Huawei has officially launched the Mate XT Ultimate, the world’s first tri-fold smartphone, in Malaysia, expanding its availability beyond China. This announcement comes hot on the heels of Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro launch, offering a stark contrast in innovation. While Apple focused on incremental improvements, Huawei has taken a bold leap forward with a revolutionary form factor.
The Mate XT Ultimate boasts a remarkable 10.2-inch display (2232 × 3184 pixels) when fully unfolded. This expansive screen can be folded into two smaller configurations: a 7.9-inch (2048 × 2232 pixels) book-style foldable and a more conventional 6.4-inch (1008 × 2232 pixels) smartphone. Notably, the tri-fold design embraces a 16:11 aspect ratio, optimizing the media consumption experience. This addresses a common shortcoming of traditional foldables, whose boxy layouts often hinder video playback.
Huawei’s innovative tri-fold mechanism utilizes two hinges, allowing the device to fold inwards and outwards. The inner fold exhibits a noticeable crease, while the outer fold remains exposed. Initial impressions suggest robust hinges capable of securely holding the phone in various positions. Magnets ensure a flush fit when folded, though unfolding the outward-folding section requires some practice.
While Huawei hasn’t officially confirmed the chipset, reports point to the Kirin 9010, a 7nm processor developed in-house. Coupled with 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage, the Mate XT Ultimate offers impressive specifications. While it may not outperform flagships like the Galaxy S25 Ultra or OnePlus 13 on paper, early hands-on experiences indicate seamless transitions between single, dual, and tri-screen modes.
However, the user interface presents a potential drawback. The global variant runs on EMUI 14, which lacks the modern aesthetics of HarmonyOS, the standard operating system in China. Furthermore, Huawei hasn’t emphasized any significant AI features for this device, a surprising omission in 2025. The global version also lacks pre-installed Google apps, though workarounds exist to download them, including the Play Store.
The Mate XT Ultimate features a triple-camera system with a 50MP main sensor equipped with optical image stabilization (OIS). This is complemented by a 12MP ultrawide camera and a 12MP periscope telephoto lens with 5.5x optical zoom and OIS. An 8MP selfie camera is located on the front.
Powering this innovative device is a 5,600mAh silicon-carbon battery, supporting 66W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 7.5W reverse wireless charging. While the battery capacity appears promising, real-world performance with the large display remains to be seen.
Priced at 19,999 yuan (~$2,800) in China and 3,499 Euros (~$3,660) in Europe, the Mate XT Ultimate positions itself as a premium device.
Despite the high price point, initial impressions suggest promising usability. The prospect of carrying a full-sized multimedia tablet in a pocket is compelling. This form factor appears poised for further development, with Samsung also teasing a tri-fold phone earlier this year. While the UI could benefit from improvements, the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate undoubtedly stands as a unique device in the current market.
