Huawei Mate XT2 tri-fold with in-house chip takes on Apple ahead of iPhone launch

Huawei unveiled the Mate XT2, a triple-folding smartphone powered by its own Kirin 9050 Pro chip, free from U.S. supply restrictions, just days before Apple's iPhone launch event. The device starts at 19,999 yuan ($2,980). The Mate XT2, announced Monday by Huawei chairman Richard Yu, is the second tri-fold model and features the Kirin 9050 Pro with Linxi Core CPU, Maleoon GPU, and Da Vinci NPU. It runs AI models up to 3 billion parameters on-device, with 42% higher computing performance than its predecessor. The launch comes as IDC forecasts a 16.7% drop in 2026 global smartphone shipments, with Huawei's resurgence challenging Apple in China. Xiaomi also debuted its 18 Fold smartphone the same day, while Apple's new CEO John Ternus faces a high-stakes test with premium-only iPhone pricing.