Chinese smartphone maker Huawei launched its luxury Huawei Mate XT, a three-panel foldable phone, globally on February 18, the Associated Press reported from the launch event in Malaysia. The phone retails for $3,662. It isn’t available directly from U.S. carriers and won’t work with U.S. network bands, due to a U.S. ban on Huawei products due to cybersecurity concerns; however, it is possible to use workarounds to establish a 4G connection in the U.S.
Huawei also announced the MatePad Pro tablet and Free Arc earbuds at the event on Tuesday.
The three-screen form factor is remarkable
The Huawei Mate XT marks a new era of experimentation with phone form factors; many major phone brands offer clamshell options now, with Apple as a notable exception. Huawei’s Mate XT has three foldable panels, a relatively large 10.2-inch screen, and a width of just 0.14 inches. (Compare to the 10.9” screen of an iPad.) The Mate XT can be folded into single, dual, or triple-screen formats.
Huawei hasn’t detailed the hardware inside, but some sources say the Mate XT uses Huawei’s own Kirin 9010. It runs on the proprietary HarmonyOS 4.2 operating system.
The steel hinges feature a sliding track on the inward hinge and what Huawei calls an “intricate structure” on the outer hinge, while 26 cams guide the motion.
The phone is so thin in part because the 5,600mAh battery is only about 1.9 mm thick.
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Huawei faces international constraints
Huawei’s global launch reflects the company’s continued push to expand beyond China despite international restrictions, particularly from the U.S. The company’s access to chips is limited since global vendors can’t use U.S. technology in designs for Huawei. Also, Google apps won’t officially work on Huawei’s phones in the U.S.
The Huawei Mate XT came out in China last year.