The Huawei Mate XT, one of the world's first commercially available tri-fold smartphones, has now earned itself a global launch. After a China-only launch in 2024 which was hugely successful, Huawei has launched the phone globally, with a starting price of €3,499 (approximately ₹3,18,000).
The China launch of the Mate XT was so successful that it received an astonishing 6.5 million bookings in the early stages, reflecting strong consumer interest, fueled partly by patriotic sentiments. For the unversed, the Huawei Mate XT is a foldable smartphone that, despite its tri-fold moniker, unfolds twice. All other foldable phones on the market like Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, OnePlus Open, and vivo X Fold 3 Pro have a cover display that unfolds into a bigger main display on the inside.
The Mate XT, on the other hand, has a 6.4" cover screen making it look like a regular smartphone. Upon the first "unfold", it expands into a 7.9" display, similar to the other foldable phones on the market. Then there's a second "unfold" that transforms the display into a 10.2" screen, making it versatile, as well as a potential laptop replacement for many. Huawei claims that it’s the world's thinnest foldable phone, measuring in at just 3.6mm thickness.
The folding mechanism uses flexible materials that allow the screen to bend inward and outward. This flexibility is made possible by a special hinge system that Huawei designed to ensure smooth transitions between the different screen modes. The phone’s design is aimed at offering more versatility for users who want a compact phone but also need a large screen for tasks like multitasking, reading, and gaming.
The launch of the foldable was considered a show of defiance from the Chinese company, which has lost access to all US tech support including Google services, state-of-the-art smartphone chipsets, and more due to a trade war between the US and China. As a result of this, the Mate XT uses Huawei's own Kirin chips to power itself.
Will the Huawei Mate XT Launch in India?
Despite the global launch in Malaysia, it seems unlikely that the tri-fold smartphone will ever make its way to Indian shores. Huawei hasn't sold phones in India in quite some time and doesn't offer any after-sales support either. Adding to that is the phone's steep price tag, and the lack of access to any Google services like Maps, Play Store, etc means that even importing the phone in India wouldn't be the wisest choice.