In the ongoing human pursuit of tools that bend to our needs rather than the other way around, Huawei has unveiled the Mate XTs in China — a smartphone that literally folds itself into three distinct forms. Priced lower than its predecessor yet more capable in nearly every dimension, the device reflects a broader ambition: to make the extraordinary feel ordinary, and to weave hardware, software, and ecosystem into something closer to a unified way of working and living.
Huawei Mate XTs: Three-Fold Smartphone With Kirin 9020 Launches at Lower Price
Three different devices in one—phone, tablet, laptop replacement.
Mark
Why does Huawei keep pushing three folds when most competitors are still figuring out one?
Mimi
Because they see it as the next evolution. One fold gives you a bigger screen. Three folds give you three different devices in one—phone, tablet, laptop replacement. The stylus and multi-window support make that vision concrete.
Luke
But does the market actually want this? We have the price and the specs, but we don't have sales numbers from the original Mate XT. We don't know if it succeeded or failed.
Mark
Fair point. So the lower price—is that a sign they're trying to reach more people, or a sign the first one didn't sell well?
Mimi
Probably both. Huawei says it's positioning the device as "both an upgrade and a more competitively priced option." That language suggests they want to capture people who were interested but hesitant about the cost.
Luke
Right. And the 14 million HarmonyOS 5 devices—that's a real number, but it's spread across 50 products. That's not 14 million Mate XTs. It's their entire ecosystem.
Mark
So the phone is really a gateway to the ecosystem?
Mimi
Exactly. The PC-linked app, the stylus, the multi-window features—they're all designed to lock you into Huawei's world. If you buy the phone, you're more likely to buy their tablet, their laptop, their watch.
Luke
Which is smart strategy, but it also means the Mate XTs' success depends on whether people trust Huawei's ecosystem to be worth the investment. That's not something the specs sheet tells us.
Mark
What about the actual engineering? Three folds, two hinges—is that harder than it sounds?
Mimi
Tremendously. The thickness variations alone—3.6 millimeters fully open, 7.45 and 4.75 millimeters in the middle state—that's precision manufacturing. And the display has to fold without creasing or failing.
Luke
True, but we don't have any durability data. No word on how many folds the hinges can handle, or what the real-world failure rate looks like. That's crucial information for a device at this price point.
O Pulso
- A phone that becomes a tablet with two folds is no longer science fiction — Huawei is shipping it by the end of September at a price that, while still steep, is meaningfully lower than last year's debut.
- The tension between niche luxury and mainstream utility is real: at roughly $2,500, the Mate XTs must justify itself not as a curiosity but as a genuine productivity tool for professionals and power users.
- Huawei is countering that skepticism with hardware muscle — a 10.2-inch unfolded display, upgraded cameras, a 5600mAh battery, and a stylus — signaling that versatility, not spectacle, is the pitch.
- The deeper disruption is software: with 14 million devices running HarmonyOS 5 across 50+ products, Huawei is quietly building an ecosystem designed to rival the integrated worlds of Apple and Google.
- The trajectory points toward normalization — foldables are being repositioned from collector's items to practical instruments, and each price cut and hardware refinement moves that argument a step closer to landing.
In the ongoing human pursuit of tools that bend to our needs rather than the other way around, Huawei has unveiled the Mate XTs in China — a smartphone that literally folds itself into three distinct forms. Priced lower than its predecessor yet more capable in nearly every dimension, the device reflects a broader ambition: to make the extraordinary feel ordinary, and to weave hardware, software, and ecosystem into something closer to a unified way of working and living.
Huawei took the stage at a consumer event in China this week to introduce the Mate XTs, its second three-fold smartphone. Pre-orders opened September 4, with shipments expected before month's end. At 17,999 yuan — around $2,522 — it arrives notably cheaper than the original Mate XT's 2024 launch price, a signal that Huawei is serious about broadening the device's appeal.
