Huawei, Xiaomi to debut new top phones on eve of foldable iPhone

Huawei on Sept 7 will unveil the latest edition of its ultra-premium trifold device, the Mate XT 2, which has two folding mechanisms. — Bloomberg

Huawei Technologies Co and Xiaomi Corp are raising the stakes in China’s smartphone arena just days before Apple Inc’s first foray into the foldable category.

Huawei on Sept 7 will unveil the latest edition of its ultra-premium trifold device, the Mate XT 2, which has two folding mechanisms. The successor to the Mate XT released two years ago, this new device advances the complexity of engineering and combines a regular smartphone and a large-screen tablet into one. It’ll be the first to feature Huawei’s new LogicFolding chip design philosophy, as the company seeks novel ways to advance performance.

Later in the evening, the Xiaomi 18 Fold will mark another step from a Chinese manufacturer toward greater reliance on domestic suppliers. The new handset will run on memory from homegrown champion CXMT Corp and Xiaomi’s self-developed Xring O3 processor. It also features a passport-like design that mirrors what the first foldable iPhone from Apple is expected to look like.

The defensive action from two of China’s top brands underscores the threat and opportunity that Apple’s entry into the niche but premium foldable segment represents. Expected to be priced at more than US$2,000 (RM8,089), the foldable iPhone will bring new attention to these devices, which Chinese makers and global shipments leader Samsung Electronics Co have been selling for years. In China, foldables have been a resilient bright spot in an otherwise declining market.

"Apple has the world’s biggest premium device installed base. Its foldable will sell well and rapidly grab market share,” Counterpoint analyst Ivan Lam said. He expects the new handset to spur wider adoption among consumers, with spillover effects that also lift demand for rivals’ devices as well.

Xiaomi’s profit has declined for three consecutive quarters as the company worked to reduce shipments of unprofitable low-end devices. Huawei, though still posting shipment growth, also saw its profit decline in the first half this year in part because the company was forced to hoard more components to fend off rising memory costs. Huawei joined Xiaomi and Honor Device Co in a fresh round of price hikes earlier this month, local media Jiemian reported.

Smartphones are headed for their worst contraction on record this year, with shipments likely to decline 14%, Counterpoint data shows. Chinese smartphone makers are among those worst hit due to their outsize exposure to budget devices that are least able to digest the cost of surging component prices. To escape that crunch, most brands are now heavily promoting the premium segments, such as foldables, in order to raise their average selling prices.

Getting out a couple of days before Apple’s splashy new product event on Sept 9 gives brands the chance to own the spotlight at least momentarily. Apple could grab a quarter of the global foldable market this year and claim the No.1 spot with a 41% market share next year, according to projections by Smart Analytics Global. – Bloomberg

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华为将于9月7日发布其超高端三折叠手机Mate XT 2的最新版本，该机采用两种折叠机制。——彭博社

就在苹果公司首次进军可折叠手机领域前几天，华为技术有限公司和小米公司正在加大对中国智能手机市场的投入。

华为将于9月7日发布其最新款超高端三折叠手机Mate XT 2，该机采用两种折叠机制。作为两年前发布的Mate XT的继任者，这款新机在工程设计上更进一步，将智能手机和大屏平板电脑的功能合二为一。它将是首款搭载华为全新LogicFolding芯片设计理念的产品，华为正寻求以创新方式提升性能。

当晚晚些时候，小米18 Fold的发布标志着这家中国制造商在更加依赖国内供应商方面又迈出了重要一步。这款新手机将采用本土巨头CXMT公司的内存和小米自主研发的Xring O3处理器。它还采用了类似护照的设计，与人们预期中的苹果首款折叠屏iPhone的外观颇为相似。

中国两大品牌采取的防御性措施凸显了苹果进军小众但高端的折叠屏手机市场所带来的威胁和机遇。预计售价超过2000美元（约合8089令吉）的折叠屏iPhone将使这类设备重新受到关注。多年来，中国制造商和全球出货量领先的三星电子一直在销售折叠屏手机。在中国，折叠屏手机一直是整体下滑市场中一抹亮色。

“苹果拥有全球最大的高端设备用户群。其折叠屏手机销量将十分可观，并迅速抢占市场份额，”Counterpoint 分析师 Ivan Lam 表示。他预计这款新手机将刺激消费者更广泛地接受它，并产生溢出效应，从而提升竞争对手产品的需求。

由于小米努力减少低端机型的出货量，其利润已连续三个季度下滑。华为虽然出货量仍保持增长，但今年上半年利润也出现下滑，部分原因是该公司被迫囤积更多零部件以应对不断上涨的内存成本。据当地媒体界面新闻报道，华为本月早些时候加入了小米和荣耀的行列，新一轮提价。

Counterpoint的数据显示，智能手机市场今年将遭遇有史以来最严重的萎缩，出货量可能下降14%。中国智能手机制造商受到的冲击尤为严重，因为它们在低端机型上的投入过大，而这些机型最难以承受零部件价格飙升带来的冲击。为了摆脱困境，大多数品牌目前都在大力推广高端产品，例如折叠屏手机，以提高平均售价。

在苹果公司9月9日盛大的新品发布会前几天抢占先机，能让品牌有机会至少短暂地成为焦点。据Smart Analytics Global预测，苹果今年有望占据全球折叠屏手机市场四分之一的份额，并在明年以41%的市场份额荣登榜首。——彭博社

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