Huawei ‘super fans’ fuming after being left empty handed by $2,800 phone launch

SHENZHEN (Reuters): Huawei and Apple‘s latest smartphones went on sale in China on Friday, with many fans of the Chinese company disappointed that its much-anticipated $2,800 model – more than twice the price of the iPhone 16 Pro Max – was not available for walk-in customers.

At Huawei’s flagship shop in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, some who described themselves as “super fans” were annoyed after being told only those whose pre-orders had been confirmed could buy the tri-foldable Mate XT.

“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,” said a university student surnamed Ye.

“But this is very disappointing. They should have made it clear we can’t buy.”

It was a similar story at the Huawei Wangfujing store in Beijing, where access to the much-hyped Mate XT – which folds three ways like an accordion screen door – was restricted to those whose pre-orders had been confirmed.

Reuters saw around 30 people queuing outside the Huawei store in Beijing and a similar number in Shenzhen. Around 100 were seen queuing outside one of Apple’s main stores in Beijing.

Rui, who got to try the Mate XT in Shenzhen, said: “I wanted to see what the fuss is about, but it’s a bit big, not very practical really.”

Analysts had warned that supply chain constraints could leave potential buyers of the Mate XT empty-handed and others questioned its high cost amid a sluggish economy.

While Huawei executive director Richard Yu said at Mate XT’s unveiling this month the company had turned “science fiction into reality”, owning one still remains a fantasy for many.

At Huawei’s flagship store in Shanghai, Yu said that sales were “better than expected”, without providing details. The phone was sold out in “seconds” and Huawei was working to expand capacity, he added.

Pre-orders for the Mate XT have surpassed 6.5 million, almost double the roughly 3.9 million foldable smartphones shipped worldwide in the second quarter of this year, according to consultancy IDC. “Pre-ordering” does not require consumers to put down a deposit. Huawei did not say how many phones had been produced so far or how many customers would receive the Mate XT on launch day.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment on how many new iPhones were available for sale in China on Friday.

On the Alibaba-owned Xianyu platform, there were around 4,760 listings for the new Huawei phone – for both sale and pre-orders – as of Friday afternoon. The average price for phones on the platform was 50,000 yuan ($7,089).

In the Huaqiangbei electronics market in Shenzhen, a phone stall vendor said she was selling the most expensive version of the Mate XT – with the highest memory – for 150,000 yuan ($21,290), compared to the store price of 23,999 yuan, while she was offering the $2,800 model for more than $4,000.

Asked if she had sold any, she replied: “A few people have asked, but it’s far too expensive.”

Huawei is exploring launching the phone in overseas markets in the first quarter of next year, a person with knowledge of the matter said.