The defining feature remains the dual-hinge design, which lets the screen shift between three distinct sizes: a pocketable 6.4 inches when closed, 7.9 inches partially open, and a full 10.2-inch tablet surface when unfolded. Despite this mechanical complexity, the device weighs just 298 grams and thins to 3.6 millimeters at full extension. A bundled stylus and multi-window support reinforce Huawei's framing of the phone as a productivity instrument rather than an engineering showpiece.
Inside, the Mate XTs runs the Kirin 9020 chip with 16GB of RAM and storage up to 1TB. The camera array has been meaningfully upgraded — a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 40-megapixel ultra-wide, a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto with 5.5x optical zoom, and a multispectral sensor round out the system. A 5600mAh battery with 66W wired and 50W wireless charging handles endurance.
Beyond the hardware, Huawei is advancing a larger software vision. HarmonyOS 5 now runs on more than 14 million devices across 50+ product categories, and the Mate XTs includes tools designed to link seamlessly with PCs and other Huawei hardware. The company is betting that foldable phones are crossing from luxury novelty into practical necessity — and that a lower price, paired with genuine capability, is what finally makes that case stick.
Huawei announced the Mate XTs at a consumer product event in China this week, marking the company's second attempt at a three-fold smartphone design. Pre-orders opened on September 4, with the first units shipping by month's end. The device starts at 17,999 yuan—roughly $2,522—a meaningful price cut from the original Mate XT's 19,999 yuan launch price in 2024.
The three-fold form factor remains the device's defining feature. Two hinges allow the screen to expand from a compact 6.4-inch display when fully folded, to 7.9 inches in a half-open state, and finally to a full 10.2-inch tablet-like surface when completely unfolded. The engineering is precise: the device weighs approximately 298 grams and measures just 3.6 millimeters thick at its thinnest point when fully extended. Huawei has positioned this versatility as a productivity tool, not merely a novelty—the larger screens enable multi-window multitasking, and the device ships with a stylus for both work and entertainment.
Under the hood, the Mate XTs runs Huawei's Kirin 9020 processor paired with 16 gigabytes of RAM and storage options ranging from 256 gigabytes to 1 terabyte. The display technology uses OLED panels with adaptive refresh rates and 1440 Hz pulse-width modulation dimming to reduce flicker. The camera system has been upgraded from the original model: a 50-megapixel main sensor with optical image stabilization, a 40-megapixel ultra-wide lens, a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto capable of 5.5x optical zoom, and a 1.5-megapixel multispectral sensor. The battery capacity sits at 5600 milliamp-hours, supported by 66-watt wired charging and up to 50-watt wireless charging.
Huawei's software strategy extends beyond the phone itself. The company reported that more than 14 million devices are now running HarmonyOS 5, its proprietary operating system, across more than 50 different hardware products. This ecosystem expansion reflects the company's broader ambition to create an integrated environment where phones, tablets, computers, and wearables work seamlessly together. The Mate XTs includes a PC-linked app designed to extend functionality across devices, positioning it as part of a larger computing ecosystem rather than a standalone device.
The company has framed the three-fold design as increasingly mainstream. On Weibo, Huawei emphasized the device's "extraordinary design" and suggested that the form factor is gaining acceptance among users. By pricing the Mate XTs lower than its predecessor while adding hardware improvements, Huawei appears to be betting that foldable phones are moving from niche luxury items toward practical tools for both enthusiasts and professionals. The lower entry price removes one barrier to adoption, while the expanded screen real estate and stylus support address the productivity use case that justifies the premium over conventional phones.
Citações Notáveis
Huawei positioned the Mate XTs as both an upgrade and a more competitively priced option compared to its predecessor.— Huawei (company statement)
The company emphasized on Weibo that the three-fold form factor is becoming more accepted in the market.— Huawei (social media)
Quer a matéria completa?
Leia o original em Ubergizmo ↗
Business