A Closer Look At The World’s First Trifold Phone
Recent launches from Apple and Google have wowed the world with their innovation, and with the Huawei Mate XT, we’ve got another world first – this time from more unexpected quarters. The new release boasts a trifold screen, which means it might look like a usual phone at first, but it unfolds into a workable screen that’s twice its size – and then unfolds again to become even bigger!
Phone manufacturers like Samsung and Transsion (Africa’s smartphone leader) have created trifold phones as concepts, but Chinese company Huawei are the first to go out to market. Given how thin and fragile the screens are, and that the phone needs complicated tech to ensure it works smoothly in all configurations, it’s no wonder it’s taken this long to produce.
The phone has only just been released in China, and it’s yet to be given a date for international release. But for a peek at the direction of travel in the smartphone market, here’s what to expect from the Huawei Mate XT.
How the trifold screen works
Unlike a usual foldable phone that folds in half, a trifold phone can be unfolded out so that one, two or three panels can be used at any one time. When it’s fully unfolded, the Huawei Mate XT has the world’s largest foldable phone screen at 10.2” (with a suitably high resolution of 2200 x 2480).
Basically, it’s like a phone that folds out into a small tablet. Yet it can just about fit in your pocket, with a thickness of 1.28cm when folded, and a weight of 298g (heavy for a phone, but light for a tablet).
The phone spec
There’s a US ban on chip sales to China, but Huawei aren’t going to let that stop them in their tracks. The Huawei’s Mate XT uses their own Kirin 9010 5G processor, the same as its Pura 70 series phone. Meanwhile the operating system, Harmony OS, looks like it’s well able to handle the display of its single, double and triple screen options in both landscape and portrait configurations – not an easy ask.
The battery is large at 5,600mAh. That’s certainly needed to power its use when it’s completely folded out, but still impressive given how thin the phone is. Charging is fast too: it has a 66W maximum with the USB-C charger, and 50W wirelessly.
Camera
The camera set includes a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera and a 5.5x 12MP periscope. There is also an 8MP selfie camera that lives on the top segment, so it’s usable when fully folded and fully unfolded, but goes on the back when it’s a dual screen. That might make the camera a little tricky to use, but if it’s best-in-class camera experience you’re looking for the Huawei’s Mate XT probably isn’t for you anyway.
Its chances of success?
As a brand new product on the market, it’s yet to be seen how rapidly trifold phones take off. The company has had over 6.5 million pre-orders of the Huawei Mate XT in China since its announcement, but as you don’t have to pay to pre-order, that’s unlikely to translate into sales (especially as reports indicate it might have a problem with suppliers for parts like the hinges and cover glass).
The biggest barrier is the hefty price tag – the phone starts at 20,000 Chinese Yen (£2300), which is an eye-watering price for a phone, whatever the bragging rights.
It’s also true that the foldable phone market is small, if growing. It’s expected that foldable phones will account for 1.5% of smartphone sales in 2024, and that will only rise to 4.8% by 2028. Currently the market leader in this segment is Samsung, but by showing off its innovation with the Mate XT, it’s predicted that Huawei will be hot on their heels. Even if their customers’ budgets don’t stretch as far the Mate XT, it’s quite the flex from Huawei, and enough to tempt many towards their other foldable phones, the Mate X5 and Pocket 2.
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