The global smartphone landscape is on the brink of its biggest shift in years, and all eyes are on Beijing. Following Apple’s high-profile announcement of its first-ever foldable device—the iPhone Duo—the competitive heat in China has reached a fever pitch. Far from dampening local brands, Apple’s entry into the foldable arena has paradoxically triggered a surge in demand for domestic alternatives, setting the stage for an intense clash between Cupertino and China’s tech giants.
China: The Epicenter of the Foldable Market
Winning over Chinese consumers is vital for Apple’s long-term growth and hardware dominance. According to data from Counterpoint Research, China accounts for more than a third of all global folding smartphone sales, making it by far the largest single market for this premium category.
However, unlike standard smartphones where Apple enjoys immense brand loyalty and massive market share in China, the foldable segment is heavily guarded by domestic champions. Huawei reigns supreme as the market leader for foldables and general smartphones in China, having pioneered its first folding device back in 2019. Alongside Huawei, major Chinese competitors like Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, and Honor have spent years refining hardware, hinges, and software optimization for foldable form factors.
The “Apple Effect”: Local Sales Spike
Rather than freezing out competition, Apple’s September announcement of the iPhone Duo has served as a massive marketing catalyst for the entire category.
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Huawei’s Surge: According to Huawei, sales of its Pura X Max—a device sharing similar dimensions to the upcoming iPhone Duo—spiked by roughly 77% during the four days following Apple’s reveal, compared to the previous week. Huawei reports that over 1.4 million units of the Pura X Max have been sold since its April release.
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Xiaomi’s Milestone: Xiaomi reported record-breaking first-week sales for its passport-size folding phone, the 18 Fold, following its rollout in early September.
Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business, attributes this resilience and market dominance to years of relentless R&D. “I how hard-earned these achievements were, which is why we are a leader in this business,” Yu stated, emphasizing Huawei’s heavy investments in screen reliability and camera technology.
Staking Claims at the Ultra-Premium Tier
Foldables remain a relatively niche category overall, making up roughly 4% of smartphone sales in China and a modest 2% globally, according to Counterpoint Research. Manufacturers face persistent engineering hurdles, including device fragility and the complexity of integrating top-tier camera arrays into folding bodies.
Despite these challenges, brands view foldables as the ultimate halo product to capture high-end consumers willing to pay top dollar:
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Huawei’s Pricing & Innovation: Huawei’s Pura X Max starts at the equivalent of over $1,600. Furthermore, Huawei continues to push boundaries with cutting-edge trifolding smartphones that unfurl twice like a pamphlet. The second-generation Mate XT2 trifold, released in early September, commands a starting price of nearly $3,000.
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Apple’s Entry: The iPhone Duo enters the market at $1,999 in the U.S. and 15,999 yuan in China (roughly equivalent to $2,400). Apple has announced that preorders will kick off globally on October 16, with retail availability following a week later.
Consumer Sentiment and Tech Pride
For many tech-savvy consumers in China, folding phones represent the pinnacle of mobile engineering. Early adopters and productivity-driven professionals rely on the expanded screen real estate for multitasking, document review, and media consumption on the go.
However, brand allegiance runs deep. Wang Rui, an 18-year-old college student in Beijing who visited Huawei’s flagship store to inspect the Mate XT2, noted that Apple is playing catch-up in terms of hardware ambition. “I like cutting-edge technology,” Wang said while reviewing stock data on the Mate XT2’s expansive 10.2-inch screen. “As of now, Apple hasn’t reached this level yet.”
Global Projections and Local Resilience
Despite trailing domestic competitors in hardware variations (such as trifolds), market analysts expect Apple’s immense global footprint to make an immediate impact. Counterpoint Research projects that Apple will ship up to six million foldable iPhones this year, capturing 25% of the global foldables market and narrowly outpacing Huawei’s projected 22% global share. Meanwhile, foldable pioneer Samsung—which holds a relatively minor footprint in mainland China—is forecasted to maintain its worldwide lead with a 38% global share.
For Huawei, overcoming international barriers has required extreme resilience. Barred by the U.S. government from utilizing American technology since 2019, Huawei has engineered its own proprietary chips and operating systems. Its latest mobile hardware lineup, the Mate 90 Series, utilizes advanced multi-layer circuit techniques within single chips to maximize computing power despite a lack of access to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines.
As the iPhone Duo hits store shelves later this October, the true test will not just be whether Apple can capture global attention, but whether it can dethrone entrenched local innovators on their home turf.
