Many of Apple’s wealthy iPhone users in China are showing equal interest in Huawei’s more expensive trifold phone, according to stores on Friday, the day both the iPhone 16 and Huawei Mate XT were launched in the country.
Out of 10 individuals interviewed, eight expressed interest in both the new Apple and Huawei phones.
Huawei, a major Chinese telecommunications firm, has been working to rebuild its smartphone business following U.S. sanctions imposed in 2019.
In the second quarter, Huawei ranked fourth in China’s smartphone market share, as reported by Canalys.
Meanwhile, Apple, a U.S.-based company, dropped out of the top five, allowing domestic brands to take all the top spots for the first time, according to the same data.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is priced starting at $1,199, with the iPhone 16 starting at $799. In contrast, Huawei’s trifold Mate XT starts at over $2,800.
The price difference became even more striking on online resale platforms. By 1 p.m. on Friday, the Huawei Mate XT was listed on Xianyu, a secondhand marketplace, for between 50,000 yuan and 60,000 yuan ($7,100 to $8,520).
In comparison, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max was priced between 10,500 yuan and 16,300 yuan. Earlier in the day, the Mate XT’s resale price was listed at 19,000 yuan, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max was priced at 9,999 yuan on the same platform.
While people in Beijing lined up as early as 5:30 a.m. to purchase the new iPhone when Apple opened its doors at 8 a.m., there were no lines outside Huawei stores in Beijing or Hefei, a smaller city west of Shanghai.
Huawei began delivering its new trifold devices at 10:08 a.m. to customers who had pre-ordered them.
However, it was unclear if all of them were purchasing the device, as many appeared to be there for resale purposes.
Huawei’s website indicated that it had paused sales on Friday and would resume them at 10:08 a.m. on Saturday. The company also planned to complete all deliveries by September 30, according to the site.
The first customer interviewed at the Huawei store, a man surnamed Yang, arrived at 10 a.m. to test the trifold phone.
Yang, who withheld his first name due to concerns about speaking with foreign media, said he planned to try the Mate XT for a few days before deciding whether to keep it, give it to a friend, or resell it.
He believed he could sell the phone for 2,000 yuan more than its retail price.
Yang also mentioned that he currently uses an iPhone and was intrigued by Huawei’s new trifold features, as he felt Apple wasn’t offering much in terms of innovation.
Even the first person in line at the Apple store, Wang, shared that he was also interested in the Huawei trifold, though he had yet to receive a notification that his device was ready for pickup.
Wang purchased the iPhone 16 because of its longer battery life but said he would wait for the iPhone 17 to see any advancements in artificial intelligence features.
