Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Sep 7
Huawei Unveils $2,980 Mate XT 2 With First Fully In-House Kirin Chip
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Sep 7

Huawei Unveils $2,980 Mate XT 2 With First Fully In-House Kirin Chip

3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Sep 7

Summary

  • $2,980 Mate XT 2 went on sale in China as Huawei’s latest trifold, with prices rising to about $3,725 for a 1TB model with its privacy-focused display.
  • Kirin 9050 Pro is Huawei’s first chipset designed entirely in-house, a milestone driven by U.S. sanctions that block suppliers using American software from working with the company.
  • The phone shifts to an inward-folding 10.1-inch design that protects the flexible screen, adds a side-angle-limiting OLED option, and carries a 50MP main camera alongside 40MP ultra-wide and 50MP periscope lenses.
  • The launch comes days before Apple is expected to reveal its first foldable iPhone, intensifying premium foldable competition in Asia against Samsung and Xiaomi.

Insights

Will Xiaomi's ambitious 3nm in-house chip finally dethrone Huawei's foldable dominance in China's fierce 2026 market?
Can Huawei's impossibly thin 3.5mm tri-fold overcome the durability curse that has haunted foldable phones for years?
With a massive $1650 price tag, does Xiaomi's 200MP wide-fold truly offer enough innovation to justify the cost?