New Product Battle... Successive Releases on September 10
Huawei has decided to unveil its new product in line with the launch date of Apple's new iPhone series. The market expects Huawei to reveal the world's first triple-foldable phone that folds twice on this day.
According to local media including China's First Financial Daily on the 2nd, Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei Consumer BG, announced on his social media that the new product will be unveiled at 2:30 PM on September 10.
CEO Yu said, "Huawei's most leading, innovative, and disruptive product will be released," adding, "It is a groundbreaking product that everyone thought of but could not achieve." He further explained, "With five years of perseverance and investment, we have turned science fiction into reality," and urged, "Please look forward to Huawei's pinnacle."
Although the company did not provide exact details about the product to be released, the market expects Huawei to launch a triple-foldable phone that can fold twice on this day. Aligning the release date with Apple's iPhone 16 unveiling day is interpreted as an expression of confidence in technological advancement despite the comprehensive US sanctions against China.
Apple announced that it will hold its fall new product launch conference at 1 AM Beijing time at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, on the same day. The event date was moved up by one day due to the US presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, which was originally scheduled for the following day.
Notably, Huawei has overtaken Samsung Electronics, the 'originator' in the global foldable phone market based on shipment volume. In the second quarter, shipments surged 229% year-on-year, securing the top spot worldwide. Huawei also made a spectacular comeback in the Chinese market, recording smartphone shipments of 14.3 million units in the first half of last year after announcing the 'Mate 50' series in September 2022. From the second quarter of the same year, it achieved a market share of 13%, returning to the ranks of the 'top 5 smartphone manufacturers.'
On the other hand, Apple continues to struggle in the Chinese market. According to market research firm Canalys, Apple's iPhone shipments in mainland China for the second quarter (April to June) were approximately 9.7 million units, down 6.7% from 10.4 million units in the same period last year. During the same period, its market share shrank to 14% from 16% the previous year, dropping its ranking from third to sixth. The top five in the market were mainland companies Vivo, Oppo, Honor, Huawei, and Xiaomi. It is the first time that Chinese companies have swept the top five spots and that Apple has been pushed out of the top five.
Chinese media Jinlongjie explained, "It is extremely rare for two major technology giants to hold new product launch events on the same day," adding, "It will be a competition not only of products but also of technological capabilities and innovation."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
