Huawei wants to steal Apple's thunder with a tri-folding phone

Huawei, once a global smartphone powerhouse but now mostly reduced to the Asian market following a U.S. import ban, is trying something bold this year. The company is launching new phones, with the launch event scheduled mere hours after Apple's iPhone 16 event.

More precisely, Apple's event is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT, September 9, while Huawei's event starts at 2:30 p.m. China Standard Time on September 10, which translates to 11:30 p.m. PT on September 9. While that may be a little late for smartphone enthusiasts on the U.S. west coast, it's still notable that Huawei's event is taking place on the same day as Apple's "It's Glowtime" event.

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It's not just any phone that Huawei is launching, either. The company will unveil a tri-folding smartphone, something we've seen in concepts but never widely available, especially from a major smartphone maker such as Huawei. Details about the device are unknown, though analyst Ross Young says it will have a 10-inch display before folding, and that it will use the "most expensive smartphone panel" yet. Huawei's Executive Director teased the device on Weibo, saying it will be an "epoch-making product."

While Huawei's teaser image for the event obviously focuses on the tri-folding phone, there are reports that Huawei will also announce an electric car, as well as new smartwatches.

Should Huawei really launch an EV, it would be following in Xiaomi's footsteps. Known primarily as a smartphone maker, Xiaomi launched a snazzy-looking, super-fast electric car early this year.

Rumors about an Apple foldable device have been surfacing (and resurfacing) for years, but nothing really materialized in the form of an actual product you can buy. Last we've heard, Apple is working on an iPad/MacBook hybrid, but we won't see it on the market before 2027.