[À VOIR] Huawei unveils first of three foldable phones

Chinese telecom giant Huawei on Tuesday unveiled the world's first tri-fold mobile phone, hours after US rival Apple announced a new range of iPhones powered by generative artificial intelligence.

• Read also: Apple Introduces New iPhones Powered by Its Generative AI

Huawei's new model, called the Mate, went on sale on September 20.

Although the phone, with its red and gold design, is aimed more at high-end customers, more than three million people have already pre-registered to be alerted of its availability.

“Huawei has always been a pioneer in the foldable phone sector,” Richard Yu said during his presentation. This new model, which starts at 19,999 yuan (more than $3,800 Canadian), “is the world’s first to be divided into three.”

Richard Yu also emphasized: “We have put a lot of effort into solving the problem of mass production and product reliability.”

The announcement comes a day after Apple introduced its new lineup of iPhones, the first smartphones to feature Apple's new generative artificial intelligence (AI) system, a Silicon Valley star technology that the California group has been left behind.

Huawei has for several years been at the heart of a fierce technological rivalry between China and the United States, which accuses the company, without providing evidence, of being able to spy for the Chinese authorities.

Huawei categorically denies the allegations, but since 2019, sanctions imposed by Washington have cut the company off from global supply chains for American technology and components.