September 2026 will be remembered as the week the foldable phone market changed forever.

In the span of 72 hours — from September 7 to September 10 — Huawei, Xiaomi, and Apple each unveiled their latest foldable flagships. This marks the first time in the seven-year history of the foldable category that three major smartphone brands have gone head-to-head on the same product category in the same week .

Huawei kicked things off with the Mate XT 2, a second-generation tri-fold with a "logic-folded" processor. Xiaomi followed with the 18 Fold, its first "mid-fold" phone and a $1,500-plus product. And on September 10, Apple will officially enter the foldable market with the iPhone Ultra — its first foldable device, carrying a $2,000+ price tag.

Huawei Mate XT 2: The Logic-Folded Chip Debuts

On September 7, Huawei unveiled the Mate XT 2 — its second-generation tri-fold phone — at an event in Guangzhou . The phone starts at 19,999 RMB (approximately $2,800), matching the price of its predecessor .

The most significant upgrade is the Kirin 9050 Pro chip — the first processor to use Huawei's "logic folding" technology, which represents a shift in semiconductor design philosophy .

Rather than relying solely on shrinking transistor dimensions, Huawei's "Logic Folding" approach stacks logic units vertically, creating shorter signal paths. The result: 52% multi-core performance improvement, 42% total performance improvement, and 41% power reduction at equivalent performance . Transistor density increased from 155 million per mm² to 238 million per mm² .

The chip also represents a milestone: it's the first new flagship Kirin chip Huawei has launched since 2020 — a six-year gap . Huawei's semiconductor chief He Tingbo proposed the "Tao Law" in May 2026, arguing that the industry should focus on time-based scaling through logic folding rather than purely geometric scaling .

The hardware upgrade is equally significant: the Mate XT 2 abandons the previous generation's "Z" fold for a new "U" shape, with both sides folding inward . The phone is 3.5mm thick when unfolded, making it the thinnest foldable on the market, despite adding an external screen and IP58/59 dust and water resistance . The unfolded display is 10.2 inches with 3K resolution .

The Mate XT 2 also introduces hardware-level privacy protection: a dual-pixel display that shows black from the side when privacy mode is activated, keeping the screen visible only to the user directly in front of it . It also features ECG functionality, making it the first foldable with medical-grade heart monitoring certified by China's NMPA .

Xiaomi 18 Fold: The "Mid-Fold" Arrives

Later that evening, Xiaomi launched the 18 Fold at an event in Beijing . CEO Lei Jun called it "Xiaomi's highest-end phone to date" — and the price reflected that: starting at 10,999 RMB (approximately $1,540) .

Xiaomi defines the 18 Fold as a "mid-fold" — a category between large foldables (like the Galaxy Z Fold) and clamshells (like the Galaxy Z Flip) . It features a 5.38-inch cover screen and a 7.58-inch inner display, with aspect ratios close to A-series paper standards . The phone weighs 219g and measures 5.02mm thick when unfolded .

The 18 Fold is the first Xiaomi phone to feature two in-house innovations: the Xuanjie O3 processor and the CXMT LPDDR6 memory . The Xuanjie O3 is Xiaomi's 3nm chip with a reported 5.22 million AnTuTu score. The LPDDR6 memory delivers 113.8 GB/s bandwidth, approximately 48% faster than LPDDR5X .

Other specifications include:

• Battery: 6,000 mAh
• Camera: Leica 200-megapixel main + 50-megapixel telephoto + 50-megapixel ultra-wide
• Multitasking: Up to six split screens
• Software: HyperOS 4 with Xiao Ai AI agent integration
• Available: Starts at 10,999 RMB (12GB/256GB), with a ceramic special edition at 15,999 RMB limited to 1,500 units

Xiaomi President Lu Weibing had warned in a livestream that the 18 Fold would exceed 10,000 RMB — "by more than a little bit" — due to rising memory costs . The 12+512GB memory configuration alone added approximately 1,500 RMB to the bill of materials, reflecting the industry-wide memory shortage .

Apple iPhone Ultra: What We Know So Far

Apple's entry into the foldable market comes on September 10 at 10:00 AM PT (September 10, 1:00 AM Beijing Time) — the first keynote under new CEO John Ternus. The device is expected to be called the iPhone Ultra, Apple's first foldable phone .

Based on multiple reports from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and supply chain sources :

Apple's approach contrasts sharply with its competitors. Unlike Huawei's tri-fold or Xiaomi's mid-fold, Apple is entering with a more familiar form factor. But the real differentiator may be software: iOS and iPadOS app ecosystems that can seamlessly transition between foldable, tablet, and phone modes .

Head-to-Head: Three Paths, One Price Point

Each company has chosen a distinct approach to the foldable category:

Each company is betting on a different thesis: Huawei is pushing the physical limits of foldable engineering with a tri-fold. Xiaomi is using a new form factor to differentiate itself while proving domestic supply chain capability. Apple is entering with a familiar form factor and betting that its software ecosystem will be the differentiator .

As one industry observer noted: Companies are no longer just selling phones. They are selling a vision of how people will interact with technology in the years ahead.

Key Takeaways