Huawei is again making waves in the global smartphone industry with its highly anticipated trifold device launch outside of China.
On Tuesday, Huawei officially introduced the Mate XT to global markets, setting its price at 3,499 euros ($3,660). While the company has not disclosed the full list of countries where the device will be available, early indications suggest that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are among the first regions to receive it.
Originally launched in China last year, the Mate XT generated significant buzz as the world’s first trifold smartphone. Unlike conventional foldable phones, which bend at a single hinge, this innovative device features two folding points, allowing users to switch between a single, double, or triple display configuration.
Huawei was once at the forefront of the smartphone industry, directly competing with Apple and Samsung. However, the U.S. government imposed strict sanctions in 2019, cutting Huawei off from critical technology, including advanced semiconductor chips and Google’s Android operating system. These restrictions led to a dramatic decline in Huawei’s global market share, which now stands at just 0.3% outside China, according to International Data Corporation (IDC).
Nevertheless, Huawei has experienced a resurgence in its home market. IDC data shows that the company’s market share in China grew from 12% in 2023 to 17% in 2024. This turnaround was largely fueled by the release of a smartphone containing an advanced chip, a development that surprised many industry experts given the ongoing U.S. restrictions on China’s access to cutting-edge semiconductor technology.
Looking ahead, Huawei aims to extend this momentum beyond China, with a particular focus on high-end devices like the Mate XT. However, analysts believe this new model will cater primarily to a niche audience rather than the mass market.
Francisco Jeronimo, vice president for data and analytics at IDC, emphasized that the Mate XT is unlikely to achieve large sales figures but is instead positioned as a luxury status symbol. “I think what they [Huawei] believe is that the trifold can be a unique value proposition, and because it is very expensive, they aim to target wealthy individuals who are more keen on showing off they have the money versus having the best experience you can get,” he told CNBC.
Despite the exclusivity of its target audience, selling even half a million units could generate an estimated $1.5 billion in revenue for Huawei, according to Jeronimo.
One of the biggest challenges the Mate XT will face outside China is its software ecosystem. Unlike most smartphones in the international market, it does not run on Google’s Android OS. This means users will have limited access to popular applications, including Google Play Store, Netflix, and cutting-edge AI tools like Google Gemini.
Neil Shah, a partner at Counterpoint Research, highlighted this issue, stating, “Lack of Google still is a ‘gaping hole’ for the mainstream international market, especially those who will pay top dollar for a tri-fold hardware but which want to run Netflix or Google’s Play Store or the latest cutting-edge GenAI Google Gemini features.”