Beijing residents who are fans of Apple iPhones are increasingly choosing Huawei's trifold phone.

• In China, many Apple iPhone users are also interested in Huawei's more expensive tri-fold phone, according to CNBC's spot checks at stores on the day of the iPhone 16 and Mate XT launch.
• Eight out of the ten individuals interviewed by CNBC expressed interest in both the new Huawei and Apple phones.
• As early as 5:30 a.m., individuals in Beijing queued to obtain the new iPhone when the doors opened at 8 a.m.
• People who had reserved the trifold device received their new phones from Huawei's store at 10:08 a.m., with no lines outside.

In China, many affluent iPhone users are also interested in Huawei's more expensive trifold phone, according to CNBC's spot checks at stores on the day of the iPhone 16 and Mate XT launch.

On Friday, CNBC interviewed eight people who expressed interest in both the new Huawei and Apple phones. They spoke with five individuals at each company's store during a morning workday.

Huawei has attempted to revive its smartphone business following U.S. sanctions in 2019. In the second quarter, Huawei held the fourth position in the Chinese smartphone market, as per Canalys.

For the first time, domestic players held the top five spots in the U.S. market, with Apple dropping out of the top five, according to the data.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max costs $1,199, while the iPhone 16 starts at $799. On the other hand, Huawei's Mate XT trifold phone is priced at more than $2,800.

The price gap was even more apparent on online platforms selling secondhand goods.

The Huawei Mate XT and Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max were both available for purchase on Xianyu, with the Mate XT selling for 50,000 yuan to 60,000 yuan and the iPhone 16 Pro Max selling for 10,500 yuan to 16,300 yuan, as of 1 p.m. Friday afternoon.

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max was priced at 9,999 yuan, while the listed resale Mate XT price was 19,000 yuan, according to the site.

No lines outside Huawei stores

As early as 5:30 a.m., individuals in Beijing queued to obtain the new iPhone when the doors opened at 8 a.m.

In Beijing and Hefei, there were no lines outside Huawei stores. The Chinese company began delivering the new phones at 10:08 a.m. to those who had reserved the trifold device.

At the Huawei store, around 20 individuals visited the second floor, which was designated for Mate XT buyers during the 1 hour and 20 minutes that CNBC was present.

It was unclear if all of them bought the device for personal use. Several were purchasing it for resale purposes.

On Friday, Huawei's website announced that it had stopped sales and would resume them at 10:08 a.m. on Saturday. The page stated that the company aimed to finish deliveries by September 30.

The person who arrived at the Huawei store at 10 a.m. to test the trifold phone was surnamed Yang, who did not want to reveal his first name when speaking with foreign media.

He intends to test the trifold Mate XT for a few days before deciding whether to keep it, give it to a friend, or sell it. Yang believed the device could fetch 2,000 yuan more than the listed price.

Yang mentioned that he owns an iPhone and was intrigued by Huawei's new trifold features because he felt that Apple's latest offerings were not innovative enough.

Wang, the first person in line at the Apple store, said he also wanted to get the Huawei trifold phone, but hadn't received a text message yet indicating his device was ready to pick up.

He bought the iPhone 16 because of its longer battery life, but he was willing to wait for the iPhone 17 for any AI features.

— CNBC's Sonia Heng contributed to this report.