*

Huawei's Mate XT garners over 3.6 million pre-orders in

China

*

Analysts say it may not significantly impact Samsung and

Apple ( AAPL )

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Huawei leads global foldable smartphone market with 27.5%

share

(Recasts with Huawei smartphone launch)

By David Kirton

SHENZHEN, China, Sept 10 (Reuters) - China's Huawei

Technologies on Tuesday unveiled the world's first

tri-foldable phone as it seeks to expand its lead in the world's

biggest smartphone market and steal the spotlight from Apple ( AAPL )

hours after it debuted a new iPhone.

The Chinese tech giant showed off its new Mate XT, which

users can fold three ways like an accordion screen door, during

a launch ceremony in the southern tech hub of Shenzhen.

The device has already received more than 3.6 million

pre-orders, for which no deposit is required, according to the

company's website. The entire global market for foldable phones

was around 4 million units in the second quarter, according to

research firm IDC.

"Today we bring you a product that everyone can think of but

could not make. Our team has been working hard for five years

and has never given up," Huawei executive director Richard Yu

said at launch.

"We dare to make extraordinary breakthroughs. Today we will

once again rewrite the history of the industry, turn science

fiction into reality, and lead a new era of folding devices."

The much-anticipated launch comes just hours after Apple ( AAPL )

unveiled its latest model - the AI-boosted iPhone 16 - with both

smartphones due to go on sale on Sept. 20.

The Mate XT comes in red and black and has a 10.2 inch

display screen. At 3.6mm wide, the company said it was the

world's slimmest foldable phone.

The launch, which follows a series of successful smartphone

debuts, underscores Huawei's ability to navigate U.S. sanctions

and solidifies its position against Apple ( AAPL ) in China, where some

consumers criticised the new iPhone 16 for its lack of AI

features in the country.

Apple ( AAPL ) has yet to announce an AI partner in China to power

the 16s and Apple Intelligence, the company's AI software, will

only be available in Chinese languages next year.

"What's the point of buying it if you can't use AI?" wrote

one user on Weibo ( WB ), China's X-like platform. Another commented:

"Without AI as the biggest selling point, it should be half

price."

Huawei already has two-way foldable phones in its lineup,

and their strong sales in China helped it overtake Samsung

Electronics ( SSNLF ) this year as the biggest vendor of such

phones globally.

But with a price tag that starts at 19,999 yuan ($2,808) -

more than twice the starting price of the comparable Phone 16

Pro Max - and limited production, the tri-fold phone is likely

to become more of a symbol of Huawei's tech prowess than a major

sales driver, analysts said.

"The upcoming Huawei products are not expected to

significantly impact Samsung and Apple's ( AAPL ) businesses in terms of

product quantity," said Jene Park, an analyst at research firm

Counterpoint.

"There is a limit to the quantity of products supplied.

However, there may be some impact on sales in certain Chinese

markets."

The foldable smartphone market grew 57% year-on-year in the

second quarter with 3.9 million units shipped, largely as

Chinese smartphone makers pushed into overseas markets,

according to consultancy IDC.

That still remains just 1.3% of the wider smartphone market,

with 292.2 million smartphones shipped in the second quarter,

IDC said.

Huawei ranked as the world's biggest foldable smartphone

seller in the second quarter with a 27.5% market share, ahead of

South Korea's Samsung, with 16.4%, according to IDC.

That share rises to 42% in China's home market, ahead of

Vivo and former Huawei unit Honor, which it spun off under

pressure from U.S. sanctions in 2020.

In the broader smartphone market in China, Apple's ( AAPL ) ranking

fell from third to sixth place in the second quarter, as Huawei

emerged as the third-largest vendor on the back of strong sales

of its latest smartphones.

($1 = 7.1105 Chinese yuan renminbi)

($1 = 7.1213 Chinese yuan renminbi)