Huawei launches $2,800 trifold phone hours after Apple debuts iPhone 16

BEIJING — Chinese smartphone company Huawei said Tuesday its trifold smartphone will start at the equivalent of more than $2,800.

The phone began pre-orders on Saturday and is set to begin in-store sales on Sept. 20. That's the same day Apple's new iPhone 16 series is due to launch in stores, including in China.

On Monday stateside, Apple announced its iPhone 16 Pro Max will start at $1,199, and the iPhone 16 at $799. Pre-orders are set to begin Friday, and in-store sales on Sept. 20.

The first set of Apple Intelligence AI features will be available in a free software update next month, the company said. iPhone 16 users as well as those of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max can utilize the new functions.

Huawei's Mate XT also comes with artificial intelligence features, such as text translation and cloud-based content generation, according to Tuesday's presentation.

"We have spent five years striving for this," said Richard Yu, Huawei's executive director and chairman of the board of directors of the consumer business group. That's according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks.

The Mate XT comes in red and black, in three storage options with prices ranging from 19,999 yuan to 23,999 yuan ($2,809 to $3,371). The device is 3.6 millimeters thick when unfolded, with a 10.2-inch screen.

The phone can display content on a single, double or triple screen. Its battery is 1.9 millimeters thick. The Mate XT also works with a foldable keyboard.

More than 3.5 million people had pre-ordered Huawei's trifold Mate XT smartphone as of midday Tuesday, according to the company's website. The number of pre-orders rose above 4 million after the launch event.

Apple also announced a new A18 chip for its fresh phones that use highly