Apple iPhone 16 vs Huawei Mate XT: The Impending Showdown in the US-China Smartphone Battle

Apple released the new iPhone 16 series on 9/10, while the Chinese smartphone giant Huawei quickly followed suit with the global debut of the world's first tri-fold screen phone, Mate XT, claiming to be able to fit a tablet in your pocket. Both phones are set to go on sale on 9/20, signaling a fierce competition between the two.

The Most Expensive "King" Mate XT

The Huawei Mate XT is touted as the world's first foldable phone with a triple-fold screen, which, when fully unfolded, boasts a screen size comparable to a tablet. According to a report by BBC, Huawei announced a price range of 19,999-23,999 Chinese yuan, approximately 90,400-108,500 New Taiwan dollars, making it the most expensive "king" in history. Additionally, Huawei has enlisted superstars like Andy Lau as brand ambassadors.

Huawei's online store started accepting reservations on September 7th, with around 3.4 million reservations made before the launch event. However, Huawei's reservations do not require a deposit and are seen as a formality; the official sales will start on September 20th. Some netizens commented that even if only one-third of the reservations turn into purchases, the total sales revenue could reach as high as 20 billion Chinese yuan.

iPhone 16: More Features, Same Price

The iPhone 16 is the first Apple phone designed around AI features, with a significant improvement in chip performance, yet maintaining the same price as the iPhone 15, starting at 29,900 New Taiwan dollars. It has the second-generation 3-nanometer A18 chip produced by TSMC. Apple claims a 30% increase in CPU performance and a 40% increase in GPU performance compared to the previous generation, boasting that this chip is "unrivaled in speed."

The iPhone 16 introduces a "photo button" and features a periscope telephoto lens and a 48-megapixel main camera, claiming to bring a professional camera experience in a pocket-sized device. The screen sizes for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be upgraded from 6.1 and 6.3 inches to 6.3 and 6.9 inches, respectively.

Apple Intelligence to Launch in October, Described as "Not Ready Yet" by U.S. Media

The standout feature of the iPhone 16 launched by Apple this time is its future compatibility with Apple's AI capabilities. However, according to Geoffrey Fowler, a reporter from The Washington Post who participated in the preview version, Apple Intelligence is not yet ready. He mentioned that while it is sometimes helpful, it often makes him burst into laughter.

The Apple Intelligence software features will actually be released in October, with the Chinese version expected to launch in 2025.

Apple Faces Sales Challenges in China

Apple has faced setbacks in the Chinese market this year. The latest financial report from Apple shows varying degrees of year-on-year growth in Apple product sales in the Americas, Europe, Japan, and other Asia-Pacific regions, with only Greater China experiencing a decline. This marks the fourth consecutive quarter of year-on-year decline in Apple's sales in Greater China, with a 6.5% decrease in sales for the region in the third quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.

According to the latest research report released by market research firm Counterpoint, the top four smartphone market shares in China in the second quarter of this year were held by vivo, OPPO, Huawei, and Honor, with Apple's market share falling to 15%, placing it in fifth position. Huawei, on the other hand, experienced the fastest growth, rising from an 11% market share in the same period last year to 15%.