Chinese tech giant Huawei has held a global launch for the industry’s first tri-foldable phone. Analysts say it marked a symbolic victory for Huawei amid U.S. technology curbs but that challenges over pricing, durability, supply and app constraints may limit its success.

Huawei on Tuesday held a global launch for the industry’s first tri-foldable phone, which analysts said marked a symbolic victory for the Chinese tech giant amid U.S. technology curbs. But challenges over pricing, longevity, supply and app constraints may limit its success.

Huawei said at a launch event in Kuala Lumpur that the Huawei Mate XT, first unveiled in China five months ago, will be priced at 3,499 euros ($3,662). Although dubbed a trifold, the phone has three mini-panels and folds only twice. The company says it’s the thinnest foldable phone at 3.6 millimeters (0.14 inches), with a 10.2-inch screen similar to an Apple iPad.

  • SturgistEnglish
    2·
    3 days ago

    I’ve got the Honor Magic V3, it’s the 2 panel version of the OP device. I’ve had it for 6 months now, no complaints so far. I’m a stone mason, loooooots of super fine dusts of varying degrees of caustic. I got a slightly more robust case than what came with it, and I’m a bit more careful about what pocket I keep it in. I’ve dropped it over a dozen times, and mangled the hinge on one case already. But like you, I’ve had regular phones start failing around now, and this one is still fine. I feel like the first and 2nd gen foldables were where most of the kinks were worked out, and now they’re only slightly more delicate in very specific ways compared to a regular slab phone.