We’ve been reporting on leaks and official teasers surrounding the triple-foldable Huawei Mate XT for months now, and the dual-hinged, triple-screen phone is finally here.
Huawei launched the Mate XT during a glitzy showcase in the hours following Apple’s iPhone 16 event, confirming that the phone’s OLED display will measure 6.4 inches when folded and a whopping 10.2 inches when fully unfolded. Of course, Huawei also confirmed the price of its new flagship smartphone during the launch event, and it’s enough to make your eyes water.
The Huawei Mate XT – which is currently only available in China – starts at 19,999 yuan (around $2,810 / £2,150 / AU$4,220) for the 256GB of storage model. That price jumps to 21,999 yuan (around $3,090 / £2,365 / AU$4,645) for the 512GB of storage model, and higher still to 23,999 yuan (around $3,375 / £2,580 / AU$5,065) for the 1TB model. All three models come with 16GB of RAM.
For context, the cheapest version of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 – aka the most expensive of the best foldable phones in 2024 – costs $1,899.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,749. The recently announced PlayStation 5 Pro even costs $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,199; you can buy four of them for the same price as the cheapest Huawei Mate XT. Or 5,620 Twinkies – whichever you prefer.
So yes, the latest foldable innovation to come out of China is going to cost an arm and a leg – but innovation comes with a price tag in almost every product category. The Apple Vision Pro infamously cost $3,499 / £3,499 / $5,999 at launch (and still does), while many of the best mirrorless cameras cost even more (the Sony a7R V, for example, retails for $3,900 / £4,000 / AU$5,900).
The difference between, say, the Apple Vision Pro and the Huawei Mate XT is that consumers – in China at least – seem genuinely interested in buying Huawei’s never-before-seen foldable phone. Chinese retailer Vwinkelfor example reports (via The Edge) that 3.7 million pre-orders were placed for the Huawei Mate XT before the price was even announced.
As for the Mate XT’s other specs, besides its Z-shaped fold factor (which, strictly speaking, folds in half instead of in thirds), the phone packs a 5,600mAh battery and supports 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
In terms of cameras, the Mate XT gets a triple-lens rear setup consisting of a 50MP main lens, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 12MP periscope lens, while an 8MP selfie camera completes the phone’s photography offerings. Under the hood, the Mate XT reportedly powered by the Kirin 9010 5G chipset, although Huawei itself has not yet confirmed this.
As mentioned, the Huawei Mate XT is currently only available in China. While Huawei is now technically free to market internationally, we don’t expect the company’s latest foldable smartphone to launch anywhere else.
That said, there’s a good chance that companies like Samsung, Google, and OnePlus will take inspiration from the Mate XT, so we’ll keep our eyes peeled for rumors of a triple-folding competitor in the coming year.