Back in August, whispers of a groundbreaking smartphone began circulating. Huawei’s CEO for Consumer Business Group was spotted on a plane, holding what seemed like a triple-folding marvel. Now, the device is officially unveiled – the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design. I had the chance to get my hands on it during a recent trip to China, and let me tell you, it’s truly something special.
This phone is a testament to Huawei’s engineering prowess. Its unique dual-hinge design lets you fold the Mate XT into three distinct forms: completely collapsed, unfolded, and fully extended. Each configuration offers a different screen size – a standard 6.4 inches when triple folded, expanding to 7.9 inches unfolded, and finally reaching an impressive 10.2 inches when fully extended. The video showcasing these transformations clearly demonstrates the smooth, effortless folding mechanism.
I was particularly impressed by the device’s thinness. Despite packing a massive 5,600mAh battery, Huawei managed to achieve a slim 3.6mm profile. However, due to the triple-folding design, the Mate XT Ultimate Design becomes a bit chunkier at 12.8mm (half an inch) when completely folded.
Huawei has also put a lot of effort into minimizing the creases that often appear on foldable screens. Compared to other foldable smartphones on the market, the Mate XT’s creases are quite subtle, noticeable only at extreme angles. You won’t even notice them when holding the device normally.
Initially, I found it a bit confusing to figure out how the screens folded, as it wasn’t immediately obvious. Given the hefty price tag of 21,999 yuan (around $2,800 USD) for the 512GB model, I wanted to make sure I was folding it correctly! Unfortunately, I couldn’t access the operating system during my brief time with the device. However, I was informed that multi-tasking with apps is currently only supported on two screens, with the third app being kept in a slide-over mode.
Huawei’s Mate XT Ultimate Design is currently exclusive to China. Despite its exorbitant price and the fact that it’s not available globally, the Mate XT is undeniably one of the most impressive feats of technological engineering I’ve encountered. It’s a glimpse into the future of smartphones, pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible.
