Huawei Mate XT Ultimate: First Tri-Fold Phone Available for Purchase
After a lot of teasers and leaks, Huawei has officially introduced the world’s first tri fold phone that you can actually buy. The new Huawei Mate XT Ultimate has a unique design that folds at two different hinges. When fully opened, it turns into a large tablet-like screen with high-end features.
Design and Display of Huawei Mate XT Ultimate,First Tri-Fold Phone
When fully opened, the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate is only 3.6 mm thick, even with its advanced folding mechanism and large camera system, which is similar to the Mate X5 foldable phone. It weighs just 298 grams, making it both functional and easy to carry.
The Mate XT Ultimate features a single, flexible LTPO OLED screen that can adjust to different folding positions. This screen has a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and can display up to 10 billion colors. Its full resolution is 3,184 x 2,232 pixels, but it can change to 2,232 x 2,048 pixels or 2,232 x 1,008 pixels, depending on how the phone is folded.
When the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate is fully unfolded, it has a large 10.2-inch display with a 16:11 aspect ratio, giving you a big screen to use.
If you fold the left side, it turns into a 7.9-inch device with a foldable screen. When you fold the right side, it becomes a smaller, 6.4-inch bar-style phone.
Huawei calls the display on the Mate XT Ultimate “3K,” which means it falls between QHD (2K) and 4K resolutions. The screen covers 92% of the front of the phone, giving you more usable display space. Huawei also features “AI computing image quality” to make the visuals look even better.
Internals and Software of Huawei Mate XT Ultimate
Huawei doesn’t specify the exact chipset used in the Mate XT Ultimate, but it’s expected to be a high-end processor. The phone comes with 16 GB of RAM and offers up to 1 TB of storage. However, it does not have a slot for additional memory cards.
The Huawei Mate XT Ultimate runs on HarmonyOS 4.2, which is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) but does not include Google services. The software is designed to take full advantage of the large screen with various multitasking features.
In addition to these features, the phone includes AI capabilities. These AI features allow you to use voice-to-text, automatically split the screen into two apps, translate documents in real time, and retouch photos.
Huawei hasn’t specified if the AI features on the Mate XT Ultimate are powered by cloud services or if they run directly on the device itself.
Cameras of First Tri-Fold Phone
The camera system on the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate combines features from the Mate X5 and the popular P series. The main camera has a 50MP sensor, which includes phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and optical image stabilization (OIS) to improve picture quality.
This primary camera also uses technology from the P60 Pro, which lets the lens adjust its aperture. The aperture can change between f/1.4 and f/4.0, allowing the camera to control light better in different shooting conditions.
Cameras
The Huawei Mate XT Ultimate has a versatile camera system. It includes a main 50MP camera with phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and optical image stabilization (OIS). This main camera can adjust its aperture between f/1.4 and f/4.0 for better control of light in different conditions.
In addition to the main camera, there is a 12MP telephoto lens that provides 5.5x optical zoom, which is great for capturing distant subjects clearly. For wide-angle photos, the phone has a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera. The rear camera system also includes a laser autofocus module that helps the camera focus quickly and accurately.
For selfies, the Mate XT Ultimate has an 8MP front-facing camera located in a small punch-hole cutout on the main display. This camera is used for taking selfies when the phone is folded into its compact mode.
Battery and Pricing
The Mate XT Ultimate comes with three silicone-carbide composite cells, giving it a total battery capacity of 5,600 mAh. It supports 66W wired fast charging and 50W wireless charging. The phone also has reverse charging, which allows it to charge other devices wirelessly at 7.5W or through a wired connection at 5W.
The phone is available in Black or Red, with stylish gold accents around the hinges, edges, and camera module. As a premium device, it has a high price tag: the 256 GB model starts at $2,800, the 512 GB version costs $3,100, and the top 1TB model is priced at $3,400.
Availability
Even though the Mate XT Ultimate has impressive features, it might not be available internationally. Huawei’s last global release of a foldable phone, the Mate X3, was about 18 months ago. Since this new model is a high-end, niche product, it is unlikely that a non-premium version will be released outside of China.
