Huawei Tech Companion XT smartphone was arranged in Hong Kong on September 24, 2024.
Lam Yik | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Huawei launched the Trifold smartphone on Tuesday outside China as it made a comeback in the international market after it was tied up by U.S. sanctions.
The price of the companion XT starts at €3,499 ($3,660). Huawei has not announced in which countries the model will be available, but the company tells users to look for local announcements.
Mobile phone is First released in China last year and Drew’s Global Conspiracy It is the first Trifold phone ever. Normally foldable devices can be folded halfway vertically or horizontally. The MATE XT has two points that can be folded and can display content on a single, dual or triple screen.
Huawei Once the world’s largest smartphone player And challenged Apple and Samsung to the premium market.
U.S. sanctions begin in 2019 Cut off Huawei’s access to Advance Chips and Google’s Android operating system, i.e. Made its market share plummet. As other brands fill the gap, this has almost disappeared from the international market. Huawei’s smartphone market share outside China is only 0.3%, according to research firm International Data Corporation.
However, in China, Huawei’s market share has grown from 12% in the previous year to 17% in 2024. According to IDCThanks to the comeback of smartphone releases later in 2023 Includes a pretty advanced chip. This component surprised many people as U.S. sanctions over the past few years tried to reduce China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology.
Huawei hopes to bring this momentum into its overseas markets, focusing on high-end devices.
Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of data and analysis at IDC, told CNBC that the Mate XT will not be sold in large quantities and is likely to be targeted at those who want to show that they can afford this expensive device.
“I think they (Huawei) think that triangles can be a unique value proposition and because they are very expensive, their goal is to target wealthy people who are more keen to show off their own money than to have the best experience, ,” Geronimo said.
Still, even if Huawei wants to sell half a million units of partner XT, it could generate $1.5 billion in revenue.
Partner XT will test Huawei’s appeals outside China. First of all, it won’t use Google’s Android operating system, which is the most popular in the world.
While Android phone users can access millions of apps through the Google Play Store, Huawei’s App Store doesn’t offer some of the most popular Google apps that Chinese people rely on, which could hinder the appeal of their partner XT.
“The lack of Google remains a “loophole” in the mainstream international markets, Shah, a partner at Counterpoint Research, told CNBC.
Gemini is Google’s artificial intelligence chatbot.
