Huawei launches the world's lightest foldable screen smartphone

Huawei Technologies has launched the world's most lightweight foldable screen phone, tapping into this "gold track" of the smartphone industry which has rapid growth and high profitability.

It's the fifth foldable phone released in the past three years by Huawei which is now the leading producer of this style in China, with 49 percent market share.

Huawei's new Mate Xs2 weighs in at 255 grams, at least 20 percent lighter compared with other models in the market.

It's currently the industry's lightest folding large-screen mobile phone, said Richard Yu, head of Huawei's Terminal Business.

Prices for the new models start from 9,999 yuan (US$1,538) and they will be available from May 6.

Currently, the foldable model market is a "gold track" for its premium position and huge potential, according to Huawei.

Major firms including Huawei, Oppo, Samsung and Vivo have all launched foldable phones. Apple is reported to be launching foldable iPhones around 2024.

The foldable model market sales will grow 69 percent annually on average to hit 27.6 million units in 2025, according to International Data Corp (IDC).

Comparatively, Chinese smartphone sales tumbled by 14.1 percent in the first quarter, IDC reported.

Compared with other players, Huawei offers the advantages of a complete ecosystem for smartphones to connect and synchronize with devices, from a laptop, to a TV and a car.

Up to now, more than 240 million devices support Huawei's HarmonyOS system. Huawei's Terminal Business now has 730 million monthly active users worldwide.

On Friday, Huawei posted first quarter revenue of 131 billion yuan, a 14 percent drop from a year ago. The private firm didn't reveal further fiscal detail.

The pandemic and US tech sanctions hit Huawei's consumer business, including smartphone sales, after former US President Donald Trump put the firm on an export blacklist in 2019 and barred it from accessing critical technology of US origin.

Huawei continues to invest heavily in research and development. In 2021, it applied for 6,952 patents, ranking it the world's No. 1 for five consecutive years, Yu said.