Huawei tri-fold phone sees over 3M pre-orders ahead of Apple’s iPhone 16 launch

Huawei Technologies has received over 3 million pre-orders for its triple-folding smartphone, its Vmall website showed on Monday.

The development comes just hours before Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is set to unveil its latest line of iPhones, the iPhone 16 today (Sept. 9). The Chinese tech giant had opened pre-orders for the phone on Sept. 7.

Huawei is expected to launch several new products, including its next flagship phone Mate 70, at the event on Sept. 10.

Huawei’s Mate XT, a Z-shaped tri-fold phone will be available in red and black colors, with 16-gigabyte of random access memory, or RAM, as well as internal storage options of 512GB and 1TB.

The company has not revealed the price or the specificaions of the phone, which is anticipated to be a 5G phone.

Scalpers have listed the phone for at least 20,000 yuan (about $2,821), according to checks made on Xianyu, the online flea market of Alibaba (BABA), the South China Morning Post reported.

Reservations on Vmall.com, which does not require a deposit, will end on Sept. 19. However, those who reserve their spot have no guarantee of getting the device immediately when sales begins on Sept. 20, according to Huawei, the report noted.

Last week, it was reported that Huawei and its chip making partner Semiconductor Manufacturing International (OTCQX:SIUIF) were struggling with production of the chips used in Huawei’s next flagship phone Mate 70, due to continuing impact of a a U.S. ban on the supply of chip manufacturing tools.

In August 2023, Huawei surprised many by quietly launching its new flagship smartphone, Mate 60 Pro. The chip inside the phone ignited concerns in the U.S. and raised questions about how it was possible, without the company being able to access critical technologies. In April, Huawei launched its Pura 70 series, which features the Kirin 9010 chip, a follow-up to the Kirin 9000s reportedly made by Semiconductor Manufacturing International for the Mate 60 Pro.

The Chinese tech giant was once in competition with Apple (AAPL) and Samsung (OTCPK:SSNLF) to be the world’s biggest handset maker until U.S. restrictions, starting in 2019, began to curb its access to chip manufacturing tools needed to produce its most advanced models.