Apple said its first foldable smartphone will go on sale in China next week. The device will run AI services from Alibaba as part of Apple Intelligence, the company's suite of generative‑AI features. The move aims to help Apple keep pace with Huawei, which remains its biggest rival in the Chinese market.
What else is happening in China’s phone market?
China’s smartphone market has been shrinking because shoppers are spending less and hardware costs are rising. At the same time, new players are entering. StepFun, a Chinese AI lab, released a $600 phone that ships with an AI agent on Tuesday. An analyst called the launch “quite bold” given the current slowdown, noting the phone’s ability to continuously collect user data could make its AI assistant more personalized over time.
Why it matters
Chinese consumers will see a new Apple foldable phone that can answer questions and suggest actions using Alibaba’s AI. For Apple, the launch is a test of whether AI‑rich hardware can win market share from local rivals like Huawei. It remains unclear how Chinese regulators will treat the AI integration or how well the phone will sell in a market that is currently slowing down.
