Huawei's latest innovation, the tri-foldable Mate XT, has sparked a wave of national pride in China. Launched just hours after Apple's introduction of its AI-enhanced iPhone 16 lineup, the Mate XT is being hailed by many as a symbol of Chinese technological prowess. However, the phone's hefty $2,800 price tag has drawn significant criticism.

Unveiled on Tuesday, the Mate XT is the first tri-foldable smartphone in the industry. It will go on sale alongside the iPhone 16 on September 20, though it is expected to be available only in China.

A visual showing Apple store employees in China visiting a Huawei store to view the Mate XT launch quickly went viral on Weibo, becoming the No. 2 trending topic for 13 hours. The video garnered 91 million views and more than 6,600 comments.

The Mate XT's debut follows Huawei's successful reentry into the 5G premium smartphone market with its Mate 60 series last year and this year's Pura series, which feature domestically produced semiconductors. These releases have been celebrated in China as victories over U.S. sanctions, which have restricted the company's access to advanced American technology since 2019. Washington regards Huawei as a national security threat, a claim the company denies.

In contrast to Apple's upcoming iPhone 16, which has yet to announce an AI partner for the Chinese market, the Mate XT is seen as a demonstration of China's technological advancement despite external pressures.

Despite the national pride, the Mate XT's starting price of 19,999 yuan has been met with criticism for being too high, especially during a period of economic uncertainty when many consumers are facing financial challenges. The more advanced versions of the phone, featuring enhanced memory, are priced up to 23,999 yuan ($3,300).

A recent Weibo poll revealed that out of approximately 9,200 respondents, only 966 planned to purchase the Mate XT. Over 4,700 were deterred by the price, while another 3,500 were not considering it at this time. "No matter how much I like the product, the price tag just sounds crazy to me," said Xu, a Huawei loyalist at a Beijing store.

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