As the smartphone industry watches and waits, Huawei alone has crossed the threshold into tri-fold territory a second time, preparing to ship the Mate XTs on September 4 in China. In a market where rivals have announced but not delivered, this quiet persistence speaks to something larger — the question of whether a genuinely new form of the device we carry everywhere is finally taking shape. The timing, arriving just before Apple's annual iPhone moment, suggests Huawei understands that presence, not promise, is what defines a category.
Huawei's second tri-fold phone launches Sept. 4 with up to 1TB storage
Huawei stands alone in actually shipping tri-fold phones.
Mark
So Huawei is launching a second tri-fold phone. Why does that matter if nobody else has even shipped one yet?
Mimi
Because they're proving the form factor works at scale. The original Mate XT came out last year and didn't collapse or fail in the field. Now they're iterating—better chip, better cameras, more storage. That's the signal that this isn't a one-off stunt.
Luke
But we don't actually know if it worked at scale. We know Huawei shipped it. We don't have sales numbers, reliability data, or user satisfaction metrics. It could have sold ten units or ten million.
Mark
Fair point. So what's the actual competitive advantage here?
Mimi
Speed to market, mostly. Samsung could launch a tri-fold tomorrow if they wanted to. But they haven't. That gives Huawei time to refine the technology, work out the hinge problems, build the supply chain. By the time Samsung ships, Huawei will be on generation three.
Luke
Again, assuming there are hinge problems to work out. We don't have reports of widespread failures. We're inferring that iteration is needed because that's what companies do. But the Mate XT might have been rock-solid.
Mark
What about the price? Three thousand five hundred euros for the first one—that's not a mass-market device.
Mimi
No, but it establishes the category. Foldables started at that price point too. As manufacturing scales and competition arrives, the price comes down. Huawei's getting ahead of that curve.
Luke
The Mate XTs pricing hasn't been announced. We're comparing it to a device from a year ago in a completely different market. That's not a reliable baseline.
Mark
So the real story is just that Huawei is launching something and nobody else has yet?
Mimi
That's the story. They're alone in the tri-fold space right now. Whether that matters depends on whether the market actually wants tri-folds, and we won't know that for years.
O Pulso
- Huawei is the only company on Earth actually shipping a tri-fold phone — not teasing one, not announcing one, but putting it in customers' hands for the second consecutive year.
- Samsung has declared its own tri-fold production-ready yet keeps it shelved, leaving Huawei to define the category entirely on its own terms.
- The Mate XTs arrives with meaningful upgrades — a new Kirin 9020 chip, a 50-megapixel variable-aperture camera, and storage reaching 1TB — signaling this is not a repeat but an evolution.
- The launch is strategically timed days before Apple's iPhone 17 reveal, a deliberate echo of last year's Mate XT debut that positioned Huawei as a counterpoint to the industry's loudest moment.
- Global availability remains the critical unknown — if the Mate XTs stays confined to China as its predecessor did, the tri-fold's potential to reshape the broader foldable market may remain unrealized.
As the smartphone industry watches and waits, Huawei alone has crossed the threshold into tri-fold territory a second time, preparing to ship the Mate XTs on September 4 in China. In a market where rivals have announced but not delivered, this quiet persistence speaks to something larger — the question of whether a genuinely new form of the device we carry everywhere is finally taking shape. The timing, arriving just before Apple's annual iPhone moment, suggests Huawei understands that presence, not promise, is what defines a category.
Huawei is set to launch the Mate XTs on September 4, opening pre-orders in China immediately and holding its official event at 2:30 PM local time. The device arrives in four colors — red, black, purple, and white — with 16GB of RAM and storage configurations reaching 1TB, details sourced from leaker Digital Chat Station, who has a strong track record with Huawei hardware.
The Mate XTs builds on the original Mate XT's outward-folding S-style hinge, which allows the phone to bend in both directions across its expansive 10.2-inch unfolded OLED display. The new model carries an "Ultimate Design" designation printed on the casing and is expected to run the upgraded Kirin 9020 chipset. Camera improvements include a 50-megapixel main sensor with variable aperture, a refined periscope telephoto lens, and built-in satellite connectivity — though Huawei has yet to formally confirm these specifications. Pricing has not been announced; the original Mate XT launched at a striking €3,500.
What gives this launch its weight is Huawei's singular position in the market. Samsung has said its tri-fold is production-ready but hasn't released it. TECNO has shown concepts. Everyone else remains in the announcement phase. Huawei, for the second year running, is the only manufacturer actually shipping. The launch is timed deliberately just ahead of Apple's iPhone 17 series, mirroring last year's strategic positioning.
The open question is reach. The original Mate XT was largely confined to China, and there are no current signals that the Mate XTs will travel further. Whether tri-fold becomes the next defining foldable form factor may ultimately depend on how this device performs at home — and whether competitors finally move their own projects from concept to shelf.
Huawei is preparing to ship its second tri-fold phone on September 4, and it's the only company in the world actually doing so. The device, called the Mate XTs, opens pre-orders in China starting immediately, with the full launch event scheduled for 2:30 PM local time that day. It will come in four colors—red, black, purple, and white—paired with 16GB of RAM and storage options climbing to 1TB, according to leaker Digital Chat Station, who has proven reliable on Huawei hardware in the past.
The Mate XTs represents an evolution of Huawei's original tri-fold, the Mate XT, which debuted last year with a distinctive outward-folding S-style hinge that lets the phone bend in both directions. The new model carries forward that design philosophy while adding what Huawei is calling the "Ultimate Design"—a phrase printed directly on the casing. The company has been teasing the phone on Weibo under the name "Extraordinary Master," though the Ultimate Design branding appears to be the official designation.
Under the hood, the Mate XTs is expected to run Huawei's upgraded Kirin 9020 chipset, a step up from its predecessor. The camera system gets meaningful improvements: a new 50-megapixel main sensor with variable aperture, a better periscope telephoto lens, and satellite connectivity built in. These specs haven't been formally confirmed by Huawei itself, but they come from Digital Chat Station's previous leaks about the device. The original Mate XT already set a high bar with a 10.2-inch unfolded OLED display, 66-watt wired charging, and 50-watt wireless charging—though it launched at a staggering €3,500. Huawei hasn't yet disclosed pricing for the Mate XTs.
What makes this launch significant is that Huawei stands alone in actually shipping tri-fold phones. Samsung has publicly stated its own tri-fold is ready for production but hasn't released it. TECNO has shown off concept devices. Everyone else is still in the teasing phase. That means Huawei has a clear, uncontested lead in a form factor that could reshape the foldable market if it gains traction. The timing is deliberate: the Mate XTs launches just days before Apple's iPhone 17 series, mirroring last year's Mate XT reveal, which came right after the iPhone 16 launch.
The major uncertainty is global availability. The original Mate XT remained largely confined to China, with limited international presence. Huawei hasn't announced any plans to bring the Mate XTs outside its home market, and history suggests the company may keep this device regional. That would mean the phone's impact on the broader smartphone industry—and whether tri-fold becomes the next major foldable trend—depends heavily on how it performs in China and whether competitors finally move their own tri-fold projects from the drawing board to retail shelves.
Citações Notáveis
Huawei confirmed the new Mate XTs on Weibo, with pre-orders opening and a full launch event set for September 4 at 2:30 PM local time.— Huawei (via Weibo)
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