Huawei on the 20th of this month unveiled the world's first wide foldable phone, "Pura X Max." After seizing the title of "world's first double-folding smartphone" with the Mate XT in Sep. 2024, Huawei this time introduced a wide foldable phone ahead of Samsung and Apple. The product has a relatively wide horizontal ratio when folded, and when unfolded it features a pad-style display. Huawei's push to rack up consecutive world-first titles in the foldable market is seen as stemming from its ambiguous position in the global smartphone market.
Huawei has not broken into the top five in the overall smartphone market. However, in the foldable market, it is the No. 2 smartphone maker after Samsung Electronics. With rumors that Apple will soon release its first foldable phone, Huawei's No. 2 spot in the foldable market has become precarious.
Huawei will start sales of the Pura X Max in China on the 25th. The starting price of the 256GB (12GB RAM) model is 10,999 yuan (about 2.38 million won). The top-tier model offers up to 1TB (16GB RAM) of storage, priced at 13,999 yuan (about 3.03 million won). For now it is a product for the Chinese domestic market, but it appears the company will gauge the response and expand sales to the global stage.
In fact, the Pura X Max is not the first smartphone with the longest horizontal length. Microsoft released the Surface Duo in 2020, but it consisted of two screens rather than a single foldable display.
Ultimately, unlike previous foldables that came in clamshell and book formats, the Pura X Max is the first wide foldable with a tablet-like ratio. Samsung has also introduced the clamshell Flip and the large-screen book-style Fold. Huawei has added a new horizontal, wide design. In particular, the wide format is a design being discussed for Apple's first foldable phone, which is reportedly planned for release in the second half of the year. By claiming the "world's first" title for a wide-format foldable, Huawei has signaled its intent to highlight its presence and seize the market.
When unfolded, the Pura X Max offers a 7.7-inch OLED foldable display, and on the outside there is a 5.4-inch cover screen that allows basic functions without opening the device. It is equipped with the Kirin 9030 Pro chipset. It runs HarmonyOS and includes AI-based features. It also packs a 5,300mAh battery, supports both wired and wireless fast charging, and pursues a strategy of premium hardware specifications.
The rear camera features a triple-camera system consisting of a 50MP main sensor, a telephoto lens, and an ultra-wide camera. This setup shows that the Pura X Max aims to be competitive not only with a distinctive design but also by leveraging the strengths of familiar flagship smartphones.
With Samsung and Apple leading the global smartphone market, the "world's first" title is a particularly important marketing lever and box-office card for Huawei. When Huawei launched the double-folding phone "Mate XT" in Sep. 2024, it drew global attention for being faster than Samsung, which had pioneered the foldable market. Huawei released the model worldwide last February at 3,499 euros (about 5.76 million won), and according to the industry, global sales of the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate surpassed 400,000 units in just two months. Early supply could not keep up with demand, pushing the waiting list above 5 million units, and some online sellers listed it at 50,000 yuan (about 9 million won).
According to market research firm Omdia, based on shipments in the first quarter of this year, Huawei did not make the top five global smartphone vendors. The top four spots were taken by Samsung (22%), Apple (20%), Xiaomi (11%), Oppo (10%), and Vivo (7%). However, the foldable market is one Huawei cannot afford to miss. Last year's global foldable smartphone market share rankings were Samsung 40%, Huawei 30%, and Motorola 12%. That said, in the first quarter of 2024, Huawei overtook Samsung Electronics to record a 35% share of the global foldable smartphone market, reaching No. 1 for the first time. For Huawei, the foldable market, where it has verified its potential, is not one it can miss.
Huawei cannot rest easy this year with Apple's entry into the foldable market looming. Attention is on whether Huawei's "world first" strategy will work again. Counterpoint Research forecast this year's foldable market shares at Samsung 31%, Apple 28%, and Huawei 23%.