Huawei unveils trifold phone one day after Apple event

China’s Huawei Technologies unveiled its new tri-foldable phone Tuesday, less than a day after Apple rolled out a new iPhone model built for new artificial intelligence (AI) software.

Huawei showcased its Mate XT at a launch ceremony in the Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen, touting its ability to fold three ways, like an accordian.

“Today we bring you a product that everyone can think of but could not make. Our team has been working hard for five years and has never given up,” Huawei Executive Director Richard Yu said during Tuesday’s launch, according to a translation by Reuters.

“Today we will once again rewrite the history of the industry, turn science fiction into reality, and lead a new era of folding devices,” he added.

The Mate XT, which sells for the equivalent of about $2,800, comes with an AI assistant to provide users with article summaries, translations and photo editing abilities, according to Huawei’s product page. It comes in black and red and features a 10.2-inch display screen with 3K high resolution, the company said.

“Huawei’s ultra-modern three-fold large screen can be folded and unfolded freely, and its composite ultra-tough laminated structure makes it slim and strong, allowing it to face challenges with ease,” the company wrote online.

More than 4.6 million people had preordered the product as of midday Tuesday, according to the company’s website.

The launch from the Chinese tech giant came just hours after Apple released a set of new products at its annual launch event in California, including the iPhone 16 lineup. Like the Mate XT, it boasts a variety of AI functions using the company’s native software, “Apple Intelligence.”

The new iPhone lineup marked the U.S. company’s official leap into AI as it attempts to stay on the cutting edge of the emerging technology to compete with other tech giants.

Apple also unveiled the new Series 10 Watch, along with updated AirPods models, both of which have new features targeted at health issues.

Huawei has a tense history with U.S. regulators, which imposed sanctions on the company in 2019. In 2022, the U.S. banned companies from doing business with Huawei, cutting off its access to chips and software such as Google services for its smartphones and preventing it from selling its telecommunications items to U.S. customers.

The FBI found in 2022 that Huawei equipment placed on cell towers in the Midwest could disrupt Department of Defense communications, including some related to the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. Later that year, the Department of Justice charged two suspected Chinese intelligence officers with attempting to obstruct a criminal investigation into Huawei.  

In spite of the sanctions, the Shenzhen-based company reported a net profit of 87 billion yuan ($12 billion) last year.