Picture a world in which the once flat, touch screen phones are miracles that one can fold to reveal a full-size tablet. Today, let’s move to the future and take a closer look at the Huawei Mate XT which becomes the first triple-folding smartphone available across the globe. It’s a gadget that has fallen out of a science fiction movie straight into the hands of consumers, taking mobile technology forward in a way that seems almost unimaginable.
Here in this blog, we will give you the much-needed first look at this marvelous futuristic gadget that is designed to fold in three ways, and many other specifications. Well, let’s start the experiment and see whether the Huawei Mate XT is as revolutionary as it is painted.
Credit: Huawei
First Look: Unboxing the Huawei Mate XT
Starting with the first touch, the Huawei Mate XT has an aura of a premium device around it and it doesn’t end when you first unpack it from the box. Huawei includes the Freebuds 5, a car charger, and a carbon fiber body with the smartphone. This kind of detail pays attention to how different Huawei wants this product to be. And of course, the phone takes the limelight – a device that can fold three times definitely attracts some attention.
If the phone is lifted, then it can be realized that Huawei wanted to deliver a luxurious experience. Measuring an impressive 10.2 inches and easily foldable into a compact 6.4-inch smartphone, the Mate XT strongly emphasizes work and media fluidity. As soon as you read that, you know for certain this has nothing to do with an ordinary phone call.
Credit: Huawei
Design and Build Quality
Huawei Mate XT completely overcomes any twaddle regarding the design of a smartphone. When closed, it doesn’t look particularly unusual – not exactly like a typical smartphone, but definitely thicker.
Credit: Huawei
As a result, the thin profile of the Mate XT is a pleasantly surprising feature, considering that the device folds twice.
This two-tone system which combines glass on one side and leather on the other provides a classy, state of the art look to the particular device; however, this may come with the flip side of having to deal with the different materials used on each side of the band.
Credit: Huawei
Display Experience
Huawei Mate XT comes with a tri-folding mechanism allowing it to have three usage modes. Let’s explore each:
- Closed Mode: With the flip cover completely closed, one is left with a generous 6.4-inch clear, vibrant and responsive display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The curved edge gives it a more luxurious look and feel just like using any Android flagship smartphone, only bulky. However, it is not cumbersome and is not one of the largest devices in the world.
Credit: Huawei
- Tablet Mode: Open the Mate XT once, and you are met with a 7.9 inches of what feels incredibly like a tablet. It is square and very similar to other folding equipment like the Samsung Z Fold and Pixel Fold. The thin and lightweight design is ideal for productivity and multitasking.
The crease is noticeable but subtle enough to be easily overlooked.
- Full Tablet Experience: When you want to, you can fold it completely and this one comes as a 10.2inch tablet. This is, in my opinion, the major strength of the device. The thin bezels allow for a large viewing area and though there are two creases they are minuscule. It’s great to have a full-sized tablet that can fold down into a compact size, making it easy to fit in your pocket.
Credit: Huawei
Performance and Software
Huawei has loaded flagship features in the Mate XT and thus keeping it on par with other flagship smartphones. Using the Kirin 9010 chipset, up to 16 GB of RAM and one terabyte of storage, it runs flawlessly. The software however gets slightly messy here. Huawei cannot use Google services due to the ban, so it provides Huawei Mobile Services, which may not suit users outside China.
The experience of performing the operations on the triple-fold screen is nimbly challenging. Huawei has designed smart animations that show transitions between the folded states.
Camera and Photography Capabilities
The Huawei Mate XT doesn’t let the side down in terms of cameras. On the back, it has three lenses; the first one is a 50 MP main camera, second is a 12 MP ultra-wide camera, and third is the telephoto lens. The main camera has a hybrid, depending on the situation, aperture 1.4/4, which increases the camera’s flexibility, especially when shooting portraits.
The folding mechanism, however, also provides some interesting opportunities for creative photography. For example, you can use the back cameras to take selfies, with the shot displayed on the 6.4-inch screen. This makes it easy to take shots from interesting angles and guarantees high quality selfies. In general, the video resolution is truly high as most other flagship smartphones: the picture is sharp and the colors are bright.
Credit: Huawei
Battery Life and Charging Features
One of the problems that Huawei Mate XT has is the battery life. The device is run by a 5,600mAh battery, which appears quite reasonable, but indeed, when the device is fully unfolded with a 10.2-inch screen, the battery drains quite fast. It has support for wired fast charging up to 67W as well as wireless charging up to 50W which is fair enough. Due to the frequent need for recharging caused by the power-hungry display, it isn’t suitable for power users.
The latest con is that the phone does not come with an IP rating, so it cannot survive in a water or dusty environment. This is a compromise many foldable phones make, but it’s still something to consider for anyone thinking about purchasing one.
Credit: Huawei
The Quirks and Trade-offs
While everything may not be in order with the new Huawei Mate XT. However, product development involves making a few sacrifices as it houses the remarkable tri-fold display. The speakers are not very impressive – they are relatively low in tones, apart from bass power. While each folded section is very thin, there’s simply no space to integrate the sizable speaker chambers.
On the same note, the process of folding and unfolding the device can be a little puzzling. It’s very simple to fold it in the wrong way and although the software tells you each time you do, it’s quite annoying that you need to be so delicate with the device every time. However, this is not cheap – variations of this model are costliest and can go for as low as $3,500. For this price, users make a decision whether this innovation is beneficial for the compromises which they have to make.
Price and Availability
As for the Huawei Mate XT, it is a flagman, hence it is not cheap at all. Currently, the cost of the car in China amounts to $3,500 for the highest trim level. That, combined with the recent troubles that Huawei is currently facing specifically, with the United States, implies that it will not be officially available to Western markets any time soon. This means anyone not in China who would like to purchase it must do so through importing, which is an additional expense and inconvenience.
It is obvious to believe that such a device is aimed to receive enthusiast reception – individuals ready to invest in modern technology. But as the Mate XT includes limitations such as no Google services and costs a lot of money, the phone is for selected people and is not a people’s phone.
Credit: Huawei
Final Thoughts
The Huawei Mate XT is simply mind-blowing, it sums up what is achievable in a world of foldable cell phones. It utilizes a triple folding design and the screen offered is one of the biggest which absolutely makes this a fantastic gadget that we have come across in a long time. But it is not without its problems. Google services absence, average speakers, and rather high price are rather serious minuses customers should always remember.
With that, however, if you are a car enthusiast looking to own a car of the future, then getting the Huawei Mate XT could be a good idea. It is a bold device that asserts Huawei’s willingness to tackle maximized goals, as much as this might hurt the company. It might not be the ideal device for everyone, but there’s no doubt that it is a thrilling step up as far as smartphones are concerned.
