You’ve Never Seen Anything Like Huawei’s $2,800 Tri-Fold Phone

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A close-up of a luxury smartphone with a foldable design. The rear side shows a red leather finish with gold edges and a multi-lens camera module in a striking octagonal shape. The phone is partially unfolded, displaying its detailed build and premium materials.

Chinese smartphone maker Huawei unveiled the Mate XT Ultimate Design, the world’s first dual-hinged, triple-display folding smartphone. It is as expensive as it is novel.

The Mate XT Ultimate Design unfolds like an accordion of sorts. Where a typical foldable phone has a single hinge, and the user just unfolds it, like opening a book, the Mate XT Ultimate Design adds a second hinge. It’s more like opening a children’s pop-up book that expands to the side. When the phone is unfolded, the user is treated to a massive 10.2-inch OLED display.

Like other foldables, the device can also be used in a slab phone format using a single 6.4-inch display. It can also be used unfolded a single time, which creates a 7.9-inch display.

A close-up of a red leather-textured foldable smartphone with a gold trim. One view shows the octagonal rear quad-camera setup labeled "X-MAGE," while the other displays the partially folded screen and the text "Designed & Crafted by Huawei" on a gold label.

As for the other aspects of the phone’s design, Huawei has gone all-in on luxury and elegance. The phone sports gold trim, pinstriping, red leather, and a “Designed and Crafted by Huawei” badge that wouldn’t look out of place on a premium handbag. This marketing approach has proven popular with Chinese customers so far, with retailers reporting millions of preorders before Huawei even showed the device, per Reuters.

A person holding a flexible foldable tablet opened to an online auction platform. The screen shows various categories including paintings, sculptures, and jewelry. The tablet has a noticeable bend in the middle, demonstrating its flexibility.

Although undoubtedly different from other phones in form, the Mate XT Ultimate Design is similar in function to its contemporaries, which in 2024 means a lot of AI. The device features onboard artificial intelligence for translation, photo editing, answering questions, and more.

Concerning imaging, foldables typically come up short when it comes to camera specs and photo features. The Mate XT Ultimate is similar in that regard, sporting a fairly mundane triple-camera array. The 50-megapixel main camera has a 24mm equivalent lens with a variable aperture (f/1.4-4), which is admittedly unique in the foldable space.

A close-up of a smartphone's back shows a red leather-textured cover and a hexagonal black camera module with gold trim housing four camera lenses arranged in a diamond pattern. The word "DESIGN" is printed vertically in gold below the camera module.

However, the other two cameras aren’t breaking new ground. There’s a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera (13mm) with an f/2.2 lens and for farther subjects, a 12-megapixel 125mm periscope telephoto camera with a 5.5x optical zoom f/3.4 lens. The self-facing camera has an 8-megapixel sensor.

The Foldable Market Is Growing

The foldable smartphone market continues to grow. Nearly every major player has a foldable device in its portfolio, including Samsung, Google, OnePlus, Huawei, and more. Apple is the most obvious omission, although industry experts believe the American tech giant has been tinkering on the concept for years.

Given its high price tag — more on that in a minute — the Mate XT Ultimate Design is unlikely to be a huge revenue driver for Huawei despite strong preorder numbers. However, the company is dedicated to being a market leader.

A person in a black outfit holds a luxurious red foldable phone with a gold edge. The phone's large, multi-lens camera array and the phrase "Ultimate Design" are visible. Another angle of the phone shows its stylish form and premium finish.

“The production constraints and price point of Huawei’s latest product may not have a huge impact in terms of shipments, but it’s telling the consumers that it’s still the tech leader and the potential challenge it brings to Apple may be far beyond just market share,” International Data Corporation’s Will Wong tells CNET.

Wong adds that because some Apple Intelligence features aren’t making it to China, at least not yet, competitors have a chance to make up ground in the vast country. Despite facing sanctions in the United States, Huawei continues to perform exceptionally well globally, especially in the foldable market, where it is the market leader with 27.5% market share ahead of Samsung (16.4%), per IDC.

Content consumption is a significant part of how many people use their smartphones, and foldables are undoubtedly great choices for this application, thanks to their large displays. However, thus far, the widespread adoption of foldables has been held back by high prices and numerous compromises, especially regarding photography features. Reduced cost, improved reliability and durability, and more competitive features will be vital for the foldable market’s continued growth.

Sample Images

A silhouetted adult and child holding hands while standing on a golf course during sunset. The adult carries a golf bag, and the child holds a golf club. The sky is a gradient of deep blue to warm orange, with mountains in the background.

A person in a yellow jacket stands on a grassy hill overlooking a series of turquoise alpine lakes and snow-capped mountains under a cloudy sky. The landscape is rugged and dramatic, with a mix of rock, snow, and glacial waters.

A red sailboat navigates calm waters surrounded by majestic, sunlit icebergs and a distant rugged, snow-capped mountain under a clear sky.

A woman in a black outfit stands outdoors, holding the reins of two horses. One horse is black, and the other is white. The woman looks directly at the camera, with a green field and a blue sky in the background.

A woman with a sleek bob haircut is standing in front of a dark wooden wall. She is wearing a modern, shiny dress and leaning against a bannister. The setting is illuminated by a mix of natural sunlight and soft indoor lighting, creating a sophisticated atmosphere.

A person in a flowing orange dress rides a black horse across a lush green meadow. Majestic, snow-capped mountains rise in the background under a clear blue sky.

Pricing and Availability

The Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design doesn’t subscribe to the notion of cost reduction, though, as Huawei has gone all-out on its new tri-fold phone. The Mate XT Ultimate starts with 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM, priced at 19,999 yuan, which is $2,810 at current exchange rates. The device also comes in 512GB and 1TB versions, which range up to 23,999 yuan ($3,372). As of now, there’s no word the Mate XT Ultimate Design will launch outside China.

Image credits: Huawei

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