Huawei and Apple launch flagship phones on same day in China

In a rare occurrence, both Huawei and Apple put their flagship smartphones, the Huawei Mate XT and iPhone 16 up for sale, on the same day in China, creating a significant stir in the tech market and leading to long queues forming outside Apple stores in major cities like Guangzhou.

Huawei, the Shenzhen-based tech giant, introduced the Mate XT, the world’s first tri-fold smartphone on September 9, just hours after Apple released its iPhone 16.

The Mate XT, which has been five years in the making, is positioned as a breakthrough in foldable phone technology.

“The Huawei Mate XT is the world’s first triple-fold smartphone, and the largest and thinnest foldable handset globally,” said Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei's consumer business, during the live streamed event. The phone, featuring a 10.2-inch screen and advanced hinge technology, is available in red and black variants.

The release of Huawei’s Mate XT coincided with Apple's iPhone 16 launch, which marks Apple's first smartphone with built-in generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

The simultaneous launches have fueled considerable excitement in the Chinese market, with many consumers eager to experience the new advancements in mobile technology.

Apple introduced four new models in the iPhone 16 series: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The devices feature new customizable action buttons and are built around artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

However, users expressed dissatisfaction as the AI features are not yet fully available and will be rolled out at the end of the year and into 2025 for different regions and languages.

In a separate development, the European Union’s highest court ordered Apple to pay $14.3 billion in back taxes to Ireland, concluding a decade-long legal battle.