Hands-on: HUAWEI Mate XT's tri-fold engineering breakthrough redefines smartphone usability forever
Regular foldable smartphones are cool and great, but they are not as crazy as this one.
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| Yes, you can pocket this phone/tablet with a large display |
In an event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, tech giant HUAWEI recently formally introduced the Mate XT to the global market. This is the world's very first tri-fold smartphone.
In the Philippines, the tech giant recently revealed that it will retail for PHP 199,999.
Yes, this is an expensive smartphone. However, it is packed with several breakthroughs in modern folding smartphone engineering that make it highly interesting for the rich early tri-fold adopters.
Here's what we initially think about it.
Hands-on: HUAWEI Mate XT's tri-fold engineering breakthrough redefines smartphone usability
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| iPhone 16 Pro Max with Spigen Case side by side with the Mate XT |
When I first laid eyes on it, I was taken aback by how slim it was for a foldable device.
Specifically, it's 12.8mm in single-screen mode. While that's thicker than most smartphones without a case, it matches the slim profile of an iPhone 16 Pro Max with a case. That's wild! Under this mode, it is like a regular smartphone with a 6.4-inch 1080p+ display.
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| The biggest display on a foldable smartphone yet |
When fully unfolded, it is even more impressive. The device transforms into a full-sized 10.2-inch tablet with a wide-screen 16:11 aspect ratio and a 3K+ resolution.
While under this mode, users can enjoy a wide screen high-resolution content on YouTube, OTT platforms like Netflix, Prime, and more, and simply view websites, apps, and more on a larger monitor.
The big 10.2-inch display is fun to use for content creation, multimedia consumption, and more
In my experience, I enjoyed watching high-quality K-pop videos and NBA recaps on this mode. If I have more time with it, it might be the right phone to bring to binge watch Netflix shows while riding a budget airline flight with no monitor in front of the seat.
HUAWEI said that if you have an after-market keyboard, you can use this device as a PC-like device, a computer that you can literally put inside your pocket. I can see this might be great for editing videos on CapCut, typing documents, editing images, among others.
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| The Mate XT is just 3.6mm slim when fully unfolded |
Under this mode, the device is just 3.6mm thick. This is the slimmest smartphone in the world when unfolded.
Another crazy feat that HUAWEI did here is on a body this slim, they were still able to fit a USB Type-C port. Moreover, it has up to 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge. (It also has a 50W Wireless HUAWEI SuperCharge by the way.)
When you don't need the biggest screen possible, it can also transform into a 7.9-inch screen that is great for doing two tasks at the same time and reading e-books or viewing articles on different websites.
The downside of this display on paper is the refresh rate is just 90Hz. At least that's better than the 60Hz panels in the past. However, for something this expensive, it would have been nicer if it were a smoother 120Hz panel.
But, I understand that this is a new tech and that's probably the limit of this panel.
By the way, the speakers are loud and quite detailed with some bass punch for a smartphone.
Another thing is that it has a more noticeable crease compared with regular foldable phones like the Mate X6.
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| The hinge design |
In terms of build, it is honestly a little scary to unfold at first because of how thin it is. Also, you need to practice a little on how to fold and unfold the device to avoid doing a wrong fold and accidentally break the panel.
Impressive hinge design
But after a while, it is fine. Besides, it uses the company's Advanced Precision Hinge System that folds in opposite directions and allows it to fold into three screens. As per HUAWEI, this tech even increases its resistance impact by 30 percent compared to a conventional book-type foldable.
When fully folded, the right side of the device also exposes some parts of the screen.
So, be careful not to drop it as the case will only protect its back panel and the left hinge side of the phone.
One issue for me is the weight. The device is almost 300 grams heavy at 298 grams.
In comparison, the listed weight of the iPad mini WiFi is 293 grams.
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| The smartphone mode and mini tablet with stand mode of the Mate XT |
On tablet mode, it is fine and comfortable to hold. On regular smartphone mode, you will feel the weight more.
Plenty of modes, but it is a bit heavy
If put inside the pocket of a slightly loose pants, there's a chance that it might slowly take it off while brisk walking due to its weight.
For specs, it uses an unspecified Kirin chip. Several reports claim that it is the Kirin 9010, a 7nm chip with Maleoon 910 graphics. While this chip can run most of the tasks with ease, it isn't as fast as most modern 3nm or 4nm flagship processors from competing brands.
This is the same chipset found on the Pura 70 Pro last year.
Due to the sanctions imposed by the US government, it has no access to 5G globally. Thankfully, the type of 4G LTE tech that HUAWEI used here is considered as 4.5G and it is still fast and mostly reliable.
The good part? It has a massive 16GB physical RAM and 1TB of internal storage, improved multitasking, and to allow users to store a LOT of files, apps, photos, videos, documents, and more.
The battery capacity is also BIG for a foldable at 5,600mAh, which can last for a whole work day on a single charge.
In case you are wondering, it has no Google out of the box. But, like other new HUAWEI phones, most of the Google apps we use like YouTube, Gmail, Maps, and more are working or partially working.
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| It has great cameras for a foldable |
Moreover, like all high-end HUAWEI smartphones, it comes with GREAT camera specs with good actual performance.
It goes with the 50MP f/1.4~4.0 Ultra Aperture XMAGE Camera featuring a 10-size Adjustable Physical Aperture designed to capture sharper, professional-level shots with OIS. The primary camera is paired with a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 12MP f/3.4 5.5x periscope telephoto with OIS.
Tried it for a few snaps and most of the shots we took are flagship-level. (Unfortunately, we do not have enough time with it and I failed to transfer the photos I took using the Mate XT.)
The camera specs of the Mate X6 regular folding phone are still stronger though.
Quick thoughts
While it is a first-gen product with things that could be improved on next releases, my very short time with the HUAWEI Mate XT is an amazing experience.
HUAWEI truly pushed the limits of smartphone form factors, making it a stunning all-in-one pocketable device. It feels ultra-premium to hold, the battery is strong enough for a foldable, the cameras are good, and the fact that it can transform into a device with a 10.2-inch screen is very impressive.
In a sea of smartphones with many similar designs, it's refreshing to see a unique form factor like this one.
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