Now let’s start by getting one thing straight, this is still pretty much the most expensive phone in the world, so if you’re reading this a <$1000 price tag that’s definitely not happening. The Mate XT was never meant to be cheap, but considering the prices you have to pay in some nation’s, the South African route will make a lot of sense very soon.

In western countries, the Mate XT is selling for as much as $6000, almost double its still very expensive release price of $3600 in China, where the phone is constantly out of stock. Instead it seems you can only get it in official distributor markets like Dubai or, you guessed it, South Africa, where Huawei still has a pretty big foothold. In fact, SA is actually one of Huawei’s biggest markets, sometimes being it’s second largest one, and that’s led to UT becoming a great hub to get the best of the smartphone giant (while also hating Trump more for kneecapping it in 2019).

This is why in SA, you can buy the Mate XT for around $3800, with full support, warranty and screen maintenance (that foldables still need to this day) in the same way you would get it in China. On top of that you can get the device on either one or 2 year payment plans depending on which Huawei shop or reseller you buy from. These contract plans do take the phone up to $4200, but that’s still a less than the minimum $4500 you have to pay in the US or Europe.

Getting the phone in SA also means you get a version of the phone optimized for English-speaking markets, unlike the imported versions YouTubers like MKBHD have to import from China without all the features fully working. And as such SA has become a sweetspot to get one of the most elusive pieces of tech on the planet.

And for those asking how any of this would be worth the money, please remember we’re talking about a triple folding, 16GB ram 1TB storage phone that Huawei basically treats more like a piece of jewelry than a tech gadget. It’s not about whether it’s worth the money. It’s about how highly it’s sought after as a status symbol. And well , if status symbols are the focus, a higher price is probably something to brag about.

Is SA now exclusively getting the best phones?

A more interesting thing to ask is whether South Africa is now the best place to get certain mobile devices, especially as it still has access to Huawei devices while the US and huge parts of Europe don’t. Well.. not  exactly, but it’s finally fair to say the US is no longer the best smartphone market on the planet. Especially when it comes to choice and innovation. While it misses out on some of Huawei’s good graces, Europe definitely has become the best place to get a phone these days. This is due to it having yes, the big two in Samsung and Apple, but also access to the best phones from the likes of Xiaomi, Vivo and OPPO, along with more niche players like Sony, Nothing/CMF and more variety and choice at almost every price point. Even the best versions of certain phones are Europe only, with iPhone in the EU able to sideload apps and have access to things that will never appear in the app store, while the US continues to be the home of smartphone stagnation and more AI being shoved down your throat. That being said, SA probably is still a great place to consider a phone, just make sure you also check how much that phone would cost to import from overseas first.

And again, even if SA isn’t the best place ever to buy a smartphone, it’s still the best to buy the Mate XT, and that’s already a pretty cool thing in itself. So if you think you’re Mbinga enough, pop over to SA and get yourself a true one-of-a-kind phone for once, rather than use the same iPhone your slay queen does.

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