The first triple-screen foldable phone is finally here, and it's pricey

HUAWEI has been teasing the arrival of the world’s first dual-folding, triple-screen foldable phone for a while now. The day has finally come as the company has just launched the HUAWEI Mate XT.

The Mate XT has a dual-folding design with two hinges as opposed to the single hinge of standard Fold-style foldable phones. One of the hinges folds inwards while the other folds outwards, resulting in a Z-shape of sorts when folded. The leftmost portion of the folding screen serves as the 6.4-inch smartphone display when the device is folded. 

HUAWEI says the foldable is 12.8mm thick when folded, which means it’s slightly thicker than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (12.1mm). In fact, it’s actually thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 (13.4mm).

Unfold the triple-screen foldable and you’ve got a 10.2-inch OLED screen (2,232 x 3,184, 16:11, LTPO) that’s significantly larger than the 7.6-inch to 8-inch folding screens seen on conventional foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Interestingly, HUAWEI’s device can also be partially unfurled to a 7.9-inch screen size if you want a large screen but not quite 10.2 inches. The panel also offers ultra-thin glass for improved protection.

This form factor doesn’t come with significant battery compromises, though, as the HUAWEI Mate XT offers a 5,600mAh silicon battery. We do wonder about endurance when paired with that larger folding screen, though. In any event, you’ve got support for 66W wired charging and 50W wireless top-ups.

The manufacturer didn’t detail the chipset either, but we’re guessing it’s using the same Kirin 9010 5G chip seen in the Pura 70 series as the foldable also supports satellite communication.

The triple-screen foldable phone also has a capable rear camera system, consisting of a 50MP variable aperture main camera (1/1.56-inch, f/1.4 to f/4.0), a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide lens, and a 12MP 5.5x periscope camera. An 8MP shooter in a punch-hole is on the leftmost portion of the screen, being used for selfies and video calls in both folded and unfolded postures.

Other notable features include Bluetooth 5.2, an IR blaster, Harmony OS instead of the EMUI operating system seen outside China, and a side fingerprint scanner.

HUAWEI Mate XT price and availability

Keen on getting the Mate XT? The new foldable phone is available in China at a starting price of 19,999 yuan (~$2,809) for the 16/256GB variant, all the way up to 23,999 yuan (~$3,371) for the 16/1TB model.

HUAWEI’s device will also come with plenty of extras in the box, namely a kickstand case, HUAWEI FreeBuds 5 earbuds, a 66W charger, and an 88W car charger. The company is also selling a folding split keyboard for the Mate XT. 

We’ve asked HUAWEI about availability outside China and the company issued this statement after publication:

Regarding availability, the HUAWEI Mate XT | ULTIMATE DESIGN will be firstly launched in the Chinese mainland (sic). Please stay tuned with the Huawei official channels for more availability information in the future.

It would be a real shame if the Mate XT doesn’t launch outside China as it’s a one-of-a-kind device after all. But it sounds like HUAWEI hasn’t ruled out a wider release.