Huawei’s tri-folding Mate XT smartphone came out in, of all places, South Africa. It arrived in other countries, sure, but we’re really not sure how many locals paid R70,000 (at launch) for the company’s most unusual phone.
If you’re more of a second-generation buyer, your chance is coming to spend vast sums on the XT’s successor. A rumour out of China reckons that Huawei has its sequel brewing. The projected launch is for October this year, giving you plenty of time to secure a deposit. Or a bank loan.
Need another Mate XT?
The rumour comes via Hyperdimension Realm, a Weibo account. The leaker claims the October launch date and lists some of the device’s key specs. Internally, Huawei’s own Kirin 9050 chipset is supposed to power the foldable. A larger battery, up to 6,000mAh from 5,600mAh, is also expected. We don’t see the Chinese company going much harder on the other specs than the existing 16GB/1TB configuration. The ongoing RAM shortage might well drive the price even higher, however.
Camera performance is supposed to be on par with the Huawei Mate X7. Fans paying the expected price should be pleased with the 50MP/50MP/40MP rear camera setup, assuming the lenses turn out to be identical.
Elsewhere, Huawei’s Mate XT 2 will apparently feature drawing support (so a stylus could be included), and the physical device is also undergoing an upgrade. It seems that the “hinge technology has been greatly improved, and the creases have been significantly reduced.”
We’ll have to wait for official word from Huawei on the new version of the tri-fold smartphone, but nothing claimed here is outlandish. Odds are good that an October release will be China-only, with other countries getting the device early in 2027.
