Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Debuts as World’s First Tri-Fold Smartphone: Will Limited Availability Be Its Downfall

Huawei has unveiled the Mate XT Ultimate, a groundbreaking smartphone with a dual-fold design. When fully unfolded, it boasts a 10.2-inch display. Folding the left section behind reduces it to a 7.9-inch foldable, and folding the right side transforms it into a compact 6.4-inch bar-style phone.

Despite its intricate design, the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate remains remarkably thin at 3.6 mm when unfolded and weighs just 298 grams. This includes its substantial camera setup, which is based on the Mate X5 foldable.

Dead on Arrival?

At a time when smartphone innovation seemed dead, here comes Huawei, with a bold new approach to foldable smartphone design. And while Huawei deserves full credit for the innovation behind this new tri-fold form factor, the limitation of its avaialbility might just be the sword in its coffin.

It's unlikely that Huawei will release the Mate XT Ultimate outside China soon since their last international foldable release was nearly eighteen months ago with the Mate X3. A non-Ultimate version also seems improbable soon due to its luxury market focus.

Ahead of the launch, we saw several users register their interest in the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate. But its super-expensive price tag might desuade a lot of users from actually purchasing it. However, in a world where foldable smartphones are now becoming the norm, the Mate XT Ultimate is a remarkable piece of engineering.

Innovative Display Technology

The device features a single flexible LTPO OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and support for 10 billion colours. The full resolution is 3,184 x 2,232 pixels, which adjusts to different configurations: 2,232 x 2,048 and 2,232 x 1,008 pixels depending on how it's folded.

Huawei refers to this display as "3K," positioning it between 2K (QHD) and 4K resolutions. The screen-to-body ratio is an impressive 92%, with the fully unfolded display offering a 16:11 aspect ratio. Huawei also enhances the display with "AI computing image quality."

Advanced Camera Features

The rear camera setup mirrors that of the Huawei Mate X5 but incorporates elements from Huawei's P series as well. It includes a primary 50MP sensor with PDAF and OIS, paired with the P60 Pro's variable aperture of f/1.4-f/4.0. Additionally, there is a 12MP telephoto lens with 5.5x optical zoom, a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a laser autofocus module.

An 8 MP front camera is embedded in a punch-hole on the large display and serves as the selfie camera when folded.

Durable Hinge System

The Huawei Mate XT Ultimate's hinge system is named after the Tiangong space station and allows for "internal and external bending." It uses dual tracks and moving parts to ensure zero-gap folding. The hinge is made from composite laminate materials with non-Newtonian fluid components for added durability.

Huawei states that the single-screen mode is ideal for daily tasks, while dual-screen mode suits web browsing and reading. The fully unfolded triple-screen mode excels in detailed work or study.

Enhanced Productivity Tools

The large screen boosts productivity tools such as email management, financial tasks, multitasking, video playback, and AI-based features. However, Huawei hasn't clarified whether these AI tools are cloud-based or on-device.

The device runs on HarmonyOS 4.2, based on Android Open-Source Project (AOSP) without Google services. It includes upgraded Xiaoyi voice assistant functions like voice-to-text conversion, automatic split-screen capabilities, real-time document translation, and photo retouching.

Battery and Charging Capabilities

The battery comprises three silicone-carbide composite cells with a total capacity of 5,600 mAh. It supports various charging methods: 66W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and reverse wireless and wired charging at rates of 7.5W and 5W respectively.

Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Pricing, Availability

Available in Black or Red with gold accents around hinges, edges, and camera areas, the Mate XT Ultimate comes in three storage options: CNY 19,999 (roughly Rs 2,35,800) for the 256GB version, CNY 21,999 (roughly Rs 2,59,400) for the 512GB version, and CNY 23,999 (roughly Rs 2,83,000) for the model with 1TB storage.