The world's first tri-fold phone feels shockingly sturdy

Phew - just when it looked like foldable phones were getting a little boring, Huawei has booted down the proverbial door and unveiled the Mate XT: the first ever official, real, actually-going-on-sale tri-foldable phone.

Let’s break that down. First up, by ‘tri-foldable’ I naturally mean a phone that folds at two points. Unintuitive, perhaps, but it’s the three screen sections that really make the name make sense.

The Mate XT can be used at a roughly regular phone size, can unfold once to double that screen like today’s big-screen foldables, and can then unfold once more to reveal a 10.2-inch display triple the size of the original phone.

We’ve seen concept phones in this format before, but what makes the Mate XT special is that you can actually buy it. Well, not you specifically - the XT is so far only going on sale in China, though an international launch is reportedly being mooted for early next year.

The roughly $2,800 price tag in China is also likely to limit the phone’s early appeal, but what’s striking about the Mate XT is that it feels so much like a finished product. This is a world away from the first-gen foldables of five years ago, with polished hardware and solidity that means even with that extra fold, this never feels fragile.

What’s the point?

Who wants a tri-fold, anyway?

But before that, it’s probably worth addressing the big question everyone has had for me after I told them I’d be spending an hour with a tri-foldable: why? Just… why?

From my perspective, the answer is simple, really: aspect ratios. If you’ve ever bemoaned the fact that opening up a phone like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Pixel 9 Pro Fold doesn’t actually get you any additional horizontal screen real estate for streaming video, then the Mate XT is for you.

When fully open, the 2232 x 3184 display runs at a 16:11 aspect ratio. That’s not exactly among Hollywood’s default proportions, but it’s close enough to 16:9 and other widescreen formats that you can use this for watching TV and film with only a little letterboxing.

Because you can also open this up partway, it essentially gives you three form factors to choose between: a regular phone for the day-to-day stuff, that square-ish foldable form that suits multi-tasking and reading e-books, and a full-size 10-inch tablet that’s probably best for video but also offers even more screen space for working.

One shame is that Huawei hasn’t yet optimized the software to make the most of all that space. It feels intuitive that you should be able to lock three apps in, one to each screen segment, but not so: you’re limited to two locked apps (which you can at least re-size at will) and a third floating window. This is crying out for OnePlus Open-style app multi-tasking options, and the full screen feels a little wasted without it.

Foldable, but not fragile

Tougher than it looks

Griping about the software feels churlish though. Huawei’s phone software has had bigger problems than multi-tasking ever since a US trade embargo blocked it from running Google services, and everything important about the Mate XT from a US perspective lies in its hardware.

Opening the phone gives an odd first impression, as it’s a touch awkward the first time. Each side folds open in a different direction, which makes sense but slightly breaks your brain. I’m sure you’d get used to it in time, but apparently an hour isn’t long enough for the muscle memory to sink in.

Once open, the magic sets in. For one, the Mate XT is absurdly thin. Laid flat, it’s just 3.6mm thick - thinner even than Honor’s Magic V3 - and if you close it back up the phone is about as thick as the Galaxy Z Fold 6, despite packing a whole extra layer of hardware. At 300g it’s heavy for a phone, to be sure, but strikingly light for a 10-inch tablet.

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The biggest surprise here is simply how solid it feels, nothing like you’d expect from a first attempt at a new form factor. Each of the two hinges feels tough, with one locking into place on the phone’s rear thanks to a built-in magnet. The screen segments are happy to sit in a variety of positions, and hold in place rather than swinging in the breeze.

In another sense, I suppose none of that should be too surprising. Sure, this is the first tri-fold device to make it past the concept stage, but it’s building on five years of commercial folding phones, and Huawei itself has gone through multiple foldable product lines already.

But it’s still shocking to pick up a phone that folds every which way and not feel the need to handle it with kid gloves. I wouldn’t want to chuck the XT around unnecessarily - and with no IP rating to speak of its long-term durability is still in doubt - but it has the feel of a phone that could survive a tumble or two.

That’s not really in any way thanks to the case Huawei is including in the box, a flimsy number that only covers one of the three phone segments alongside a flap to cover up the one hinge side that’s made of display, not metal, when the phone is closed.

I’m sympathetic to the fact that designing a truly protective case for the Mate XT sounds challenging to the point of impossible, but Huawei’s first effort doesn’t give much confidence that there’ll be better options down the line. It’s not helped by a wobbly kickstand that struggles to keep the phone standing when it’s all the way open.

The real deal

A concept no longer

In the first few years of foldable availability, the industry kept up a steady stream of concepts, designs, and form factors. Then it seemed to collectively decide that foldables can only come in one of two shapes, and that was that.

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It’s taken a few years for that status quo to be broken by a real phone that real people can buy. Sure, that may only be in China for now, but it’s still a major move forward to get a new form factor in mass production, and the pressure is now on other manufacturers to keep up.

There’s no getting away from the fact that the Mate XT is more vulnerable than the average phone, and I can’t promise that some buyers won’t find themselves splashing that $3,000 all over again to replace it after a fall. But that’s always been the risk with folding phones, and the Mate XT truly doesn’t feel any more fragile than rival devices that only fold once.

Now we wait for Google or Samsung to bring their own version to the States.