The archive · Product Ideas · Product decision · 2024
Huawei Mate XT (2024): the world's first tri-fold phone unfolds into a 10.2-inch tablet
Huawei's Mate XT Ultimate folds twice like an accordion — phone, 7.9-inch, or 10.2-inch tablet in one device; 3.6M preorders.
Huawei
What it had to solve
Huawei already led the foldable market, but every book-style rival phone capped out around 7–8 inches unfolded; going bigger meant the folded phone grew too, so the form factor itself was the limit.
How it works
When Huawei unveiled the Mate XT Ultimate Design in Shenzhen on September 10, 2024, it was the first tri-fold phone anyone could actually buy. The device folds twice along two hinges, so its single 10.2-inch OLED can be used as a 6.4-inch phone, a partially opened 7.9-inch screen, or a fully unfolded tablet. Executive director Richard Yu framed it as a five-year engineering obsession: 'a product that everyone can think of but could not make.'
The creative bet was structural rather than cosmetic. Instead of adding another camera or an AI feature, Huawei changed the folding geometry itself — two synchronized 'Tiangong' hinges, a screen thin enough to fold three panels, and a 3.6mm profile when open, which Huawei called the world's slimmest foldable. The timing was deliberate theater: the launch came hours after Apple's iPhone 16 event, and within days Huawei reported more than 3.6 million no-deposit preorders.
Priced from 19,999 yuan (about $2,800), the Mate XT was positioned as a halo device that proved Huawei could out-innovate after US sanctions cut it off from cutting-edge chips and Google services. IDC data from the period showed Huawei had already overtaken Samsung as the world's largest foldable phone vendor with a 27.5% second-quarter share, and the tri-fold extended that lead into a category no rival had shipped.
Why it lands
- It solved a real form-factor ceiling: foldable screens were stuck around 7–8 inches because a bigger display meant a bigger folded phone.
- One hardware decision created three distinct devices (phone, mini tablet, tablet) instead of requiring three products.
- It converted an engineering constraint — hinge thickness — into a headline spec (3.6mm) that defined a new category.
- It was launched as deliberate counter-programming to Apple's iPhone 16 event, turning a product reveal into a competitive statement.
What it did
More than 3.6 million no-deposit preorders before pricing was announced; the first commercial tri-fold phone. IDC data showed Huawei as the world's biggest foldable vendor with a 27.5% Q2 2024 share, ahead of Samsung's 16.4%.
What you can take
When a category's form factor hits a wall, change the geometry instead of the spec sheet — a second hinge turned one device into three and reset what a phone could be, making rivals race to follow.
Since then
The Mate XT sold out within minutes when first sales opened on September 20, 2024, and remained China-only for months before a global release in February 2025. Analysts treated it as a technology showcase rather than a volume product — supply was limited and the price more than double an iPhone 16 Pro Max — but it reset expectations for the foldable category, with competitors' tri-fold concepts following.
Sources
- Huawei's new trifold phone costs more than a 16-inch MacBook Pro
- Mate XT Ultimate Design: Everything to Know About Huawei's Triple-Screen Phone
- Huawei reveals tri-fold smartphone, raising competition with Apple in China
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