I’ve spent a few weeks with the first-of-its-kind triple folding smartphone, the HUAWEI Mate XT Ultimate Edition. To be honest, writing a review for such a product might feel like its target audience might just glaze over this piece. Let’s be honest. This phone is the price of a downpayment for a car. Price isn’t an issue so you’re either an early adopter with a lot of cash, or somewho who has **** *** money. So yes, it’s weird. I’ll be talking about specs, the hardware, the software, and the overall feel. But the people buying this phone won’t care. This phone is after all a statement piece.
To illustrate the weirdness, this is probably the only flagship at this level – above P200,000 level (this is not the real Philippine SRP – I am basing it on the global SRP of 3,499 Euros) that has an Antutu CPU score that is slightly below the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G. But really, who cares? This isn’t a flagship phone running the latest Snapdragon Elite chipset – it can’t. We all have to remember that the silicon geopolitics not only banned native Google on HUAWEI, it also banned both Intel and Qualcomm.
I shall borrow a paragraph I wrote when I reposted a review my staff did on the HUAWEI Mate X6, because it’s quite apt that the reason HUAWEI is what it is today, is due to a series of events that some may claim to be fortunate – or the opposite, depending on which side of the coin you are on.
It begins, “There’s a fork in the timeline. In that other multiverse, the HUAWEI ban never happened. HUAWEI went on to become the number 1 smartphone brand, overtaking Samsung.”
But alas, we are in the Sacred Timeline (I think?). HUAWEI releases the Mate XT Ultimate, the most cutting edge device in the market today. It almost seems like a necessity to innovate, an overachievement, likened to a duck swimming gracefully above water, but below it is paddling furiously to make up for lost time. In the tech world, post-ban HUAWEI is a truck competing against race cars. From that long straight stretch of road, it seems that the tech giant has been beaten by insurmountable odds. However, as one looks beyond, HUAWEI has decided to look inwards and decided not to compete under the same rules – since the rules, apparently, can be changed.
Since the ban, HUAWEI has made significant moves. First, it beefed up HiSilicon, their chip foundry, looking inwards to manufacture their own home-grown chips. In its current state, the Kirin chipset is about two years behind the current generation of chips. It’s a long game, a crippling one even as their PC market bleeds with the loss of Intel chips for new Windows laptops. It’s an odd boon in a way, that HUAWEI does have its own chip foundry and the market conditions of moving towards ARM-based chips for Windows seem like a convenient timing. But I digress.
The Mate XT Ultimate isn’t winning awards for “fastest processor” – but it wins, in my book, the gaming crowd. Oh the irony! But truly, this is the only device you can fold out to enjoy handheld-style play experience, and when you’re done, simply fold it up into your pocket. Nothing like this exists in the world.
Regarding actual chip performance, we have to remember that despite the Kirin chips being two generations behind, it can still perform quite well. Antutu scores don’t tell the whole story. Check out this video – I am able to play ZZZ at high settings and adjust the screen sizes from tri-fold to regular smartphone mode with barely any lag on the system. Also, barely any heat.
Speaking of the screen, for a first generation device, this is light years ahead of what any foldable could have released back in the day. As this is the first ever device that has a screen able to fold both inwards and outwards, I shall forgive the slight screen crease – it is after all, barely noticeable fully folded out, and besides, who wouldn’t want to flaunt the fact that it can fold? Otherwise it would look like you’re just holding out an iPad mini. The screen certainly *looks* sturdy as I’ve been handling it pocketed and in my travel bag as it made the journey from Manila to Malaysia and back.
Why a bigger screen?
This is probably the 3,500 Euro question everyone wants answered. I shall give two answers. The first is an existential one: because HUAWEI can. I was speaking to some HUAWEI executives during the launch and they told me that the trifold screen is a result of a vision from more than a decade ago where a team was asked to envision the future of phones and in agreement, everyone pointed to a piece of paper that you can fold and store. I say it over and over again — before the bans, HUAWEI was top notch when it came to tech. They were releasing hit after hit with the P10, P20, and Mate series. Despite the ban, they’ve never stopped. In fact, this has only further emboldened them to come up with more of these gimmicks. I mean, what is there to lose? (When you’re already number one in China).
The second reason is really a pragmatic one — HUAWEI wants to create an all-in-one device – a pocketable phone with the versatility of a small — and large tablet. It works. In phone mode, the 6.4” screen doesn’t feel awkward. It may take some time getting used to the “hamburger” like texture because you’re essentially using three screens stacked together but otherwise, it works fine. The second 7.9” screen mode is one fold out. I’ve found the best use case for this as a desktop reader with the third fold at an acute angle acting like a stand (see photos above). Yup. I’m that confident with the screen’s durability. Fully extended at 10.2” its best use case are spreadsheets, games and reading on vertical mode. It makes for a great ePub, PDF, or comic reader. Attach a Bluetooth keyboard and you now have a mini PC.
Camera System
The Mate XT Ultimate comes with an XMAGE powered triple rear camera. You’ve got a 50-12-12 megapixel device that performs superbly in most situations. I’m a huge fan of XMAGE technology after HUAWEI abandoned their partnership with Leica. Images are sharp, portraits are smooth with no aperture edge blurring, and lighting is quite smart. Selfie mode isn’t as versatile with only an 8MP f/2.2 camera. I guess it might be too much to ask for a sharper ultra wide rear camera as Samsung’s S25 series already has a 50MP wide lens. But yes, do let the image samples below speak for themselves.
NOTE: As I was only one of two people who had units in Malaysia, some of these shots were not taken by me, but were left on the camera. I had said I would make use of them as it was really so hard to track who was borrowing the device at any given point. So I may or may have not taken some of these shots.
Who is this for?
At the end of the day, it doesn’t take a lot of convincing for whether you would buy one or not. Most of the population won’t have the cash to lay down for a phone. But others would gladly grab this opportunity for a decent first-generation device. The HUAWEI Mate XT Ultimate Edition is an escalation of the tech Cold War. As of this writing you’ve already seen other brands like Samsung and OPPO tease their tri-fold devices.
For a daily driver and productivity device, the Mate XT checks all boxes. A 66W fast charger comes with the phone, powering a 5500mAh (rated) battery. Like most foldables, charging expectations have to be set as it does take longer.
For a first-generation trifold device, the HUAWEI Mate XT Ultimate Edition is less “concept lab” and more “road worthy” to its credit. The triple fold screen just works, allowing you to transform your 6” phone to a 10” tablet in less than 5 seconds with absolutely no loss in productivity.
Get Early Access to the HUAWEI Mate XT – Pre-Order Information
The HUAWEI Mate XT is available for pre-order from February 28 to March 31 for PHP 199,999 via Shopee, Lazada, TikTok, the HUAWEI Online Store, and HUAWEI Experience Stores.
Pre-orders include a HUAWEI FreeClip and 1-Year Accidental Screen Damage Protection (one-time use), valued at PHP 39,998.
Every HUAWEI Mate XT purchase comes with top-tier after-sales support:
- 1-Year HUAWEI Care – One-time screen protection service
- Free 2-Time Screen Protector Replacement – Valid for one year
- APAC Region Warranty Coverage – Hassle-free support across the region
- 1-to-1 Proactive Care Service – Direct assistance for service concerns
- Worry-Free Repairs – Get a flagship loan device during repairs, free of freight
- Priority Service – Fast and efficient customer support
