Huawei’s Mate XT, being the world’s first tri-fold smartphone, has created a buzz as it got over 4 million preorders even before the formal launch. However, the tech giant might not enjoy the monopoly for long. Citing a recent patent filing published by China’s State Intellectual Property Office, a report by Gizmochina notes that Xiaomi is also working on the technology.

Earlier In August, Weibo tipster “Smart Pikachu” also brought up Xiaomi’s progress on this new design, while rumors suggest that Xiaomi could release the tri-fold phone as early as 2025.

Gizmochina suggests that though the patent itself does not disclose the model name, it does reveal a design featuring a Z-shaped fold, which is similar to that of Huawei Mate XT.

To elaborate, the report notes that the model is equipped with a horizontally positioned rear camera island, which is narrower than that of the Xiaomi Mix Fold 4. The image shown in the patent application also suggests that the tri-fold phone will feature three rear cameras, compared to the four found on the Mix Fold 4 model.

According to Gizmochina, Xiaomi’s tri-fold device may be slightly thicker than the Huawei Mate XT, which has a 12.8mm thickness when folded. However, there’s still time for Xiaomi to refine the design, the report notes.

It is interesting to note that this isn’t the first time the market heard about Xiaomi’s ambition on a tri-fold phone, as related patents could be dated back to 2019, the report indicates. However, the latest patent features a completely new design with a dual inward folding mechanism, suggesting that Xiaomi has been exploring various possibilities and folding techniques for some time.

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• [News] A Comparison between Apple iPhone 16 and Huawei Mate XT

(Photo credit: Huawei)

On September 10, two major smartphone manufacturers, Apple and Huawei, held new product launch events simultaneously. Apple’s iPhone 16 is powered by the A18 series Bionic chip, which is said to make it the first truly native AI smartphone.

Meanwhile, Huawei’s Mate XT, the world’s first triple-foldable phone, redefines the future standard for foldable devices.

• iPhone 16 Hit the Market, Backed by a Powerful Chip

On September 9, Apple held its product launch event, introducing the iPhone 16 series, including the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. All models in the new series are equipped with the new 3nm A18 series processor, with the standard iPhone 16 featuring A18 chip, and the flagship iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max powered by A18 Pro chip.

Compared to A16 Bionic chip used in the iPhone 15, iPhone 16’s processor makes a leap forward by two generations, offering a gaming experience on par with console-level performance.

The A18 and A18 Pro chips in the iPhone 16 series use the world’s first second-generation 3nm process and the latest Armv9 instruction set architecture. They have a built-in 16-core neural engine, with smaller transistors that increase speed and efficiency.

The memory subsystem has been uniformly upgraded, increasing total system memory bandwidth by 17%.

The A18 chip in the standard iPhone 16 features a 6-core CPU (2 performance cores + 4 efficiency cores), which is 30% faster than the A16 Bionic in the iPhone 15 and 60% faster than the A14 chip in the iPhone 12.

Its GPU is more efficient, consuming 35% less power for the same performance. A18 chip adopts Apple’s latest desktop-class GPU architecture, with a 5-core GPU that supports key functions like Apple Intelligence, photography, and graphically intensive games. It’s 40% faster than the A16’s GPU and twice as fast as the A14’s GPU.

The A18 Pro chip, debuting in the iPhone 16 Pro series, delivers up to 15% faster performance and 20% less power consumption compared to the A17 Pro when running the same workloads.

Additionally, Apple Intelligence’s running speed improves by 15%. Fitted with brand new 6-core GPU, A18 Pro optimizes graphics performance, features a GPU speed of up to 20% at the fastest and supports hardware ray tracing.

A18 Pro also supports faster USB 3 and ProRes video recording, along with a new video encoder and image signal processor, which double data throughput, boosting encoding speed and video processing efficiency.

Apple emphasized that the iPhone 16 series will introduce new generative AI features centered around Apple Intelligence for the first time. Apple Intelligence is set to launch in beta this fall as part of the iOS 18 update on all iPhone 16 models, as well as the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, with Siri and the device language initially set to U.S. English. Some functions and additional languages will be rolled out next year.

TrendForce previously noted that Apple Intelligence is a major highlight of the iPhone 16 series this year. While the LLM parameters on Apple’s devices are not as extensive as those on Android phones, Apple is expected to achieve superior system integration thanks to its closed ecosystem, self-developed processors, and strong control over app development.

The company is also focusing on improving Siri’s accuracy and has partnered with ChatGPT to boost AI performance. TrendForce points out that Apple Intelligence will gradually roll out more features and support for additional languages.

However, its functionality in China remains unclear, and the lack of significant AI-centric applications could potentially impact sales of the iPhone 16 series this year. 

