The world’s first tri-fold phone has gotten its second-gen even before the rumored Samsung tri-phone has been announced. That’s right, my friends, Huawei Mate XT has a follow-up, and it is called Mate XTs Ultimate Design. Wait. Is it really a second-gen? Well, we know in a sec.
Slimmer, Fancier, and a Little More “Ultimate”
The Mate XTs [CH] looks nearly the same at first glance, but Huawei gave it fresh colors: a new “Hao White” and “Jin Purple” (basically, white and purple), with a pressed texture design on the back for a grippier hold. But like the first, it bears the “Ultimate Design” badge with a hexagonal metal plate for extra flex points.
The phone still unfolds into a massive 10.2-inch display, but now with a sharper 3K resolution (3184 × 2232) and up to 1800 nits brightness. Basically, your eyeballs will have no excuse to complain, whether you’re watching cat videos or spreadsheets.
Camera Gets a Maple Leaf Makeover
Where Mate XT topped out at 20 MP, the Mate XTs cranks it up with a new 40 MP ultra-wide, 50 MP variable aperture main shooter, 12 MP periscope telephoto, and a new 1.5 MP “Red Maple Original Color” sensor that promises 120% better color reproduction. Translation: autumn leaves will now look even more autumn-y in your photos.
Zoom remains 5.5x optical and up to 50x digital, while the whole system uses Huawei’s RYYB pixel arrangement for improved light sensitivity. Selfies and video calls are handled by a 40 MP front camera.
Productivity Toybox
This “Ultimate Design” isn’t just about looking fancy. It adds support for the M-Pen 3 stylus, global note-taking, and split-screen snipping. Huawei also threw in HarmonyOS 5 features like panoramic multi-window and full PC-grade apps, so yes, you can now run the PC version of WPS on a foldable slab. Pair it with the new StarFlash keyboard and suddenly you’re the guy bringing a mini office to the café.
Hardware Muscle
Inside, the new Kirin 9020 chip replaces last year’s 9010, with claims of 36% performance gain. Both models keep the same 5600 mAh battery with 66 W wired and 50 W wireless charging, but the XTs squeezes out better endurance thanks to processor efficiency. And if you’re feeling extra dramatic, it even supports nationwide earthquake alerts and second-gen satellite comms.
The Wallet Damage
All this folding sorcery doesn’t come cheap, but Huawei has made it slightly “more approachable.” The Mate XTs Ultimate Design starts at 17,999 yuan [CH] (~2,520 USD), which is actually 2,000 yuan (~280 USD) cheaper than the Mate XT. Affordable? Nope. Ultimate? Pretty much.
Final Word
So, yeah, the new Mate XTs is indeed a follow-up, not quite a variant of the OG tri-fold device. Not only that, but Huawei managed to slash the starting price. Not that it is affordable to average consumers. However, it is a good start for those who have always wanted a tri-fold device.
Images: Huawei [CH].