redesigned folding mechanism, stronger water resistance, an optional screen that hides displayed content from people nearby, and better cameras. Huawei claims overall performance is 42% higher than its predecessor, based on its own tests. Xiaomi's rival foldable is due later on Monday, while Apple will unveil its iPhone series on Wednesday, and industry expectations point to a foldable model from Apple as well.

IDC data cited in the report puts Huawei at 22.6% of China's smartphone market in the second quarter, ahead of Apple on 18.1% and Xiaomi on 12.4%. Smart Analytics Global, a US-based research company, estimated that Huawei accounted for 68% of folding phone shipments in China during the same quarter. Huawei does not sell phones in the US due to sanctions.