Huawei has set a new benchmark in the smartphone industry with the launch of the Mate XT, the world's first triple-fold smartphone. Unveiled on Tuesday, the Mate XT features a unique accordion-style screen that allows users to fold the device in three different ways.
The announcement came just hours after Apple revealed its highly anticipated iPhone 16 series, with both Huawei and Apple scheduling their products to ship starting September 20. The Mate XT has already seen impressive demand, with over 3 million preorders according to Huawei's website.
Yu Chengdong, an executive director at Huawei, highlighted the Mate XT's standout features. The smartphone boasts a 10.2-inch (25.908 centimeters) screen and is only 3.6 millimeters thick when unfolded, making it the largest and thinnest folding screen phone available on the market. This sleek design is achieved through a high-capacity battery built with the thinnest silicon anode material globally, reaching a remarkable 1.9-millimeter thickness per cell.
One of the Mate XT's key innovations is its screen's 16:11 aspect ratio, closely mirroring that of a laptop screen. This design significantly reduces letterboxing when playing standard 16:9 widescreen videos, offering a more immersive viewing experience compared to the nearly square screens of most mainstream foldable phones.
Guo Tianxiang, a research manager at IDC China, praised Huawei's software compatibility in the folding phone market. He noted, \"The battery has seen considerable improvement in both capacity and size due to the use of silicon carbide anode, but attention must still be paid to power consumption and heat issues.\"
The Mate XT's versatile design allows for single, dual, and triple screen modes, enabling flexible transitions between different forms. Huawei has dedicated five years to developing its innovative hinge mechanism, which revolutionizes traditional designs by allowing both inward and outward folding.
Despite these advancements, some technical challenges remain. Market analysts reported to CGTN that crease marks on the screen cover have yet to be resolved, and the large 10-inch screen could adversely affect battery life. Additionally, the Mate XT's starting price of 19,999 yuan (approximately $2,800) has sparked skepticism among social media users regarding the high cost and practical value of such a large-screen folding phone.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
