We’ve been reporting on leaks and official teasers surrounding the tri-folding Huawei Mate XT for several months now, and the dual-hinged, triple-screen phone is finally here.
Huawei launched the Mate XT at a glitzy showcase in the hours following Apple’s iPhone 16 event, confirming that the phone’s OLED display measures 6.4 inches when collapsed and a whopping 10.2 inches when fully unfolded. Of course, Huawei also confirmed the price of its new flagship smartphone at said launch event, and it’s enough to make your eyes water.
The Huawei Mate XT – which is currently only available in China – starts at 19,999 yuan (around $2,810 / £2,150 / AU$4,220) for the model with 256GB of storage. That price rises to 21,999 yuan (around $3,090 / £2,365 / AU$4,645) for the model with 512GB of storage, and higher still to 23,999 yuan (around $3,375 / £2,580 / AU$5,065) for the model with 1TBGB of storage. All three models ship with 16GB of RAM.
For context, the cheapest version of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 – aka the most expensive of the best foldable phones in 2024 – costs $1,899.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,749. Heck, the newly announced PlayStation 5 Pro costs $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,199; you could buy four of those for the same price as the cheapest Huawei Mate XT. Or 5,620 Twinkies – whatever floats your boat.
So, yes, the latest foldable innovation to emerge from China costs an arm and a leg – but innovation comes at a price in almost every product category. The Apple Vision Pro infamously cost $3,499 / £3,499 / $5,999 at launch (and still does), while many of the best mirrorless cameras cost even more than that (the Sony A7R V, for instance, retails for $3,900 / £4,000 / AU$5,900).
The difference between, say, the Apple Vision Pro and the Huawei Mate XT is that consumers – in China, at least – seem genuinely interested in buying Huawei’s never-before-seen foldable. Chinese retailer Vmall, for instance, reports (via The Verge) that 3.7 million Huawei Mate XT preorders were placed before pricing was even announced.
As for what other specs the Mate XT boasts beyond its Z-shaped folding form factor (which, strictly speaking, is bi-folding rather than tri-folding), the phone comes with a 5,600mAh battery and support for 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
On the camera front, the Mate XT gets a three-lens rear setup comprising a 50MP main lens, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 12MP periscope lens, while an 8MP selfie camera rounds out the phone’s photography offering. Under the hood, the Mate XT is reportedly powered by the Kirin 9010 5G chipset, though Huawei itself hasn’t yet confirmed as much.
As mentioned, the Huawei Mate XT is currently only available in China, and although Huawei is now technically free to trade in international markets, we don’t think we’ll see the company’s latest foldable released elsewhere.
That said, there’s every chance that the likes of Samsung, Google, and OnePlus take inspiration from the Mate XT, so we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for rumors of a tri-folding competitor in the coming year.
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axel.metz@futurenet.com (Axel Metz)
