Huawei unveils $2,500 trifold smartphone

The launch came Thursday, just five days before Apple’s planned release date of the iPhone 17, American news channel CNBC said.

Huawei introduced its first generation of the Mate XT trifold phone in Sept. last year, and sold it in China initially before entering select overseas markets earlier this year.

Unlike typical foldable smartphones with a single hinge, the Mate XT’s two hinges allow it to expand into a tablet when opened.

Huawei launches the new foldable smartphone Mate XTs on Sept. 4, 2025. Photo courtesy of Huawei

The company expects the new smartphone to help continue its recovery in the domestic smartphone market.

Huawei’s market share in China rose to 18% in the second quarter this year, up from 15% a year earlier, making it the country’s top seller, according to market research firm Counterpoint Research.

Market intelligence firm International Data Corporation said Huawei has a 75% share of the foldable phone market.

It sold 470,000 Mate XTs in the first two quarters this year.

The phone uses Huawei’s self-developed Kirin 9020 chip and HarmonyOS system, boosting performance by 36%, Richard Yu, head of the company’s consumer business group, said, according to Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

It has three screens that expand into a 10.2-inch display when opened. It is 3.6-4.75mm thick and weighs 298 grams, the same as the previous generation.

It comes with Huawei’s new M-Pen 3 stylus, a feature that the first generation did not support.