Huawei’s first trifold is a great phone that you shouldn’t buy

The Huawei Mate XT represents a landmark technological milestone as the market's first commercial trifold smartphone, offering an intriguing glimpse into the future of mobile devices.

When fully closed, the device behaves like a standard smartphone with a reasonable thickness comparable to existing dual-screen foldables. Opening the device halfway mimics traditional foldables, but fully unfolding it reveals a massive ten-inch tablet screen that is highly optimized for media consumption, gaming, and multitasking. The internal battery performs surprisingly well, and the hardware itself feels remarkably premium and polished for a first-generation concept.

However, despite the impressive engineering feat, consumers are strongly advised against purchasing the device. With an astronomical price tag of nearly four thousand dollars, restricted global availability, and an absence of native Google software services, it presents insurmountable barriers for everyday users. Furthermore, the phone lacks water resistance, and the delicate flexible screen remains exposed to the elements even when folded, raising serious long-term durability concerns. While this specific model is impractical for the average buyer, its successful execution demonstrates that the trifold form factor is viable and will likely become a mainstream standard once future iterations refine the durability and lower the price.