On September 10, tech giants Apple and Huawei held product launch events on the same day, once again clashing head-to-head.
Apple unveiled the highly anticipated iPhone 16 series, introducing Apple’s smart features for the first time; meanwhile, Huawei launched the world’s first mass-produced foldable Mate XT Extraordinary Master series. With the release of these two new devices, competition in the high-end market between the two companies is set to intensify.
At its fall event, Apple introduced the iPhone 16 series, which includes the standard version, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max. Notably, the gap between the standard and Pro versions has narrowed, maintaining existing pricing and memory configurations.
In addition, Apple has introduced AI features for the first time. CEO Tim Cook stated that the new generation of iPhones is designed for Apple’s intelligence, with AI computing power enhanced to twice that of the A16 chip. New features include article proofreading, emoji generation, and intelligent photo album searches, which are expected to launch in the U.S. next month. Support for languages such as English and Chinese is anticipated to be available by 2025.
Shortly after Apple’s launch event, Huawei swiftly introduced its foldable Mate XT smartphone, which has garnered significant market attention. The device features a triple-screen design, offering a total screen area of 10.2 inches, with a thickness of only 3.6 mm, starting at a price of 19,999 yuan.
Huawei stated that this phone is the world’s first to achieve mass production, developed over five years, featuring flexible materials that allow for multi-directional bending, addressing the issues of screen extendability in foldable devices.
In terms of imaging capabilities, the Mate XT is also impressive, equipped with a 50-megapixel main camera and a 5.5x telephoto lens, supporting 50x digital zoom. Huawei showcased various usage scenarios for the Mate XT during the launch, especially applications tailored for business professionals.
According to market research firm Canalys, in the market for smartphones priced over $600 in mainland China, Apple held a 54% market share in the first quarter of 2024. While still leading, its sales fell by 25% year-on-year; meanwhile, Huawei's sales grew by 67%, increasing its market share to 26%. In the second quarter, Apple’s market share further declined to 52%, while Huawei’s rose to 30%. With the launch of the Mate XT, the competition in the high-end market is becoming even fiercer.
Industry insiders believe that while the Mate XT’s triple-folding technology is still in a niche market and will not directly impact the iPhone 16 series in the short term, Huawei is clearly seizing this opportunity to challenge Apple, striving for parity with the technology leader.
The Huawei Mate 70 series is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of this year and could become the biggest competitor to the iPhone 16 series. Huawei is gradually promoting the application of its "pure-blood Harmony" operating system, and the successful rollout of this system could potentially change the current smartphone market landscape. Future competition will not only be limited to hardware; enhancements in software ecosystems and user experience will be crucial in the rivalry between the two companies.