Huawei, Xiaomi launch new foldable smartphones ahead of Apple event

Sales begin ​on September 12. "Pricing right now is a real challenge, because memory costs have risen sharply. We ⁠adopted a lot of new technology, and the cost pressure has been enormous," Huawei Executive Director Richard Yu ​conference.

Huawei said the new chip design delivers greater computing power while using less electricity. The architecture, called Logic. Folding, is part of ​the "Tau Scaling Law" principleunveiled in May as Huawei seeks to overcome US restrictions on access to advanced technology.

Xiaomi takes aim at Apple. At a separate launch event, Xiaomi unveiled its most premium phone to date, the Xiaomi 18 Fold. The device uses what Xiaomi calls a "medium-fold solution", remaining ​passport-sized when closed while supporting three apps side by side when opened.

The HarmonyOS operating system running on a Huawei Mate XT2 foldable smartphone displayed at a Huawei store in Beijing, China September 7, 2026. REUTERSXiaomi CEO Lei Jun said the device had several advantages ​over Apple products.

Weighing 219 grams and measuring 5.02 mm thick when unfolded, the phone is lighter than Apple's i. Phone Pro Max, he ‌said. The handset ⁠runs Xiaomi's in-house XRing O3 AI processor, which Lei said outperforms Apple's A19 Pro in responsiveness.

It also usesDRAM memory chipssupplied by Chinese memory chipmaker CXMT.The Xiaomi 18 Fold is priced from 10,999 yuan ($1,540) to 14,999 yuan ($2,100). Read More:Musk pushes regulatory limits with Tesla's Cybercab robotaxi service"Nowadays, memory is very, very expensive.

We don't say it is cheap, but it is value for money," Lei said. Samsung remains top foldable vendor. The launches come ​ahead of Apple's unveiling of its ​latesti.

Phoneseries on Wednesday, ⁠with expectations high that it could also introduce a foldable phone. Huawei is currently the only major brand selling a so-called tri-fold phone. The Chinese tech giant is barred from selling products in ​the US, where Washington has deemed it a national security risk.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics(005930. KS), opens new tab, the ​world's biggest foldable ⁠smartphone vendor, launched a tri-fold device in December but reportedly discontinued sales after three months. In July, it expanded its foldablelineupto include a passport-sized foldable phone.

Huawei led China's smartphone market with a 22.6% share in the second quarter, ahead of Apple's 18.1%, according ⁠to consultancy ​IDC. Xiaomi held a 12.4% share. Huawei was even more dominant in folding ​phones, accounting for 68% of shipments in China in the second quarter, -based research company Smart Analytics Global.