The iPhone 16 and the foldable Mate XT phone were launched just a few hours apart on September 10 and were sold on the same day, September 20, in China. Before the sales began, both products attracted significant attention in the world’s most populous country.
Both Apple and Huawei allowed pre-orders and in-store pickups. However, the iPhone 16 was considered to have a stronger appeal, with long lines of people waiting outside the stores.
People queue to buy the Mate XT tri-fold smartphone outside a Huawei store in Beijing. Photo: Reuters.
According to Reuters, around 30 people were waiting outside Huawei stores in Beijing and a similar number in Shenzhen. Meanwhile, over 100 people lined up at the Apple Store in Beijing. In other locations, the number of people was consistently over 50.
According to CNBC, dozens of people in Beijing had been waiting since 5:30 AM on September 20 to buy the new iPhone, even though the Apple Store didn’t open until 8:00 AM. Meanwhile, there were no long lines outside Huawei stores in Beijing and Hefei. Huawei started delivering the new phone at 10:08 AM the same day.
Over the course of 1 hour and 20 minutes of observation, CNBC reporters noted that several dozen people went up to the second floor, to the area reserved for Mate XT buyers. ‘It’s unclear if all of them were actually purchasing the device. Many could be buying it to resell,’ the site commented. The $2,800 price tag of the Mate XT is also seen as a barrier, making the product less accessible compared to the thousand-dollar iPhone 16.
Apple Store in Shanghai.
On September 20, Huawei’s website announced that sales were halted due to overwhelming demand, with sales reopening on September 21. The company will complete deliveries by September 30.
Rui, who arrived at the Huawei store in Shenzhen early to try the Mate XT, said: ‘I wanted to see what people were talking about, but it’s a bit too big, not very practical.’
A customer surnamed Yang told CNBC that he had purchased the Mate XT but would try it out for a few days before deciding whether to keep it, gift it, or resell it.
Another customer surnamed Shi said the iPhone 16 remains attractive this year despite the absence of the Apple Intelligence feature. Meanwhile, the Mate XT is too expensive and ‘not meant for regular customers.
Admin.
