Huawei is making headlines, and moments after Apple introduced the latest iPhones. The Chinese smartphone maker, which is primarily behind Apple’s steep sales decline in China, has now introduced the world’s first tri-fold smartphone. The stunning looking device, named the Mate XT, positions Huawei at the forefront of mobile design, just hours after Apple revealed its latest iPhones. The device, as one would expect, is priced at a steep 19,999 yuan (approximately $2,800).
Huawei’s Mate XT stands out not only because it is the world’s first tri-fold phone but also because it promises to offer users a full 10.2-inch tablet experience that fits into their pocket. The tri-fold design allows the Mate XT to function in three modes: as a standard smartphone, a square foldable device, and a fully-expanded tablet. The device runs on Huawei’s in-house HarmonyOS. It also comes with a 5,600mAh battery and a triple camera setup thatis located on the rear. The setup consists of a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, and a 12-megapixel periscope camera. The hole-punch selfie camera on the front is 8 megapixels.
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Huawei’s decision to introduce the Mate XT shortly after Apple’s iPhone 16 launch was no coincidence. This is likely to indicate Huawei’s intent to solidify its position as a smartphone leader, especially in its home market of China, and highlight its aim to capture consumer attention in the premium segment, where Apple has traditionally dominated.
The Mate XT has a thickness of 3.6mm when open, and its pricing starts at 19,999 yuan for the base model with 256GB of storage and rises to 23,999 yuan (roughly $3,370) for the 1TB variant. These high prices place the Mate XT firmly in the ultra-premium category, a tier where competition is fierce, especially during the holiday shopping season. However, the device’s features such as its 6.4-inch OLED display, which expands to 10.2 inches when fully unfolded, makes it a tempting offering for tech enthusiasts and early adopters.
The phone features an inverse dual-hinge system that enables it to fold in a “Z” shape, giving users flexibility in how they use the device. Additionally, the Mate XT includes a 5,600mAh battery with support for 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, ensuring that the device has the endurance to handle extended use. Huawei’s resurgence in the smartphone market comes after facing multiple rounds of US sanctions that decimated its smartphone business, the company is clawing its way back, partly by appealing to national pride in China. Huawei’s recent release of the Mate 60 Pro, featuring a domestically-produced chip, also bolstered sales.
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Despite the excitement surrounding the Mate XT, industry analysts remain cautious about its long-term impact on the foldable phone market. According to IDC analyst Arthur Guo, the high technical requirements, low yields, and premium pricing associated with tri-fold devices like the Mate XT make it unlikely that such phones will become a significant growth engine for the foldable segment in the near future. Other phone makers have begun to scale back investments in foldable devices, waiting for Apple to enter the space and potentially reshape consumer interest.
