The Register gets its claws on Huawei’s bonkers tri-fold phone
(2025/03/03)
- Reference: 1740983588
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/03/03/ithe_registeri_gets_its_claws/
- Source link:
First Look Huawei’s triple-fold Mate XT smartphone is a classy creation that’s easy to handle even when fully extended, but disappoints because it’s ridiculously expensive and the included Android variant struggles to keep pace with the machine’s contortions.
The Register came upon the [1]Mate XT in a Huawei store at a mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which we visited to escape the conference food during last week’s [2]APRICOT 2025 event.
Your correspondent was able to use the phone for about ten minutes and came away impressed by the machine itself, which when unfolded to its maximum extent measures 156.7 x 219mm. By way of contrast, Apple’s basic iPad is 179.5x 248.6mm and the iPad Mini is 134.8 x 195.4mm.
[3]
Here it is, fully extended and nestled in my meaty paw.
[4]
The Huawei Mate XT with all three screens deployed - Click to enlarge
The two sections of the screen that fold out from the Mate XT’s body are 3.6mm deep, while the main body of the device measures 4.8mm as it includes cameras and other components. All three leaves are thinner than either of the abovementioned iPads.
When all three leaves are folded together only a single screen is available, and the device becomes 12.8mm deep but doesn’t feel bulky in the hand. My point of comparison here is Samsung’s Galaxy Z folding phones which in similarly brief encounters have always felt a little brutish thanks partly to the prominence of the hinge. The Huawei is more presentable and subtle, and its combination of a brassy chassis and oxblood colored rear leather panels looks classy.
[5]
[6]
The smartphone didn’t feel fragile, but its many corners felt like it will be prone to catching on clothing. I felt like I would never dare to toss it a few meters across a room to land on a bed or sofa as I often do with my 2023-vintage Samsung Galaxy S device.
As a long-term iPad owner I’ve often been frustrated at how hard it is to hold Apple’s tablet with one hand. The Huawei’s size and 298 gram weight made it easy to handle. I feel that when all three screens are folded out the machine’s weight and 2232 × 3184 pixels display would make it a fine device on which to read an electronic book.
[7]As China embraces Big Tech again, Alibaba plans vast spend to push for artificial general intelligence
[8]HPE says blocking Juniper buy is a sure Huawei to ensure China and Cisco thrive
[9]Huawei handed 2,596,148,429,267,413,
814,265,248,164,610,048 IPv6 addresses
[10]Your air fryer might be snitching on you to China
The device I looked at was running Android and the EMUI skin Huawei uses for that OS, not the Harmony OS the Chinese giant uses in its home market.
EMUI gave me ennui because Huawei hasn’t tweaked it to handle the Mate XT’s changing screen sizes.
[11]
On the machine I saw, the device’s fully-extended screen presented dozens of icons for apps, all at the same size they appear at on a single screen. The result, as depicted above, was a forest of folders. The device should resize app icons instead.
And here it is again, with just two screens deployed.
[12]
The Huawei Mate XT with just two screens deployed - Click to enlarge
When I tried the SMS app the keyboard smeared itself across the bottom fifth of the screen and rendered keys oddly thin and wide. Single-handed operation required long distance hunt and peck, or swiping a long way between characters. Two handed typing was not feasible when holding the device, and frustratingly hard if I put it down because the extra width of the phone’s body means it doesn’t sit flat on a surface.
Other apps also struggled to adapt to the Huawei’s wide expanses, with plenty of white space between familiar UI elements.
You pay plenty for those un-used pixels: Sticker price in the Huawei store was 14,999 Malaysian Ringgit – about US$3750 – an absurd sum in either currency. My brief experience also led me to believe that until Huawei encourages developers to write apps tuned to the device's big displays, it won't delight buyers and the novelty of a three-leaf phone will quickly dispel.
[13]
For what it’s worth, the mall where I found the Huawei store was also home to two Samsung-stores, plus retail outlets dedicated to Chinese handset brands Xiaomi, Oppo, Honor, realme, and Vivo.
All borrowed very heavily from the layout of Apple’s retail outlets. None were at all busy during my dinnertime visit. Huawei’s store was the largest, and felt even emptier than the others. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/18/huawei_triple_fold_mate_xt/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/27/tech_career_paths_apprenticeships_needed/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z8WL1h54Ytz0ztFCF7W0VgAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/03/03/simon_sharwood_huawei_mate_xt_three_screens.jpg
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z8WL1h54Ytz0ztFCF7W0VgAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z8WL1h54Ytz0ztFCF7W0VgAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/23/asia_tech_news_roundup/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/14/hpe_rebuts_doj_juniper/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/06/apnic_huawei_ipv6/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/05/air_fryer_spying/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z8WL1h54Ytz0ztFCF7W0VgAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/03/03/simon_sharwood_huawei_mate_xt_two_screens.jpg
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z8WL1h54Ytz0ztFCF7W0VgAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The Register came upon the [1]Mate XT in a Huawei store at a mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which we visited to escape the conference food during last week’s [2]APRICOT 2025 event.
Your correspondent was able to use the phone for about ten minutes and came away impressed by the machine itself, which when unfolded to its maximum extent measures 156.7 x 219mm. By way of contrast, Apple’s basic iPad is 179.5x 248.6mm and the iPad Mini is 134.8 x 195.4mm.
[3]
Here it is, fully extended and nestled in my meaty paw.
[4]
The Huawei Mate XT with all three screens deployed - Click to enlarge
The two sections of the screen that fold out from the Mate XT’s body are 3.6mm deep, while the main body of the device measures 4.8mm as it includes cameras and other components. All three leaves are thinner than either of the abovementioned iPads.
