Huawei launches the world’s first triple-foldable, the Mate XT

After weeks of anticipation, Huawei has officially unveiled the world’s first dual-hinged, triple-screen foldable phone, and it’s just as costly as expected. The Mate XT Ultimate Design is priced starting at 19,999 yuan (about R50,000) in China for the 256GB storage model, which is more than the cost of a brand-new 16-inch MacBook Pro.

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All models come with 16GB of RAM, and two higher storage options are also available. The 512GB variant costs 21,999 yuan (around R55,000), while the 1TB version is priced at 23,999 yuan (about R60,000). Despite the steep price tag, the Chinese retailer Vmall reported 3.7 million preorders before the pricing was even disclosed.

The Mate XT’s standout feature is its inverse dual-hinge design, which folds into a “Z” shape, allowing the phone to be used in multiple formats. The OLED display measures 6.4 inches when the device is folded as a traditional single-screen phone. When fully unfolded, the display expands to 10.2 inches (with a resolution of 2,232 x 3,184). Additionally, it can be used in a partially unfolded state, offering a smaller 7.9-inch display configuration.

The device is powered by a 5,600mAh battery and supports fast charging at 66W with a wired connection or 50W wirelessly. On the back, it features a triple camera setup, consisting of a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 12-megapixel periscope camera. The front of the device, when fully unfolded, houses an 8-megapixel hole-punch selfie camera on the leftmost screen.