Huawei’s Mate XT and iPhone 16 hit shelves on same day, drawing consumers and scalpers

Huawei Technologies and Apple are facing off in China, as the Mate XT tri-fold handset and new iPhone 16 hit shelves on the same day, drawing consumers and scalpers alike amid intense competition in the world’s biggest smartphone market.

At Huawei’s flagship store in Shenzhen’s Nanshan district on Friday afternoon, the display area for the Mate XT, priced from 19,999 yuan (US$2,800), attracted continuous crowds keen to see product demonstrations by staff or try out the new handset themselves.

However, with limited availability, only people who pre-ordered at the store and received a confirmation message from Huawei were able to buy the new phone on Friday. Walk-in customers were not able to buy one or place an order on the spot, according to staff at the flagship store.

“I drove here [on September 7] to make the pre-order right after I heard about it on the news,” a customer surnamed Chen said after getting his new Mate XT at the store. “I tried out the phone just now and the experience was wonderful. I’m very excited about this tri-fold phone as it represents the most advanced technologies in China.”

Some interested consumers left disappointed as they could not get the phone. “I came here hoping to at least find a scalper [but haven’t]. I’m fine with a slightly marked-up price of around 26,000 yuan, but I won’t consider it if the price is too high,” said Tony Li, another shopper at the store.

There was a queue of dozens of people in the morning waiting to get their Mate XT, a Huawei sales staff member said, adding that the store had to limit the flow of people to ensure a better customer experience.