When all three leaves are folded together only a single screen is available, and the device becomes 12.8mm deep but doesn’t feel bulky in the hand. My point of comparison here is Samsung’s Galaxy Z folding phones which in similarly brief encounters have always felt a little brutish thanks partly to the prominence of the hinge. The Huawei is more presentable and subtle, and its combination of a brassy chassis and oxblood colored rear leather panels looks classy.
[5]
[6]
The smartphone didn’t feel fragile, but its many corners felt like it will be prone to catching on clothing. I felt like I would never dare to toss it a few meters across a room to land on a bed or sofa as I often do with my 2023-vintage Samsung Galaxy S device.
As a long-term iPad owner I’ve often been frustrated at how hard it is to hold Apple’s tablet with one hand. The Huawei’s size and 298 gram weight made it easy to handle. I feel that when all three screens are folded out the machine’s weight and 2232 × 3184 pixels display would make it a fine device on which to read an electronic book.
[7]As China embraces Big Tech again, Alibaba plans vast spend to push for artificial general intelligence
[8]HPE says blocking Juniper buy is a sure Huawei to ensure China and Cisco thrive
[9]Huawei handed 2,596,148,429,267,413,
814,265,248,164,610,048 IPv6 addresses
[10]Your air fryer might be snitching on you to China
The device I looked at was running Android and the EMUI skin Huawei uses for that OS, not the Harmony OS the Chinese giant uses in its home market.
EMUI gave me ennui because Huawei hasn’t tweaked it to handle the Mate XT’s changing screen sizes.
[11]
On the machine I saw, the device’s fully-extended screen presented dozens of icons for apps, all at the same size they appear at on a single screen. The result, as depicted above, was a forest of folders. The device should resize app icons instead.
And here it is again, with just two screens deployed.
[12]
The Huawei Mate XT with just two screens deployed - Click to enlarge
When I tried the SMS app the keyboard smeared itself across the bottom fifth of the screen and rendered keys oddly thin and wide. Single-handed operation required long distance hunt and peck, or swiping a long way between characters. Two handed typing was not feasible when holding the device, and frustratingly hard if I put it down because the extra width of the phone’s body means it doesn’t sit flat on a surface.
Other apps also struggled to adapt to the Huawei’s wide expanses, with plenty of white space between familiar UI elements.
You pay plenty for those un-used pixels: Sticker price in the Huawei store was 14,999 Malaysian Ringgit – about US$3750 – an absurd sum in either currency. My brief experience also led me to believe that until Huawei encourages developers to write apps tuned to the device's big displays, it won't delight buyers and the novelty of a three-leaf phone will quickly dispel.
[13]
For what it’s worth, the mall where I found the Huawei store was also home to two Samsung-stores, plus retail outlets dedicated to Chinese handset brands Xiaomi, Oppo, Honor, realme, and Vivo.
All borrowed very heavily from the layout of Apple’s retail outlets. None were at all busy during my dinnertime visit. Huawei’s store was the largest, and felt even emptier than the others. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/18/huawei_triple_fold_mate_xt/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/27/tech_career_paths_apprenticeships_needed/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z8WL1h54Ytz0ztFCF7W0VgAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/03/03/simon_sharwood_huawei_mate_xt_three_screens.jpg
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z8WL1h54Ytz0ztFCF7W0VgAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z8WL1h54Ytz0ztFCF7W0VgAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/23/asia_tech_news_roundup/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/14/hpe_rebuts_doj_juniper/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/06/apnic_huawei_ipv6/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/05/air_fryer_spying/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z8WL1h54Ytz0ztFCF7W0VgAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/03/03/simon_sharwood_huawei_mate_xt_two_screens.jpg
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z8WL1h54Ytz0ztFCF7W0VgAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Four grand for a phone?
that one in the corner
Keep an eye out whilst watching The Apprentice - when you will also learn how loud it is on speaker, held like a saucer instead of like a phone.
Thinking of that, bet it doesn't have a speaker at the top of the leftmost pane and mic at bottom the rightmost, so you can wrap it around your head and take a call.
Holding an iPad
Steve Davies 3
{cue the obvious 'You are holding it wrong' comments}
If you see iPads in use in businesses, they almost all have a easy to hold handle suck on the back. May I humbly suggest that you look at getting one? I bought one at Dubai Airport on a stopover. If is stuck on my Logitech case and makes it a breeze to use.
"Trifold"
MiguelC
Just nitpicking, but wouldn't trifold mean it folds around 3 hinges? It should be a duofold, right?
Re: "Trifold"
that one in the corner
I agree, but we are foolishly sensible and will be put in our place very quickly.
It seems that printers of yore decided that putting one fold in created a bifold, no a bipane or a quadsides or ... Now that trend continues.
So it seems we are stuck, counting panes but talking about folds. Aint vernacular fun!
I thought about this
JimmyPage
I think there could be a market for a phone which tacks up the same space as a regular phone, but which can be unfolded into a "T" shape with the top horizontal being the same form as the phone only rotated 90 degrees. You can use it like a regular phone or unfold and have the width at the top, but still able to hold it easily in one hand.
The fact that no one appears to have thought of it tends to make me a bit suspicious. They certainly aren't letting the market decide ...
Re: I thought about this
danielmeyer
You've just designed the LG Wing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LG_Wing#
Re: I thought about this
Roland6
Back in the 1990s there was a “T” shaped handheld rugged computer, it was reputedly widely used as a hammer.
Four grand for a phone?
No doubt some will pay it...
Pockets are too small --->