Huawei’s tri-fold smartphone has officially been released and the iPhone 16 series launch almost pales by comparison. Rumors around the much-awaited Huawei Mate XT have been ramping up over the last few weeks, especially after the company announced a launch event with no explanation of the product. Earlier leaks and images had suggested that the Huawei Mate XT was getting set for launch, but skeptics wondered if the company was going to be able to pull off a triple-screen fold phone so soon.
As it turns out, Huawei knew exactly how to make it work, with the Mate XT dual hinge design now on display. The company’s decision to schedule the event mere hours after Apple’s iPhone launch was just as audacious as the Huawei tri-fold gadget’s release price.
Huawei Tri-Fold Smartphone Released—3.6 Million Pre-orders and Counting
The Huawei Mate XT was announced on September 10, only a few hours after Apple unveiled its iPhone 16 series. The Apple event was announced much earlier but Huawei wasn’t threatened by competition, choosing to instead steal the Cupertino company’s thunder for itself. As many outlets have suggested, the decision to schedule the event so close to Apple’s was likely intentional, designed as a way to taunt the U.S. for banning the Chinese brand from entering its market.
Citing security and privacy concerns Huawei’s networking equipment was first restricted in the U.S. around 2012, and in 2019, the ban was expanded and formalized, disallowing the company from selling in U.S. markets. The U.S. government is now looking into a ban on China-made electric vehicles for similar reasons but the competition created by these products is just as big of a reason to restrict these devices as the concerns surrounding security.
Huawei’s newly released tri-fold smartphone features a dual-hinge system, where three screens can be unfolded to leave you with a 10.2-inch 3K display. A user can choose to use a single panel for regular use, just as you can use the outer screen on the Google Pixel 9 Fold. For a wider screen, the device can be unfolded once to reveal a 7.9-inch two-panel screen, or you can go all out to experience the 10-2-inch tablet-like marvel.
Today we bring you a product that everyone can think of but could not make. Our team has been working hard for five years and has never given up.
—Huawei Executive Director Richard Yu
What’s also interesting is that the Huawei foldable is a $2800 USD phone. Technically the device will not see a U.S. release anytime soon so there’s no use checking the price in dollars—the phone is 19,999 yuan in China.
The Mate XT’s Ultimate Design
The Huawei tri-fold smartphone that was just released is magnificent to look at, with its leather texture back panel and the gold and black hinges and outer edges. The logo plate looks a little jarring on the back of the device but it’s designed to match the hinge well enough. Available in two colors—red and black—the Mate XT’s design is classy and chic.
Supposedly, Huawei’s Tiangong hinge system is the first to successfully optimize the internal and external screen bends which makes the three-panel system possible. This is obviously the highlight of Huawei’s foldable $2800 phone, but it has other strengths as well.
The device also flaunts some of its optimization of the HarmonyOS and the Pangu large model technology, to support AI functionalities. From AI photo editing to AI transitions, the device doesn’t shy away from embracing the trendy tools that we’re coming to expect from the latest generation of smartphones. The device has 16 GB RAM and starts with 256GB storage, although that can be increased if you’re willing to pay more.
The Mate XT has a 5,600 mAh battery and support for wireless charging. One disappointing element is its simplistic camera setup. There’s a 50 MP ultra-wide lens, a 12 MP ultra-wide lens, and a 12MP periscope telephoto camera. The 8 MP front camera feels extremely silly for a smartphone at this price.
Huawei Mate XT Tri-Fold Price
The Huawei tri-fold smartphone’s pricing strategy is quite extreme even if you take the investment into the hinged system into consideration. At this price, you could easily buy two PCs or multiple iPhones instead. The smartphone is a luxury item, an art piece, and a statement against the Western powers. All three reasons combined were probably the reasons for the over 3.6 million pre-orders in China, and this was before the Huawei Mate XT price was even revealed.
More buyers could be expected to sign up for the phone but we wonder how many will cancel their preorders if they still can. The Huawei foldable phone’s $2800 USD price is much higher than we had expected and this might be true for at least some of the buyers.
Final Thoughts on the $2800 Foldable Huawei Phone
Smartphones are just as much a status symbol as they are a communication device. The more expensive a smartphone is, the smaller its customer base becomes but this works in favor of the device rather than against it. iPhones manage to enjoy the best of both worlds, commonly perceived as a premium purchase while also widely used by a large number of users across the globe. While its exorbitant pricing has occasionally worked against it, for example with the Apple Vision Pro, most often, the company is able to see its products gain significant popularity.
Alternate brands like Xiaomi and Huawei may not seem as popular at first glance, but these companies have products that sell just as quickly. China is a huge market for technology, and while the residents used to be big buyers of tech from outside, local brands are now dominating the conversation.
Apple doesn’t have a foldable smartphone yet so it already falls behind Huawei in this segment but other foldable phones have been seeing some tough competition from the Chinese brand. Earlier this year, much before the Huawei Mate XT was in the picture, the company managed to outclass Samsung in the folding phone segment. With big bets like Huawei’s current tri-fold smartphone release, finding success will only become more likely.
How will the device hold up to use? Will the tri-fold hinge be convenient to use without unexpectedly folding? How long will it take for the screen to show creases, especially on the side that is exposed to the outside? What’s next, five folds? Is the “fold-pocalypse” upon us? The questions are stacking up but we’ll have to see how the device holds up over time and how competitors respond next.