Sales of new Huawei and Apple smartphones started today in China. Many fans of the Chinese brand were disappointed that its long-awaited $2,800 Huawei Mate XT tri-flap phone, more than twice the price of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, was not available for purchase without an appointment.
Image source: huawei.com
Some potential customers at Huawei’s main store in Shenzhen expressed dissatisfaction when they learned that only those who had received confirmation of pre-orders could buy the Mate XT. Eager to support the domestic manufacturer, a student surnamed Ye joined the queue at around 10pm the previous day, but was forced to leave empty-handed this morning. A similar story took place in the Beijing Huawei Wangfujing store – about 30 people lined up at both outlets, a Reuters correspondent reports.
At Huawei’s main store in Shanghai, sales were “better than expected” according to chief executive Richard Yu – the new Huawei phone sold out in “a few seconds” and the company now has to work to increase production capacity. The device has received more than 6.5 million pre-orders, compared to just 3.9 million foldable phones sold worldwide last year. But please note that when placing a pre-order, no advance payment is required; Huawei did not warn how many phones it has released so far, and how many customers will be able to receive the Mate XT on the day sales start. Apple also hasn’t said how many new iPhones are available for sale in China today.
One of the phone sellers at the huge Huaqiangbei electronics market in Shenzhen reported that the most expensive version of the Huawei Mate XT with maximum memory costs 150,000 yuan ($21,290), and the base model with a manufacturer’s recommended price tag of $2,800 can be purchased for over $4,000. She admitted that several potential buyers inquired about the availability of this model, but the prices were too high. Huawei is exploring the possibility of releasing the Mate XT in overseas markets in the first quarter of next year, sources tell Reuters.
Apple products have been in high demand in China for years, and the launch of new iPhones used to cause a stir in the country, but the company has now slipped to only sixth place in phone sales in the country. The release of the iPhone 16 was overshadowed by the fact that the manufacturer has not yet introduced a local partner for the Apple Intelligence project, a set of artificial intelligence functions for new devices. Chinese language support will be available in Apple Intelligence next year. About 100 people lined up outside the Apple store in Beijing today.