From a production perspective, TrendForce’s research on September 6 pointed out that the excitement around Apple Intelligence has been building since WWDC24, and with a relatively low base in 2023, Apple’s four new models are expected to have a combined production volume of 86.7 million units in the second half of 2024, marking an 8% year-on-year increase.

Looking at total production for 2024, Apple is currently close to Samsung, the market leader, and could potentially surpass Samsung by the end of the year to become the top smartphone manufacturer by market share for the first time.

• Huawei’s World-First Triple-Fold Design Sets a New Standard

At the Huawei Extraordinary Brand Event and HarmonyOS Product Launch, Huawei officially unveiled the world’s first mass-produced triple-fold smartphone, the Mate XT. Prior to Huawei, companies like Samsung, TCL, and even Africa’s smartphone leader Transsion had already showcased triple-fold “concept phones.”

According to official reports, Huawei Mate XT measures 156.7mm in length. When unfolded, its width is 73.5mm in single-screen mode, 143mm in dual-screen mode, and 219mm in triple-screen mode.

When folded, the device is just 12.8mm thick and weighs approximately 298g. Mate XT boasts the world’s largest foldable screen at 10.2 inches, with a high resolution of 2200 x 2480. With a thickness of just 3.6mm, the Mate XT offers a user experience rivaling that of a small tablet, while still being compact enough to fit in a pocket when folded.

TrendForce reports that shipments of foldable phones are expected to reach 17.8 million units in 2024, making up only 1.5% of the smartphone market. Despite high repair rates and costs, market penetration is projected to climb to 4.8% by 2028.  

Samsung, which held a dominant 60% market share in foldable phones between 2023 and 2024, is facing more intensive competition from multiple smartphone brands, pushing its market share down to 50%, and Huawei has become its fiercest competitor.

The launch of Huawei’s 4G foldable Pocket S in 2023 performed exceptionally well in the market, driving Huawei to break into double digits for the first time in foldable phone market share, reaching 12%.

In 2023, Huawei also introduced upgraded 5G foldable phones, including the Mate X5 and Pocket 2. With the recent release of the Mate XT, Huawei’s foldable phone market share is expected to approach 30% by the end of this year.

Read more

• [News] Huawei’s Tri-Fold Phone Revealed Hours after Apple, with Pre-Orders Reportedly Exceeding 4 Million
• [News] Fuelled by AI Features, Apple’s iPhone 16 Shipments Reportedly to Increase by 10%

(Photo credit: Apple)

Less than 12 hours after Apple’s fall product launch, Huawei held its own event on the other side of the Pacific. As expected, they unveiled the world’s first tri-fold phone, the Mate XT. Its release date is also set to coincide with Apple’s, launching on September 20. As per a report from CNBC, after the launch event, the number of Mate XT pre-orders has already exceeded 4 million.

According to a report from Economic Daily News citing Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei Consumer Business Group, the biggest breakthrough in Huawei’s tri-fold phone is its solution to screen and hinge technology, which enables both inward and outward folding simultaneously. This design enhances the screen’s resistance impact.

The phone’s thickness is only 0.36 cm, and the battery, at 0.19 cm, is considered the thinnest in the world. Meanwhile, the new model is said to support multiple AI applications, and offers satellite communication.

Huawei revealed that the price of the Mate XT ranges from CNY 19,999 to CNY 23,999, aligning with market expectations. Sources cited by Economic Daily News are optimistic about the potential of Huawei’s tri-fold phone, and Taiwanese company Fositek will benefit as the exclusive supplier of hinges, one of the most critical bearing components, for the Mate XT.

Yu emphasized that the production cost of this tri-fold device is extremely high, though it may decrease as manufacturing yield rates improve. He highlighted three key breakthroughs with this new phone: the tri-fold design, cutting-edge technology, and its alignment with future trends.

The timing of Huawei’s product launch coincided with Apple’s fall event, and the announcement of the tri-fold device drew attention once again as its release date, like Apple’s iPhone 16 series, is set for September 20. Huawei also chose the specific time of 10:08 AM to start sales.

Richard Yu introduced the Mate XT as the world’s first mass-produced tri-fold smartphone, featuring a 10.2-inch screen. The product took the R&D team five years to develop and is described as bringing sci-fi into reality.

Reportedly, it supports multiple uses, allowing users to switch between single, double, and triple fold for large-screen viewing. Along with the phone, Huawei also launched a foldable touch keyboard, embodying the concept of putting both a computer and a keyboard in your pocket.

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• [News] Huawei Expected to Unveil Mate70 and Foldable Device Following Apple’s iPhone 16 Release

(Photo credit: Huawei)