Huawei releases "first-ever" triple-foldable phone
Huawei, the Chinese tech giant, has unveiled its Mate XT Ultimate Design smartphone, a foldable device that transforms into a 10.2-inch tablet. Marketed as "the first-ever commercial triple foldable phone," its standout feature is a flexible OLED touchscreen capable of folding in two directions.
Huawei achieved this triple-fold screen with a unique hinge system featuring two synchronized tracks, allowing both inward and outward folds. The hinges contain 26 precision cams, made from reinforced steel, to ensure smooth folding and long-term durability. An integrated slide rail and connecting rod structure help minimize the phone’s thickness, measuring 12.8 millimeters when folded and just 3.6 millimeters when fully unfolded.
The screen's composite laminated structure ensures strength despite its thinness, with the inner fold resisting compression and the outer fold resisting tension. Huawei suggests that in its tablet mode, the phone is ideal for reading books or magazines or handling email and apps just like on a regular tablet.
Other notable features include four cameras, with one sporting a ten-stop variable aperture telephoto lens, allowing precise light control. As part of Huawei's premium "Ultimate Design" line, the phone features a layered steel construction visible along the case edges and an octagonal camera frame. The back is wrapped in black or red leather, with a gold-embossed Ultimate Design logo matching the metal trim.
Huawei launched the Mate XT Ultimate Design just hours after Apple revealed its iPhone 16 series, despite Apple not yet releasing a foldable phone—despite a patent from 2016. Huawei's original Mate X was first introduced at the 2019 Mobile World Congress, but only had a single folding mechanism, unlike the latest triple-fold design. Other brands like Microsoft and Motorola also introduced foldable phones in 2019, with Motorola revamping its iconic Razr flip phone.
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