Lenovo Ships 1 Million Units from its 1st European In-House Manufacturing Facility

FILE PHOTO: The Lenovo logo is seen in this illustration photo taken on Jan. 22, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Lenovo logo is seen in this illustration photo taken on Jan. 22, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo
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Lenovo Ships 1 Million Units from its 1st European In-House Manufacturing Facility

FILE PHOTO: The Lenovo logo is seen in this illustration photo taken on Jan. 22, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Lenovo logo is seen in this illustration photo taken on Jan. 22, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo

Lenovo has reached the milestone of manufacturing and shipping one million workstations and servers from its first purpose built in-house manufacturing facility in Europe, just over one year after it opened its doors in Budapest.

After 10 months of construction during the pandemic, the facility opened in June 2022 to support customers throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) with their requirements for server infrastructure, storage systems and high-end PC workstations.

As of June 2023, the facility has provided solutions to more than 1,000 customers in 69 countries and seen the scale and speed of operations accelerate over the past year. Over 180 customers have visited the site, enabling deeper collaboration, transparency and understanding with Lenovo customers across the EMEA region.

“Opening the Hungary facility was an important milestone for Lenovo, extending our international manufacturing operations and representing significant economic potential for both the private and public sectors in the country,” said Szabolcs Zolyomi, Factory Site Leader at Lenovo.

“The achievement of shipping one million units is testament to the past year of internal and external collaboration with our employees and customers. We have been able to respond to customer needs more effectively, with greater efficiency and control over product development and supply chain operations, all while continuing our commitment to sustainability and supporting the local community.”



Huawei’s Tri-Foldable Phone Hits Global Markets in a Show of Defiance Amid US Curbs 

Visitors stand in front of a giant billboard displaying the Huawei's first tri-foldable Mate XT smartphone during an event for its global launch in Kuala Lumpur on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Visitors stand in front of a giant billboard displaying the Huawei's first tri-foldable Mate XT smartphone during an event for its global launch in Kuala Lumpur on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Huawei’s Tri-Foldable Phone Hits Global Markets in a Show of Defiance Amid US Curbs 

Visitors stand in front of a giant billboard displaying the Huawei's first tri-foldable Mate XT smartphone during an event for its global launch in Kuala Lumpur on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Visitors stand in front of a giant billboard displaying the Huawei's first tri-foldable Mate XT smartphone during an event for its global launch in Kuala Lumpur on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

Huawei on Tuesday held a global launch for the industry’s first tri-foldable phone, which analysts said marked a symbolic victory for the Chinese tech giant amid US technology curbs. But challenges over pricing, longevity, supply and app constraints may limit its success.

Huawei said at a launch event in Kuala Lumpur that the Huawei Mate XT, first unveiled in China five months ago, will be priced at 3,499 euros ($3,662). Although dubbed a trifold, the phone has three mini-panels and folds only twice. The company says it's the thinnest foldable phone at 3.6 millimeters (0.14 inches), with a 10.2-inch screen similar to an Apple iPad.

“Right now, Huawei kind of stands alone as an innovator” with the trifold design, said Bryan Ma, vice president of device research with the market intelligence firm International Data Corporation.

Huawei reached the position despite “not getting access to chips, to Google services. All these things basically have been huge roadblocks in front of Huawei,” Ma said, adding that the “resurgence we're seeing from them over the past year has been quite a bit of a victory."

Huawei, China’s first global tech brand, is at the center of a US-China battle over trade and technology. Washington in 2019 severed Huawei’s access to US components and technology, including Google’s music and other smartphone services, making Huawei's phone less appealing to users. It has also barred global vendors from using US technology to produce components for Huawei.

American officials say Huawei is a security risk, which the company denies. China’s government has accused Washington of misusing security warnings to contain a rising competitor to US technology companies.

Huawei launched the Mate XT in China on Sept. 20 last year, the same day Apple launched its iPhone 16 series in global markets. But with its steep price tag, the Mate XT “is not a mainstream product that people are going to jump for,” Ma said.

At the Kuala Lumpur event, Huawei also unveiled its MatePad Pro tablet and Free Arc, its first open-ear earbuds with ear hooks and other wearable devices.

While Huawei’s cutting-edge devices showcase its technological prowess, its long-term success remains uncertain given ongoing challenges over global supply chain constraints, chip availability and limitations on the software ecosystem, said Ruby Lu, an analyst with the research firm TrendForce.

“System limitations, particularly the lack of Google Mobile Services, means its international market potential remains constrained,” Lu said.

IDC's Ma said Huawei dominated the foldable phone market in China with 49% market share last year. In the global market, it had 23% market share, trailing behind Samsung's 33% share in 2024, he said. IDC predicted that total foldable phone shipments worldwide could surge to 45.7 million units by 2028, from over 20 million last year.

While most major brands have entered the foldable segments, Lu said Apple has yet to release a competing product.

“Once Apple enters the market, it is expected to significantly influence and stimulate further growth in the foldable phone sector,” Lu added.