Chinese consumers are upset that they were not able to buy the tri-fold Huawei Mate XT
The tri-fold Huawei Mate XT. | Image credit-Huawei
For example, self-described “super fans” who visited the company’s flagship store in Shenzhen were upset when they found out that only those with confirmed pre-orders were being allowed to buy the Mate XT. A university student with the surname Ye said, “I’ve been here since 10 p.m. last night because this tri-folding phone is a first and I’m excited to support our country. But this is very disappointing. They should have made it clear we can’t buy.”
Not everyone was impressed with the tri-fold Mate XT. One person with the surname Rui who was able to play around with the phone at the Shenzhen store said, “I wanted to see what the fuss is about, but it’s a bit big, not very practical really.” Some analysts pointed to the price of the phone in wondering how much demand there will be for it. In addition, Huawei has to deal with the limitations of its supply chain which could reduce the number of units available.
A third-party phone saleswoman says the Mate XT is “far too expensive”
Huawei’s Richard Yu said that sales were better than expected at the Huawei store in Shanghai. While the Mate XT had pre-orders of 6.5 million units compared to total shipments of 3.9 million foldables in the second quarter, the pre-orders did not require that the buyer put down a deposit or pay for the phone in advance and was just an indication of interest in the device.
At a Huaqiangbei electronics market in Shenzhen where phones were being sold from a stall, the salesman said that he is offering the version of the Mate XT with the most amount of memory available for 150,000 yuan ($21,290). In the Huawei stores that model is priced at 23,999 yuan ($3403). The saleswoman working from the stall also said that she is offering the $2,800 model for more than $4,000. When asked if she had sold any Mate XT units she replied, “A few people have asked, but it’s far too expensive.”
While the Mate XT is being sold in China only for now, someone with knowledge of the situation says that Huawei is considering offering the device overseas during the first quarter of next year.