Huawei’s Mate XT Sales Figures Are Impressive
Back in September of last year, Huawei launched one of the more impressive devices in recent memory. The Huawei Mate XT features a dual hinge, multi-fold design that allows it to transform from a fairly standard looking 6.4-inch screen to a massive 10.2-inch screen. Perhaps even more impressively, the device is only 3.6mm at it’s thinnest point.
Despite the very high 20,000 yuan price tag ($3600) and scalpers pushing the price all the way to 50,000 yuan ($6800), a recent post on on CNMO highlights a tipsters claim that the Mate XT has sold over 400K units already.
Mate XT Specs
Dimensions: Unfolded: 156.7 x 219 x 3.6-4.8 mm, Folded: 156.7 x 73.5 x 12.8 mm
Screen Sizes: Main (Foldable) Display: 10.2 inches, Cover Display: 6.4 inches
Camera: Triple Rear Camera: 50MP (wide), 12MP (ultrawide), 12MP (periscope telephoto), Front Camera: 8MP
Battery: 5600 mAh
Charging Speed: 66W Wired, 50W wireless, 7.5W reverse wireless
Operating System: HarmonyOS 2
CPU: Kirin 9010
How Does This Compare?
November 2024 Samsung Galaxy Sales
— Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) January 2, 2025
The cumulative sales of the Galaxy S24 series over 11 months reached 34.66 million units (Ultra: 15.8 million, Plus: 6.77 million, Base: 12.1 million), surpassing the Galaxy S23 series’ sales of 29.41 million units (Ultra: 13.56 million, Plus:…
As a useful bit of context, let’s look at Samsung’s most recent flagship foldable, the Z Fold6. According to this tipster on Twitter, the Z Fold6 sold 2.09m units in its first 5 months. At first glance you might think that this diminishes the accomplishment of the Mate XT, but it really doesn’t.
The most obvious thing to note is that the Huawei device is quite literally double the price of Samsung’s Z Fold. Take your pricey foldable barrier of entry and crank it up to 11 and yet they still moved 400K units.
You’re also dealing with a new form factor that, while exciting, could also dissuade some consumers from forking over such a high total. Huawei’s device is also banned from using Google’s services which has forced Huawei to adopt their own OS. There are workarounds to get many Google apps working, but it will take some extra work.
Given all the things that could hold sales back, what they’ve accomplished here is very impressive.
Samsung’s Multi-Fold
My mock-up based on patents
Not to be outdone, Samsung seems to have their own two-hinged folding device in the works as well. According the patents and other leaks, their Galaxy G Fold could feature a design that sees both hinges fold inward to fully protect the fragile folding glass. Users will have an independent cover display to use when it’s closed. While this should be the phone more durable, it will also remove the three-form-factor capability of the Mate XT.
Similar to Huawei's Mate XT, it appears Samsung's forthcoming foldable device, internally designated as Q7M and bearing the model number SM-F968, is poised for a potentially restricted initial release. Confirming this suspicion, Phandroid uncovered database entries within the GSMA repository, revealing specific regional variants: SM-F968N earmarked for the South Korean market and SM-F9680 intended for the Chinese market.
This focused regional strategy bears a striking resemblance to the limited release of last year's Samsung Z Fold Special Edition. The fact that only two model numbers have been spotted is a bummer that while not definitively ruling out a global launch, significantly diminishes its likelihood.
If Samsung does the same thing they did with that Special Edition phone, chances are, this new foldable will only launch in South Korea and China at first. Then, if it does well there, they might decide to sell it in more regions the following year. Keep in mind, the Z Fold7 appears to be an upgraded Z Fold Special Edition. We could see a similar approach here.