Archive · 31 Aug 2026
Apple and Huawei Prepare Foldable Smartphone Showdown This September
Apple and Huawei are preparing new phones that can fold or unfold.
Apple may introduce its first foldable iPhone on September 9.
Huawei plans to reveal an updated trifold phone called the Mate XT 2 on September 7.
Apple’s phone is expected to open like a book and become a small tablet.
Huawei’s phone can fold in two places and become tablet-sized when fully open.
Samsung and other companies already sell foldable phones.
These phones are thinner and stronger than earlier models, but they still work much like regular smartphones.
The big question is whether Apple’s entry will make foldable phones popular with more people.
Apple is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone at an event on September 9.
Huawei is scheduled to launch the Mate XT 2 on September 7 as an upgrade to its trifold phone.
Apple’s foldable may use a book-style design with iPad-like layouts and side-by-side apps.
Huawei’s Mate XT series uses two hinges and unfolds into a tablet-sized display.
Foldables remain a niche category, representing 1.3 percent of the global smartphone market.
- Who
- Apple and Huawei are preparing new foldable smartphones, competing with Samsung, Motorola, Google and other manufacturers.
- What
- Apple is expected to launch its first foldable iPhone, while Huawei plans to launch the Mate XT 2 trifold phone.
- When
- Huawei’s event is scheduled for September 7, and Apple’s event for September 9.
- Where
- Apple’s launch will take place at Apple Park in Cupertino, California; Huawei’s event location is not specified.
- Why
- Both companies are targeting the high-end smartphone market as manufacturers seek premium products and foldables remain a developing category.
Apple’s Mainstreaming Potential
Huawei’s Foldable Experience
Approach to the foldable market
Apple’s Mainstreaming Potential
Apple’s entry could expand the foldable market and make the category more attractive to mainstream consumers.
Huawei’s Foldable Experience
Huawei has been developing foldables for years and already offers multiple designs and price points.
Product design
Apple’s Mainstreaming Potential
Apple’s expected book-style iPhone may emphasize a wider format, iPad-like layouts and running two apps side by side.
Huawei’s Foldable Experience
Huawei’s Mate XT series uses a trifold design with two hinges and can unfold into a tablet-like device.
Commercial prospects
Apple’s Mainstreaming Potential
Analysts cited in the article expect Apple to become the largest foldable brand within its first year in the category.
Huawei’s Foldable Experience
Huawei’s Mate XT has already sold 470,000 units and generated more than $1.3 billion, despite serving a niche audience.
Whether foldables can become mainstream
Apple’s Mainstreaming Potential
Apple’s reputation for entering markets later and helping popularize product categories could benefit foldables.
Huawei’s Foldable Experience
Foldables still represent only a small share of smartphones, and Apple’s Vision Pro is cited as an example showing that the company cannot guarantee success in every niche category.
- Global foldable market share
- Foldable smartphones account for 1.3 percent of the global smartphone market.
- Apple event
- Apple is scheduled to hold its product launch on September 9 at Apple Park in Cupertino, California.
- Huawei event
- Huawei has scheduled an event for September 7.
- Samsung’s foldable share
- Samsung held a 48.3 percent foldable-phone share outside China in the first quarter of 2026.
- Motorola’s regional shares
- Motorola held 65 percent of the foldable market in the United States and 59 percent across the Americas.
- Mate XT sales
- Huawei has sold 470,000 Mate XT units, generating more than $1.3 billion in revenue, according to IDC.
- Apple shipment forecast
- IDC expects Apple to account for 29.4 percent of foldable shipments in 2026 and 34.9 percent in 2027.