SHENZHEN, September 10 — Huawei launched its third-generation tri-fold smartphone, the Mate XT 2 Ultimate Design, on September 7, two days before Apple was expected to hold its event for its first foldable iPhone. The timing, reported by Gadget Review writer Nikshep Myle on September 9, positions Huawei’s device as a hardware and pricing benchmark ahead of Apple’s entry into a category it did not create. The Mate XT 2 unfolds to a 10.2-inch display, larger than many tablets in common use.
It runs on the Kirin 9050 Pro, a domestically designed chipset built while U.S. export controls were actively working to restrict China’s access to advanced chip manufacturing — part of a broader national security strategy. Huawei also redesigned the hinge to reduce the display crease that affects foldables on the market.
The price of being first
Pricing starts at 19,999 yuan (roughly $2,750) and goes up to 24,999 yuan. Battery capacity sits between 5,600mAh and 6,000mAh depending on configuration, according to NotebookCheck. The device runs HarmonyOS without Google services and is available in China only, for now.
Huawei was not alone in the pre-Apple window. Xiaomi launched its 18 Fold at the same time, starting at 10,999 yuan — roughly half of Apple’s rumored entry price.
The Xiaomi 18 Fold ships with a 7.58-inch inner display, Xiaomi’s proprietary Xring O3 chip, LPDDR6 memory on higher trims, a 200MP main camera, and a 6,000mAh battery, per SCMP. Both Chinese companies shipped flagship foldables with in-house chips in the same week, according to Reuters.
Apple’s late arrival
Apple’s foldable iPhone reportedly features a 7.8-inch inner screen, a 5.3- to 5.5-inch cover display, and Touch ID in the power button instead of Face ID, per CNET, with an expected price above $2,000. The source material does not provide independent confirmation of Apple’s event date or final product specifications. The timing means Apple enters the foldable market not as a pioneer but as a well-resourced latecomer competing against a maturing foldable ecosystem with a pre-order record-setting price war already underway.
Whether the Kirin 9050 Pro or Xring O3 match Apple’s A-series chips is a separate argument, but the capability and momentum from Chinese manufacturers are real. For Indian buyers, the immediate takeaway is limited: neither the Mate XT 2 nor the Xiaomi 18 Fold has been announced for this market, and Huawei’s HarmonyOS ecosystem without Google services remains a hard sell outside China.
What the launches do signal is that the foldable supply chain in China is now mature enough to support in-house silicon at scale — a capability that will eventually shape what arrives in India and at what price. Apple’s foldable story needs to be about more than arriving late with a $2,000 price tag, because the competition stopped waiting for its permission. Watch for Apple’s event and the first real sales numbers from both Chinese launches.
