On Monday 7 September, Huawei unveiled its second-generation tri-fold smartphone, the Mate XT2, while Xiaomi launched its Xiaomi 18 Fold on the same day. Reuters reports that both Chinese manufacturers are looking to cement their position in the high-end smartphone market.

The launches conveniently come two days before Apple's September 9 product event, where the company is widely expected to introduce its first foldable iPhone alongside other latest iPhone models.

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Huawei Doubles Down on Tri-Fold Design

Huawei's Mate XT2 continues the company's push into tri-fold smartphones, with a design that folds twice to transform from a conventional handheld smartphone into a tablet-sized display.

The device is powered by Huawei's new Kirin 9050 Pro chip. The company says its new LogicFolding chip architecture can deliver greater computing performance while reducing power consumption.

Huawei has also redesigned the phone's folding mechanism and improved its water resistance. The Mate XT2 includes an optional privacy screen designed to prevent people nearby from viewing the display. Based on its own testing, the new model delivers 42 per cent better overall performance than its predecessor.

The Mate XT2 is priced from 19,999 yuan ($2,980), with the highest-end model costing 24,999 yuan. Sales are due to begin on September 12.

Huawei executive director Richard Yu said rising memory costs had created significant pressure on the company's pricing, particularly as the company incorporates new technologies into the device.

Xiaomi Takes Aim at the Premium Foldable Market

Xiaomi also unveiled its latest foldable, the Xiaomi 18 Fold, on Monday. Unlike Huawei's tri-fold device, Xiaomi's smartphone uses a conventional book-style folding design, functioning as a standard smartphone when closed and opening into a larger display designed for multitasking.

The Xiaomi 18 Fold is powered by the company's in-house XRing O3 processor and uses memory supplied by Chinese semiconductor manufacturer CXMT. Xiaomi has positioned the device as its most premium foldable yet, with a starting price of 10,999 yuan and a top price of 14,999 yuan.

The company is also emphasising on-device AI capabilities, reflecting the growing importance of dedicated AI processing in flagship smartphones.

Apple's Foldable iPhone on the Horizon

These synchronous launches place the spotlight on Huawei and Xiaomi immediately before Apple's expected first foray into the foldable market.

Apple is scheduled to hold its product event on September 9, where it is set to unveil its latest iPhone lineup alongside (potentially) its first foldable iPhone. Analysts expect the device to be positioned at the premium end of the market, with reports suggesting a price of around $2,000 or more.

Apple's entry could significantly increase attention on foldable smartphones, a category that has so far been seen as experimental and remained a relatively small part of the wider market.

However, foldable smartphones are already a major force in China thanks to Huawei. It accounted for 68 per cent of foldable smartphone shipments in China in the second quarter, according to Smart Analytics Global.

Huawei also led China's overall smartphone market with a 22.6 per cent total share, with Apple coming in second at 18.1 per cent and Xiaomi completing the trio at 12.4 per cent, according to IDC.

Globally, Samsung remains the leading foldable smartphone vendor, although competition is becoming increasingly fragmented as more Chinese manufacturers introduce further sophisticated devices.

A More Competitive Foldable Market

Huawei and Xiaomi's launches demonstrate how quickly the foldable smartphone market is evolving as manufacturers experiment with different designs, processors and AI capabilities.

Huawei is pursuing increasingly more complex multi-fold hardware, while Xiaomi is focusing on the more conventional foldable format. The company is also developing its own silicon to lay the groundwork for more complex AI workloads and closer collaboration with SoC design.

Apple's expected entry this week will add another major competitor to the foldable smartphone category and could provide a significant test of whether foldable smartphones are ready to move beyond being merely a niche segment.

For enterprise users, foldable smartphones could become useful productivity tools, giving employees the portability of a smartphone with the larger screen and multitasking capabilities of a tablet.