Huawei Unveils Mate XTs: A Refined Tri-Fold Experience

Huawei has officially introduced the Mate XTs, marking the second generation of its innovative tri-fold smartphone lineup. Despite some fresh tweaks, the device largely mirrors its predecessor in design and form factor, raising questions about whether the incremental upgrades justify the premium price tag.

The Mate XTs retains the same tri-fold mechanism as its predecessor, now available in four color options: black, red, purple, and white. The phone remains impressively slim at just 3.8mm when unfolded and 12.8mm when folded, weighing 298 grams. The centerpiece is still a 10.2-inch LTPO OLED display offering a 3K resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 1,800 nits. Folding the device once yields a 7.9-inch screen, while fully folded it measures a more practical 6.4 inches across.

Under the hood, the Mate XTs is powered by Huawei’s new Kirin 9020 chipset, claimed to deliver 36% better performance than the previous Kirin 9010. However, with global sanctions still limiting Huawei’s access to leading chip technologies, the processor falls short of competing with top-tier offerings from brands like Qualcomm or Apple. All variants come with 16GB of RAM and storage options of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB, running on HarmonyOS 5.1 out of the box.

The camera setup sees its most notable upgrade with the addition of a new 40MP ultrawide sensor positioned at 13mm focal length. This joins the existing 50MP main camera with a variable f/1.4-4.0 aperture and a 12MP periscope telephoto lens capable of 125x zoom. Battery life is supported by a 5,600mAh cell, with charging options including 66W wired, 50W wireless, and 7.5W reverse wireless charging.

In China, the Mate XTs starts at CNY 17,999 for the base 256GB model, climbing to CNY 21,999 for the top-tier 1TB variant. Should the device eventually reach Nepal — a prospect considered unlikely due to HarmonyOS compatibility constraints — expectations are for a starting price of at least NPR 380,000.