First tri-fold smartphone Mate XT priced up to $5,000 in Vietnam

The latest smartphone of the Chinese producer was launched on Sep. 20 with a price tag of over $2,800 and has been in short supply ever since.

Sellers have been hand-carrying the devices by plane to distribute them unofficially in Vietnam. At around $5,000, Mate XT is among the most expensive smartphones in the country. Photos by VnExpress/Phong Tran

The most unique feature of the smartphone is its triple-screen system that can be folded into one, allowing users to view their content on either a compact 6.4-inch screen or a 10-2-inch screen, which is similar to a small tablet.

Its user interface has not been fully optimized for larger screens, which could pose challenges for some users as most interactive elements are positioned in the middle.

Mate XT operates on Android but does not include Google services, which is why it has not been sold internationally.

One visible drawback is the joint lines between the three OLED screens, which can be seen from the side. Huawei has capped the refresh rate at 60 Hz, which is half the rate of most high-end smartphones.

At 3.6 millimeters, the Mate XT is thinner than most other folded products.

One of the screens can be used as a stand to support the other two.

The phone has 16 GB of memory and storage options ranging from 256 GB to 1 TB.

The one-screen position offers the most comfortable holding angle. Left-handed users might have some difficulty with the textureless screen-edge that can be slippery.

The phone comes with a 50-megapixel camera cluster with 5.5x optical zoom and an ultra-wide lens. The front camera has 8 megapixels.

Some analysts have said that the phone allow users to experience a new type of product, but its price tag and incomplete features make it not ideal for everyday use.